A year after offseason turmoil, Campbell coaches enjoying return to court
Neither James Gwyn nor Randy McClure, the boys and girls basketball coaches at Campbell High School, thought anything about it when they were called to the principal’s office 10 months ago.
But they were stunned to learn that their contracts would not be renewed for the 2025-26 school year. It came as a shock to both men, who had spent most of their professional careers — 40 years for McClure, 30 for Gwyn — at the Cobb County school, where school’s gymnasium is named for them.
The timing certainly was odd. The girls teams was coming off a 23-5 season after going 22-8 and winning the region title a year earlier. The boys team was 16-11 and just missed going to the state playoffs. Both teams had reached the state quarterfinals in 2024.
Dazed and confused, McClure started to box up his belongings. Gwyn began looking for another job. They had no idea what was about to happen.
“I just felt awful that day and needed to be by myself,” McClure said. “I cleaned my office out. I took everything out of there, took it to my house and put it in my garage. I’d almost decided that I’ll just go ahead and apply for Social Security and ride off into the sunset. This is not how I wanted it to end. I thought I still had more to give.”
Their dismissals stunned and united the tight Smyrna community and set off a dustup that surprised even the coaches. A petition objecting to the move was circulated and signed by more than 4,000 people. The school board meeting was flooded with parents eager to voice their objection.
“I mean, it’s not world peace, but it became a pretty big story,” Gwyn said. “You never know, right? You don’t know what makes news, but I don’t think people like to see people done wrong. That was their perception.”
Seeing the furor unfold, Cobb County School Superintendent Chris Ragsdale got involved and investigated the situation. He encouraged both men to sit tight until he could get to the bottom.
“For a minute it seemed like a nightmare,” McClure said. “And then as things began to switch and change, and people started making moves and things happened, I put it behind me and put it in God’s hands. It was hard for me because I wanted to react. It got some prayer, some meditation, and my pastor and Zion Baptist Church family got behind me, and I really believe that God moved in a miraculous way.”
A month later the men had their jobs back, and now they’re doing what they’ve done for a long time — winning games and influencing students. The girls have a 14-4 record and have lost only to state powers McEachern and Kell, as well as two out-of-state teams. The boys are 13-5, with losses to McEachern and Holy Innocents’, recently ranked No. 1 among private schools by AJC Varsity.
Principal Paul Gillihan, who took the job in June after the situation was resolved, said there have been no problems. He called the men “true professionals” and said, “I’m always first to get a phone call when something’s wrong, and so far the phone hasn’t rung.”
Although the ordeal was taxing for Gwyn and McClure, both now have a true understanding of how the community feels about them. The outpouring of love and support has been nearly universal.
“We walked into a Golden Corral, and there were people in there who recognized coach Gwyn, and they said, ‘Hey, he’s not paying for his meal. I’m paying for that,’” McClure said. “That kind of stuff happened all the time. If you do the right things, the community is going to get behind you.”
Gwyn said, “There were a few parents that I really bumped heads with when they were here and they said, ‘We want these guys supervising my kids. We want these guys watching over my children. These guys we can trust.’”
The support was humbling for both.
“The community was behind us so much,” Gwyn said. “We didn’t do any of it. We were almost out of it, but the community just said, ‘No.’”
“I can’t tell you the number of people that called me during that time,” McClure said. “The support was incredible, so that encouraged me. I had players from over the years — and I’ve got players now that are in their 50s — calling and they were angry.”
Senior Saniya Binion, the team’s leading scorer, was happy to see her coach return too.
“It was going to be hard getting a new coach and actually have to (try out again) and get to know a new coach,” she said. “He’s a good coach and he keeps us motivated.”
Now the two men will get to set their own timetable for retirement, although neither has determined how much longer they will coach.
“No matter which way this year ends up, I’m going to enjoy it. I mean, I’m really going to enjoy it,” Gwyn said. “It’s kind of like the baseball team when you get extra out or an extra strike — you know, when you think it’s over and it’s not. You appreciate that and I’m enjoying this.”
About the Author
Stan Awtrey has been covering sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1977. He currently writes about high school sports, Georgia State University athletics and golf.
