*****Friday Finishes/Touches:From my notes, one of the things that I left out about Coach Slayton was the thought, that he is like an old dog, in a young dog’s skin and he reminds a lot of us of the boxer that has gone down for the count, but he keeps on getting back up again and carries the battle/fight onward….Good Fifth of July thoughts…*****
A good man with a good plan to stay strong and to keep running long, that is the word today, on the 4th of July for former Southeast Guilford and Eastern Guilford coach Bill Slayton…Happy Birthday #82 today to Coach Slayton….A very good job and well done during your time in the Guilford County Schools….Other coaches are close in age to Coach Slayton, C.K. Siler(Southern Guiflord) and Doug Henderson(Western Guilford), but not many are ready to pass him yet and there are not many around that can still hang with ‘The Coach’….He hits the weight room over at the SportsCenter Athletic Club about three days per week and the man is still going strong at age 82….Gonna hard for most of the former coaches to keep uo with this guy and some of the current coaches might have trouble too….
But, Coach Slayton keeps up with all of his former players that he can and with, old coaches, old students and many friends….You might hear him bring up Don Causey, Terry Clapp, Dino Hackett, Ernie Woods, Scott Youmans, Ron Teachy, Ron Rudd, Tom Hogan, Fred Brady, Bob Kime, Dick Kemp, Sam Story, Bob Boswell, Bob Boles, Marion Kirby, Casey Jones, Sandy Gann, David Bain, or many many more, because the old coach liked what did and he did it to help the kids, all the way to having charter bus rides for the football team, on the Friday night away games….
Many a good time had during football, baseball and golf seasons back in the day and it was always better when the team was winning, and the old coach won his share of games over the years….If his old buddy Tony Barnhart was still around town, they would talking about the good times today, on the birthday of ‘The Coach’, Bull Slayton….
If ‘Big Jim’ Modlin was still here he would be checking on ‘The Coach’ today…..Or ‘Big Jim’ might be calling the coach’s wife and saying ‘The Coach’ was picking on ‘Big Jim’ again….Best of friends for many years, ‘Big Jim’ Modlin and Coach Bill Slsyton…..
Coach Slayton was a very tough hombre back in the day, but the man was a true leader and a proven winner….State Champs in Baseball at Southeast and State Runners-up in Football and right there at it, on other numerous occasions……
But for some crazy reason Coach Slayton ended up changing over the years…He was always a good man, but he continued to evolve…Always came across as rough around the edges, but as time moved on, ‘The Coach’ developed a shiney new image….I got to know him in the later years and have never heard him say a bad thing about anyone….
He’s helped bring a lot of people around over the years and the years are moving on for Coach Bill Slayton…If you get a chance, give him a call today, or send out a Birthday Greenting next time you see him….
His old buddy Tony Barnhart ought to be real proud of ‘Coach’ if he could see him today, still going strong at 82 years young…..David Nettesheim knows the ‘Coach’ and what he means to the local community….Just ask anyone over at the SportsCenter Athletic Club and they will tell you, they get a boost every time they see ‘Coach’ Slayton….
The man has been a huge influence on what has been good within the Guilford County Schools during his time at SEG and Eastern….Let’s remember the man today and if ‘Big Jim’ Modlin were still here, he would give the ‘Coach’ a hard time on this his 82nd birthday, but Jim would know for certain that ‘Coach’ Slayton has made a ‘Big’ difference in many people’s lives….
The old ‘Coach’ has been right there for so many people over the years and let’s all hope he is granted a lease on life, that gives him many more to come…..
Happy Birthday to ‘Coach’ Bill Slayton and many more to come and keep up the good work, in your efforts to leave a positive impression on the people you touch and help here in Guilford County…..
The ‘Coach’ will be there for you and you can count on that……
Thanks to ‘Coach’ Bill Slayton and we’ll look for you on the front line when August rolls around and it times to start throwing and kicking the pigskin around again…….
Here is a look at what we wront about ‘Coach’ Bill Slayton last year on his 81st birthday and now this year his has gone with the 62nd Airborne…
From July 4, 2012…
A great American and a great high school football and baseball coach was born on this day in 1931 and we say Happy Birthday Coach Bill Slayton and Happy Birthday America, here on the Fourth of July…..
Bill Slayton always was ‘The Man’ and he still is ‘The Man’ today…..1931 to 2012 and he is still going strong, along with his wife Darcy, as they reside just outside Greensboro, on McConnell Road….
Bill Slayton was ‘The Man’ at Southeeat Guilford High School for many, many years…..His baseball team won the State Championship back in 1969 and his football team was runner-up to the State Champions during that same time frame…..Word has it that the man they call ‘Coach’, didn’t leave Southeast Guilford on all that good of terms and that one of the members of the Guilford County Board of Education may have wanted him gone from SEG and this was the cause for his departure, as he left the “Falcons’ Nest” in the late 1970’s/early 80’s and he landed at Eastern Guilford High School and became a part of the football staff for the EG Wildcats and worked along-side their head coach Tommy Grayson….One of Coach Slayton’s main roles at Eastern, was that of the head golf coach…..Bill Slayton ooaching golf seems like a real waste of time and talent….
That man could still be coaching football today….That is what is in his blood….His blood-lines run real, real deep, with names like Ernie Woods and Don Caldwell….Coach Slayton put Southeast Guilford football on the map….If there ever was an 81-year that could still coach today, it is ‘The Man’, Bill Slayton….This man could help jump start your football program….Today so many of our staffs are made up of coaches that are all yell, scream, shout and cuss you out…What does that accomplish??? Coach Bill Slayton was and is the kind of man/coach that will help your kids and level with them, about what level of play they are at and where they need to be and how they can get there…
So many of us these days think we know it all(self often included) and we need to stop and take time to listen to what leaders like Coach Bill Slayton have to say…..
Born in the USA, Bill Slayton, a man that still has a lot to give, if we will only take the time to listen to him…..Bill Slayton, still “The Man” and he can lead us all in the right direction…..
Happy Birthday today to a true American, Bill Slayton……81 and still getting it done…..
*****Note:Bill Slayton put Southeast Guilford High School Athletics on the map and he deserves to be in the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame, right along-side a young man he helped to get where he is today, Dino Hackett….Long live Coach Bill Slayton…..*****
Dino Hackett did not play at SE Guilford. He is a graduate of Southern Guilford and played for Coach CK Siler. By the way Coach Siler is 84 and still attends every SG football game.
Hackett played at Southern, no question about that…
Coach Slayton trained him when he was on rehab, back when Dion played for the Seattle Seahawks….
Coach Slayton got him back up to game-shape so he(Hackett) could play for the Seahawks….