Magee led Bogalusa to a track/field state title

BY CHRIS KINKAID THE DAILY NEWS

Gary C. Magee played several sports in high school and then went on to coach at Central and at Bogalusa, leading the Lumberjacks to the 1975 state track/field championship. After his coaching career, Magee went into administration.

“First of all, Bogalusa is home for me,” Magee said. “I’ve played football, basketball, baseball, we didn’t have a track program and such, but on May Day, we have activities, racing and things and I was always interested in (them).”

Magee said May Day was like field day and added that everyone who wanted to participate could participate.

“In high school, at the start of the year, I played football, I played basketball, I played baseball and I had great coaches. Coach Piper was the head football coach. Coach Jefferson was the head basketball coach and also coach Jefferson was the head baseball coach. It was two men I highly respected. As a matter of fact, I love them just like I love my father. They were always good to me. They always tried to show me things that I would take advantage of and use whatever they told me,” Magee said.

Magee went to Southern University for college and said he had tremendous success there.

Magee said that his basketball coach wanted him to play basketball and baseball, but Magee said that he told him that he wanted to get his studies, but he only played football.

Magee was a running back.

“I had a dear friend from Houston, Texas, who was a tremendous hurdler, and when I used to go out and workout, and he would be out there working out, he would be jumping hurdles and he talked me into jumping a few and things of that nature,” Magee said. “I got to liking it and stuff of that nature, but I was told by the athletic director and head football coach that football was my scholarship and I did give 100 percent to football.”

Magee said he had four good years at Southern despite some injuries. “At that time, I was communicating with the Baltimore Colts. When my high school coach, who was like a second father, he and the principal came over to see me to let me know they were wanting me to come home to be one of the coaches,” Magee said.

So, Magee wrote a letter to the Colts organization thanking them for looking at him.

“I told them because of the injuries I had, I wasn’t going to try and play ball, I was going home and I had a chance to coach,” Magee said. “That’s what I did. I came home in 1960.”

Magee worked at Central, his alma mater Class of 1955, from 1960-1969 and then he went over to Bogalusa High School.

“At Central, we had great athletes,” Magee said. “We were district champs my first year, losing only one game. The next year, we hit the playoffs and we won it all (1961) and then ‘69 rolled around, the judge said, everybody go to Bogalusa High School.”

Magee said that when they showed up, coach (Johnny) Piper was really sick and was in the hospital.

“He told me he wanted me to go and meet with coach (Lewis) Murray and open the gym so he could talk to all of the athletes and I did that. And then we had our first meeting with coach Murray and he was telling us what our responsibility was going to be, and of course, he told me that I would be coaching the ‘B’ Jacks, which is the 10th grade team. I had let know that I only had coached the varsity, so I accepted responsibility, and our first day of practice, we had two-a-day. I was working with a quarterback by the name of Butch Ballard and I had kids like Terry Magee, Calvin Hymel, Eddie Walker, kids like that.”

It was Magee’s only day coaching the 10th graders.

Magee said they did the two-a-days and working hard. He said he was showing the quarterbacks how to handle the ball, the punters on punting and kicking off.

“I was the last person to come in that day. All of the other coaches are already in and coach Murray said, ‘Coach Magee, come on in.’” Magee said said that Murray told him that he had heard great things about him and that a couple of coaches talked about him and his knowledge of football.

“And then he told me this, ‘you don’t go to 10th grade tomorrow, you’re coming with the varsity,” Magee said.

Magee coached the running backs and receivers on the varsity level. When Bogalusa won it all in 1969, going 15-0.

Magee said he was complimented on the way they threw the ball. Magee coached football from 1960 to 1974.

Magee coached track/field at Central 1961 until 1969. He coached track/ field at Bogalusa from 1970 to 1975 and guided his team to a state title in 1975.

“My kids, let me tell you, hurdle race, we dominated the hurdles for years. We went over to Lee High School every year I was coaching to run in their relays and the LSU people was the judging committee. One of the coaches from LSU said this, ‘they could disqualify all of the high school hurdlers in Louisiana.’ He said that not but one school runs them correctly and that’s Bogalusa,” Magee said.

Magee said that they dominated the hurdles from the time he coached at Central to his last year in 1975.

“Let me tell you, the greatest kids in the world,” Magee said.

Magee said that they had a lot of people there including his wife and Murray’s wife there.

“Right after the 880, Sports Illustrated announced Bogalusa High School just posted the best time in the nation this year and he came down to where I was sitting with my wife, coach Murray and his wife. He said, ‘coach, do your kids act like this all the time?’ I purdied up myself and said,’as long as they’re with their daddy.” One of the things I got complimented on was the conduct of my boys.”

Magee said that he worked under the two best athletic directors anywhere in Piper and Murray.

“Them men worked with me and I’ll tell you what, gave me every opportunity,” Magee said.

In late February, Bogalusa had a dedication where the new track was named the Gary C. Magee Track and Field Complex.

“When I heard about it, the board meeting and talking about it and this type of thing, I did tell them how much I appreciated it and seeing it, watching them do the work, it was a touching moment,” Magee said.

Magee said that his wife knew the board had favored him and they were going to eventually going to do a new track and name it after Magee, but she never had the opportunity to see it. His third daughter Felicia, who was a teacher at Byrd Avenue, passed way. Less than three months later,

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