Athletics
Carl Anderson, 56
Died February 17, 2021.
Carroll Senior High School, Southlake, TX
Football Coach
Carl Robert Anderson, best known as Captain or Coach, passed away on February 17, 2021. He was born in 1964 to Neva Mae Mills and Herman Thomas Anderson. He was a loving husband to Ann Marie; a proud father to Carly Ann and Austin; and a proud Captain to his grandson, Lincoln Robert.
Carl attended Haltom High School where he played football and baseball. He fell in love with Ann Marie Baxter in 1984 and one year later, they were married on June 7, 1985 – it was the rodeo sweetheart’s Levi’s and blue eyeshadow that sealed the deal. In 1991, just before Carly Ann was born, Carl graduated from Texas Wesleyan University and, three years later, their little family was complete with the arrival of Austin. Being a dad to Carly Ann and Austin was Carl’s greatest accomplishment and he made sure everyone knew just how proud he was of his kids.
Carl landed his first job after college at Carter-Riverside High School where he coached football and was the head baseball coach, kicking off a 30 year career inspiring students and molding young athletes into better men.
Carl is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Ann Marie and his children, Carly Ann and future son-in-law, Alex Akrawi and Austin; grandson, Lincoln; sister, Linda and husband, Bo; brother-in-law, Kevin and wife, Paige; in-laws, Norma and Mitch Baxter; aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews; and a host of “Framily.”
A graveside service will be held on Friday, February 26 at 10:00 am at Mount Olivet in Fort Worth. The family asks that you please maintain social distance and wear a mask for the duration of the service.
Bart Pinckney, 53
Died February 22, 2021.
Griffin High School, Griffin, GA
Mathematics
Football, Basketball, and Track Coach
A Spalding County community is mourning the loss of a beloved coach and educator. Coach Bart Pinckney died after a two month battle with COVID-19.
The virus managed to touch all of the members of the Pinckney family. Pinckney, his wife and two children were all fighting the virus at the same time. Sadly, he was the only family member who didn’t win his fight with the virus.
“You know, he just couldn’t bounce back,” Gemia Pinckney said.
Gemia Pinckney said her husband, a Griffin High School math teacher and coach, was a fighter. He spent two months in the hospital battling the virus.
“He never made it home,” Gemia Pinckney said.
Since the recent passing of Bart Pinckney, there has been an outpouring of love and support from the community.
“He lived for the kids. He loved children,” Gemia Pinckney said.
Current and past students have been honoring the legacy of Bart Pinckney.
“He was like a father,” former student Dearius Cobb said.
Cobb credits Bart Pinckney with pushing him to be a better person and to reach for his goals. Cobb is now on the track team at his college.
“Coach, I did it. I did it just to see you and my mom happy,” Cobb said of his accomplishments in college.
Bart Pinckney’s fight was much more difficult. Along with COVID-19, he also contracted pneumonia. In fact, the entire Pinckney family contracted pneumonia while fighting the virus.
Gemia Pinckney believes her husband may have got the virus from a sick co-worker. She asked that people continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing.
“I don’t even know how life will ever be the same,” she said.
The funeral for Bart Pinckney will be held at Griffin Memorial Stadium on Feb. 27 at 2 p.m.
Mark Suttles, 46
Died February 10, 2021.
Riverdale Middle School, Riverdale, GA
Special Education, Track Coach
The number of reported deaths from COVID-19 is falling in Georgia, but that’s no comfort to the wife of a teacher and coach who died from the coronavirus this week.
Channel 2′s Tom Jones talked with LaShane Suttles in Clayton County. Her husband, Mark Suttles, died of the virus at just 46 years old. He was a well-known special education teacher at Riverdale Middle School and coached track at Riverdale High School.
LaShane Suttles said she is angry and searching for answers about how he got sick. Suttles was teaching middle school from home, but went to the high school to coach.
She said she doesn’t know if that’s where he contracted the virus, but strongly believes sports shouldn’t be a priority during a pandemic.
“You’re putting educators in danger,” Suttles said. “You’re putting the people that are teaching the future in danger. This virus will take your life. It will change your whole family just like this in an instant.”
Suttles said her husband loved teaching and coaching and just loved life.
“And now he’s just gone,” Suttles said. “You just sit there and you’re just pulling out pictures and things looking at your life. Just gone.”
Suttles said the couple grew up in a small town, dated briefly and then she moved away. They reconnected 20 years later and got married at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.
Now, their plans of growing old together are no longer.
“A wonderful man of 46 years just disappears, just like that,” Suttles said.
The school district would not comment on Suttles’ cause of death and wouldn’t respond when Jones asked about coaches having to teach in-person during a pandemic.
The Clayton County school superintendent released a statement late Thursday, saying:
“Clayton County Public Schools is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our valued employees. We continue to extend our prayers and thoughts to the family during this difficult time. We’re all dealing with the challenges of this pandemic in the many ways the virus can be contracted.
“The school district wishes not to speculate as to who and how the employee may have contracted the virus given the possibility of contraction from many sources.
“Again, the family is in our thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time of loss. We encourage everyone to do their part to social distance, wear masks and participate in groups and gatherings responsibly. We must work together to combat this pandemic.”
Ismael Arce, 51
Died January 28, 2021.
Tucson High Magnet School, Tucson, AZ
Social Studies, Soccer Coach
TUSD’s governing board will on Tuesday honor former Tucson High boys soccer coach Ismael Arce, who died Jan. 28 from COVID-19. He was 51.
The board will remember Arce and the seven other TUSD employees who have died of the virus in the last year during their scheduled meeting, a district spokesperson said.
Arce coached the Badgers’ boys team for 19 seasons, winning the 2014 Division II state title while going undefeated.
Badgers athletic director Bobby DeBerry said Monday that Arce was well-liked by students and faculty alike.
“Being here at Tucson High for almost 20 years, he was a cornerstone here,” DeBerry said. “He was a good coach, the kind of coach that players go to. He was good with his kids, managing … their teenage years. And he was a good mentor.”
Tucson High’s 2014 team might have been Arce’s best. Led by striker Julian Gaona and his 32 goals, the Badgers went 24-0-3. Their 3-0 win over Glendale Copper Canyon in the Division II championship game secured the program’s first-ever state crown and the first state title by any Tucson High team since 1988.
Arce was named the Star’s 2014 boys soccer coach of the year, while Gaona earned player of the year honors. In a 2019 column, the Star’s Greg Hansen rated the Badgers as the 10th-best team of the decade, all sports and all levels.
Arce referred to the season as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. DeBerry said the undefeated state title run was “a huge deal” in the community.
Ty Scroggins, 49
Died February 10, 2021.
DeSales High School, Louisville, KY
Football Coach
Ryan Bringhurst remembers a crowded room when he interviewed in 2016 to become the athletic director at Central High School, but there was one person who stood above the rest.
Bringhurst still recalls the presence of Ty Scroggins, the man who had coached the Yellow Jackets football program to five state championships.
“He owned a room, whether it was his room or not,” Bringhurst said. “It was just something about him. As an athletic director, you wanted that coach who was just going to stand out. Whether it was a coaching clinic or the state championships or even at the Sweet 16, there was just this respect for him anywhere he went.
“People were naturally drawn to him.”
Louisville’s high school sports community was in mourning Thursday morning after news came Wednesday evening Scroggins had died after a long battle with COVID-19. He was 49.
In an interview last month, Scroggins’ longtime girlfriend Sheri Duff said the coach tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 14 and was hospitalized after tests revealed a low oxygen level. Duff said Scroggins was put on a ventilator in late January in Louisville before being moved to the University of Kentucky Hospital in Lexington on Jan. 26.
Scroggins had spent the past four seasons as an assistant football coach at DeSales, which confirmed his death in a social-media post Wednesday night.
“Ty was a great coach as well as a great man, and he will be sorely missed in the DeSales community, along with the Louisville football community,” DeSales athletic director Don Bowers said. “My heart goes to his family in this time of sorrow.”
Along with Duff, Scroggins is survived by his three children — Jayden, a senior at DeSales; Jordan, a senior at Pleasure Ridge Park; and Mikayla, a sophomore at Male.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Scroggins posted a 101-43 record in 10 seasons (2007-16) as the head coach at Central, reaching seven Class 3A championship games and winning five titles (2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012). He was the first African-American head coach to win a state football championship in Kentucky.
Scroggins was a 1990 graduate of Fairdale, where he played football and was the sixth man on the school’s 1990 state championship basketball team. After playing linebacker at the University of Louisville, Scroggins got his start in coaching at Doss. He was an assistant for four seasons before being named head coach in 2002, compiling a 22-30 record over five seasons.
He took a chance after the 2006 season, resigning at Doss to pursue the Central job.
“I couldn’t guarantee he’d get the job, but he bet on himself,” said Marlon Miller, who was the athletic director at Central then and now is the principal at King Elementary. “Once he went in the interview, it was clear to me he was the most prepared and ready for what we were looking for at Central. I was sold then. He was prepared and had a game plan.”
Miller said some questioned the hiring of Scroggins — especially after an 0-2 start in 2007 — but the final results spoke for themselves.
“He did it the right way,” Miller said. “When you do things the right way, look at the results. He handled winning with class, and he also handled losing with class. …
“He had so much more to give. I thought he could have helped a lot more people.”
His impact was felt across the state, from the West End of Louisville to the mountains of Eastern Kentucky.
Anthony “Ace” Wales was a star running back for the Yellow Jackets and was a member of the 2008, 2010 and 2011 state championship teams.
“He believed in me when nobody else did, especially being a 160-pound running back playing varsity football,” Wales said. “He always knew how to get to a kid and get the best out of him. I had troubles with neighborhood stuff and back at home when I was a high school kid.
“I was a cocky kid, but he was able to sit down with me and talk to me and relate to me. It wasn’t just an adult-kid thing. He was able to be my father, my coach and my friend. That’s hard to find with any coach.”
Wales rushed for 8,213 yards at Central, ranking third in state history, and went on to have a solid career at Western Kentucky. He recently finished his first season as the head coach at Iroquois and credited Scroggins as a strong mentor.
Before the season, Scroggins met with Wales and two other new African-American coaches — DaMarcus Smith at Western and Jalen Harrington at Shawnee — to provide guidance.
“He never even coached DaMarcus or Jalen, but he wanted to sit down and give him the knowledge he’s learned,” Wales said. “That shows a lot about him as a person. It wasn’t like, ‘I just want to talk to my guys.’ He wanted to help everybody any way he can. Some people really care about everybody, and he’s one of those guys.”
Of Central’s seven trips to the state finals under Scroggins, six came against Belfry and legendary coach Philip Haywood. Scroggins won the first four of those meetings, but Belfry won the last two in 2014 and 2016. That 2016 final was Scroggins’ final game as Central’s head coach.
Along the way, Scroggins and Haywood developed a close friendship.
“Some of our conversations would revolve around our kids and the similarities,” said Haywood, who has a state-record 457 victories in 46 seasons. “Even though there was a geographical difference in our kids, some of the similarities we both faced. You look at the world, and it’s a big place. But you find out it’s not as big as what you think when you sit around and get to know people. We had that in common and really appreciated that about each other.”
Marvin Dantzler took over as Central’s coach in 2017 and won a state title in 2018. With Scroggins staying at Central as a teacher even while he coached at DeSales, Dantzler and Scroggins became good friends.
“One of the rules in coaching is that you never want to be the guy to follow the guy,” Dantzler said. “But in this case, it turned out to be a blessing because I followed not only a great coach but a great person. We were co-workers in the building, and we were able to build a great relationship.”
Dantzler described Scroggins as “humble.”
“I would tease him and say, ‘Man, you’re kind of a big deal,’” Dantzler said with a laugh. “He would just be so humble … because he never presented himself that way. He was just Ty.”
Bringhurst, now the principal at the Nelson County Area Technology Center, expects Scroggins’ legacy to go beyond the football field.
He mentioned the players he coached, the students he taught, who now serve as coaches, teachers, police officers and in other professions around the community.
“His legacy is going to live on for generations through people he’s impacted on the West End,” Bringhurst said. “His former players are going to continue to teach the next generation with things they learned from Ty. So a little piece of Ty is going to continue to live on for a very long time because he impacted so many people in his career.”
Another part of his legacy is a motivational speech and prayer Scroggins started during his time as Central’s coach. Dantzler said players insisted they keep the tradition going after Scroggins left the program.
As the team gathers in the locker room before taking the field, the speech rises in volume for the final three lines:
“I’ll do my thing!”
“In Jesus’ name!”
“Amen!”
Jimmy Carino, 62
Died February 9, 2021.
Stoneham High School, Stoneham, MA
Tennis Coach
CARINO, James, It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 James Carino passed away due to complications caused by COVID-19. “Jimmy” was born in Medford on June 16th, 1958 and raised in Somerville until the family moved to Stoneham when Jimmy was nine years old. He graduated from Stoneham High in 1976 and then from Northeastern with a major in Political Science. He married the love of his life Kathy Gehring in 1989. They welcomed their son Ryan in 1993 and then “the twins” Will and Julia in 2000. Jimmy was a devoted and loving husband and father.
Jimmy dedicated his time and talent to Stoneham Public Schools; he was a fixture in the high school. Throughout his career, Jimmy worked his tech magic on every school computer, chrome book, projector, microphone and, or website― there wasn’t one machine he didn’t touch. His real magic was in building relationships with just about every student. As the senior class advisor, he created lasting memories for generations of students through proms, awards
ceremonies and graduations, but his masterpiece was the Carnival Ball. 30 years of the 100-year old tradition happened because of Jimmy. As amazing as he was inside the school, he was a record setter on the field. Jimmy was known by all as “Coach” Carino, coaching the Girls and Boys Tennis teams as well as Boys Soccer. His talents and passion helped bring home the State Championship wins for the Boys Soccer teams in 2002, 2004, and 2005. He was recently
inducted into the Stoneham High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Jimmy was a great chef, taught by his beloved Ma, and his joy was creating celebrations big and small for family and friends. They over-flowed with delicious food and endless laughter but they were really about spending time with those he loved. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Kathy, his cherished children Ryan James, Julia Mary, and William Francis. He also leaves behind his dear father, Francis J. Carino, and his late wife, Jimmy’s mother, Gemma, his brother John
Carino and his wife Frances, and sister Sharon Searing and her late husband Eddie. He was the beyond cherished son-in-law of Edward and Mary Lou Gehring and brother-in law of Michael Gehring and his wife Cami, and Annmarie and her husband David Bulgarelli. He adored his 24
nieces and nephews. To Jimmy’s countless best friends, colleagues, former players and students, each and every one of you were as special to him as he was to you.
Family and friends are kindly invited to gather and share memories with the family at Stoneham High School on Sunday, February 14, 2021 from 12:00 – 4:00pm. Masks must be worn at all times and social distancing must be observed. A Private Funeral Mass Celebrating James Eternal Life will be held on Monday, February 15, 2021 in St. Patrick’s Church, 71 Central St., Stoneham at 10 am. Our family is crushed that we cannot welcome everyone and so we hope you can attend James funeral by using the following link: https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/41844874
In late Spring or early Summer, an outdoor celebration to honor his life and legacy will be held at which time we look forward to being all together again.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the James Carino Memorial Fund. Contributions can be made at PayPal.me/jamesacarinomemorial/
These donations will be used to honor his memory and the values he stood for.
Michael Wilson, 35
Died January 31, 2021.
Cuyama Valley High School, New Cuyama, CA
Seventh Grade, Basketball Coach
Michael Grant Wilson passed away at 35 years of age on January 31, 2021 while being medically transported to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Michael was born in Santa Maria and grew up in New Cuyama, California. He has lived in Bakersfield, California for the last 17 years. Michael moved to attend college at California State University, Bakersfield where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and minors in political science, religious studies and economics. Michael also earned a Master of Science from Purdue University Global with a degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Michael started his teaching career in 2010, leaving the Cuyama School District to work for Kaplan Higher Education Corporation in Bakersfield, California. In 2014, Michael returned to his stomping grounds of Cuyama to teach and coach.
Michael is survived by his loving Wife of 7 years Krista, two-year-old Daughter Maybelle, and three dogs Doc, Ringo, and Zeppelin all of Bakersfield, California. His Mother Angela Wilson and Sister Megan Wilson of New Cuyama. One Brother Brian Wilson, his wife Esperanza, and Son Emerson Grant of Reno, Nevada. Grandmothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, in laws, colleagues and friends.
A Zoom celebration of life to honor Michael will be held on February 20, 2021 at 2:00pm. Please send contact information to receive an invitation to CelebratingMikeWilson@gmail.com. The family has set up the “Donald and Michael Grant Wilson scholarship fund.”
Donations may be sent to Cuyama Valley High School, 2300 Highway 166, New Cuyama, California 93254.
Bill Cosper, 62
Died January 30, 2021.
Lake Dallas High School, Corinth, TX
Football Coach
Billy Jack Cosper Jr, 62, of Denton, Texas, passed away on Saturday, January 30, 2021.
Bill was born on October 20th, 1958, at St. Paul Hospital in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from Sunset High School in 1977 and went on to Stephan F Austin State University, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology. Bill played for four years on the football team, where he received all-conference recognition all four years. He continued on to play for the Atlanta Falcons in 1981 and 1982. He married the love of his life, Renee Reddin, in 1983, and they had their first child Derek Cosper in 1987. Bill accepted his first coaching job in 1991 at Stephen F Austin State University, and in 1992 he went on to coach at Valdosta State University in Georgia. They had their second child, Raquel, in 1997. In his 26 years of coaching & teaching career, Bill spent time at Adamson High School, Newman Smith High School, Sam Houston High School, Richland High School, Kearns High School in Utah, and Lake Dallas High School. Bill was not only a football coach but a mentor, father figure, and a molder of young men. He embodied the famous quote, “A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.” And he changed many, many lives throughout his career.
Bill is preceded in death by His father, Billy Jack Cosper Sr, his mother Saralyn Ruth Renfrow, his sister Vickie Lynn, and his stepfather Homer Lee Renfrow Jr.
Bill is survived by his wife of 37 years, Mary Renee Cosper, son Derek Cosper, daughter Raquel Blades, son-in-law Marc Blades, brother Rick Cosper, and many nieces and nephews who will miss him dearly.
In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Coach Cosper Scholarship Fund at the
following link: Coach Cosper Scholarship Fund, https://www.lakecitiesed.com/
Rodney Scott
Died December 17, 2020.
Robert E. Lee High School, Montgomery, AL
Basketball Coach
Rodney Scott, the head coach of Robert E. Lee High girls basketball, died on Thursday.
Montgomery Public School Superintendent Ann Roy Moore confirmed Scott’s death Thursday night. MPS released a statement regarding Scott’s “sudden” death.
“Coach Scott will be greatly missed. His commitment to his team and school was felt throughout our school district. Our hearts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time,” Patrick Fenderson, MPS District Athletic Director, said in a press release.
Scott started at Lee as a varsity assistant and a junior varsity coach for the Generals’ boys teams. For the past seven years, he led the girls program. He was an educator who wasn’t afraid to spend his own money on his players. Some players even referred to Scott as “Dad.”
“He genuinely cared about people,” Lee athletics director Tyrone Rogers said. “… There’s nothing you could say about Coach Scott that would get him mad. He was kind of a gentle giant, loved by so many people.”
MPS also announced that counseling services are being provided to students and staff.
Scott’s son, Rod, died in 2016 in a car crash on the interstate traveling to watch a basketball game in Birmingham. Scott had committed to playing for Jacksonville State University and helped lead Lee to a Central Regional finals appearance.
It’s been particularly challenging for Lee High School in recent years with several deaths of students, including athletes. In 2018, former star quarterback Shaquille Johnson was fatally shot in his home. In May, Jamari “Chop” Smith, who had committed to play football for UAB and led Lee to a state basketball title, drowned in an Auburn lake.
“(Coach Scott) affected so many kids’ lives in a positive way,” Rogers said. “Just something about him that made people gravitate toward him. … I pray for his family, those who loved him and knew him. … We lost one of our good soldiers.”
Dwayne Berry, 65
Died January 19, 2021.
Robert E. Lee High School, Montgomery, AL
Football Coach
Dwayne Berry, 65, started working at Robert E. Lee High as an ROTC instructor and a football coach in 2002. About seven years later when he landed a job with the Department of Veteran Affairs, he left teaching but didn’t leave behind his team.
“When he started coaching, he just got really close to the coaches and players to the point that he didn’t want to leave,” his daughter, Brittany Berry-Johnson, said. “He loved it. It was one of his biggest pride and joys.”
The longest-tenured coach on Lee’s staff, Berry dedicated nearly two decades to the Generals before dying Jan. 19 after fighting for more than a month to overcome the impacts of contracting COVID-19.
In his unexpected death, he joined a tragic list that weighs over the high school. The Lee community, which refers to themselves as a ‘FamiLee,’ has endured the loss of several staff members and students in recent years. In two months, Lee’s Assistant Principal Ennis McCorvey III and basketball coach Rodney Scott also died due to COVID-19. McCorvey and Berry had been best friends and were members of the same fraternity, Berry’s daughter said.
“There are so many people who have been devastated by his loss because he was the person who would help anybody. He helped so many students, so many kids over the past years,” Berry-Johnson said. “He was motivating. He was a great mentor and great friend.”
A dedicated husband, father and grandfather, Berry retired as a master sergeant in the Air Force after 25 years of service. He was a sports fanatic — a longtime Cowboys and Alabama State University fan, who recently started rooting for Alabama, too, since watching some of his Lee players start their collegiate career there.
“He was a very loving man,” Berry-Johnson said. “He didn’t meet any strangers.”
She described her father as a dependable man who loved his family and loved to put a smile on their faces. He was known as ‘Pop Pop’ to his grandchildren.
When he tested positive for COVID-19 in early December, he called his daughter to ask what to expect since she’d contracted the virus during the summer.
She’d gotten through it, and his family had no doubt he would, too. He’d always been healthy, active and athletic.
“He said he was feeling extremely weak and fatigued, but that was pretty much it at first,” she said.
The next week though, Jacinta Berry found her husband on the floor and called for an ambulance. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit on Dec. 18.
His vital signs were good, but he’d had asthma and his lungs were suffering.
“The virus attacked his lungs really bad and he was on a ventilator,” Berry-Johnson said. But despite that, “We had hope. They kept saying he’s doing really good, it was just his lungs.”
Things were looking up, with doctors saying Berry was stable enough to be moved out of the ICU. The morning before his transfer though, the Berry family was told they needed to hurry to the hospital as their dad’s heart rate and blood pressure fluctuated into dangerous territory.
“That whole day we were just on pins and needles like, ‘Come on Dad, we need you to come through,’” Berry-Johnson said.
He died just before 10 p.m. — his wife of nearly four decades sent home without him. He was a jovial man, she said.
The past few weeks, their home has been unwelcomely quiet.
“It’s very devastating,” Berry-Johnson said of her dad’s death. “We were in shock. We didn’t see anything like this happening. My dad is a fighter so we really thought he was going to fight through this. And he did fight for weeks, he just didn’t make it.”
More than her family, she recognizes the pain his death has caused throughout the community.
“A lot of people are saying they are going to truly miss him. He was that person that a lot of people depended on,” she said. “My dad really, really just loved being a helping hand to everyone, and I’m sure my dad wouldn’t want anyone to be sad and upset about him passing. I’m sure he’d say stay true to themselves and do the work that God put them on this earth to do.”
To those who knew him, she asked “keep his legacy going. … Continue to say his name. And look over us because this is hard for me and my family.”