Gone, but he was a 3-A State Champion Football coach for the Ragsdale Tigers…He took them to a shared State Title in 1973, and then to an outright title in 1974…He also coached the Southeast Guilford Falcons to a 3-A Division II State Title back in the early 1980’s…
He coached and built talents like Prince Deese, Jimmy Bolding, Hal Sechrest, Ricky Adams, Harold Odom, Mitchell Johnson, Barry Sykes, Grant Nichols, John Turner, Steve Vance, Roscoe Friday, Mark Tice, Reggie Tice, Barry Lanning, and many more over at Ragsdale High School, in Jamestown…
Richard ‘Dick’ Kemp was the coach that took the Tigers to the Title…He really put the Ragsdale Tigers on the high school map here in Guilford County, and his teams’ success became known all over the state…
He went on from Ragsdale to coach at N.C. State in Raleigh, and the Raleigh run came when RB Ricky Adams chose the Wolfpack as his college playing spot…Kemp later came back to Guilford County and coached at Southeast Guilford HS, High Point Central HS, and later coached and became the AD at Southwest Guilford HS…
He took the SEG Falcons to that NCHSAA Division II Title with his son, Scott Kemp leading the way as the Falcons top running back…Coach Kemp coached against old coaches like Doug Henderson from Western Guilford HS, Bill Slayton from Southeast Guilford HS, and C.K. Siler from Southern Guilford HS…Coach Kemp is one of the last of the legacy of great Guilford County coaches from back in the 1970’s and Coach Marion Kirby is also part of the group of great 70’s coaches, and now they are all GONE….
from Scott Loosemore, from on FaceBook:
On Richard ‘Dick’ Kemp…..
My high school football coach. If there is any one person I believe I modeled my coaching after it would be this man. He was the model of tough. I am so grateful to have played for him.
Prayers for his family. What an incredible football coach and man.
Brian Allman
12h
With a heavy heart, just found out that Richard Kemp, beloved football coach @ Southeast Guilford and mentor passed away today. Please keep his wife Beverly, sons, Rick Kemp, Cecil Scott Kemp, and their wives, and his 4 grandchildren in your prayers.
from the Sechrest-Davis Funeral Home in High Point, N.C.:
Richard Floyd Kemp
DECEMBER 22, 1940 – FEBRUARY 16, 2024
IN THE CARE OF
Sechrest-Davis Funerals and Cremations
Richard Floyd Kemp, age 83, of High Point, North Carolina passed away on Friday, February 16, 2024.