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MAGEE: Bogalusa High School named its track/field facility after the former coach

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Magee’s wife passed away. That was at least three years ago.

“When I got her to the hospital, the doctor came in and said, ‘Coach, I’m sorry, Mrs. Helen died.’ I said, ‘what’s the cause?’ He said, ‘heart attack.’ I said, no sir, we did two checkups every year.’ I said it wasn’t a heart attack. He said, ‘well, what about a broken heart?’ I said, ‘well, I’ll accept that one.’ She never could give up my daughter.”

After coaching, Magee went into administration.

He was the assistant principal at Bogalusa High School from 1975-1989 and the principal from 1989 to 1994.

Magee said that Bickham or J.C. Crump, who was one of Magee’s previous principals, when big boys on campus would get into it would always call him to go to the office.

“The first thing the yucks are going to say is, ‘you old,’ or something like, get out the way. I would go up to the office and whatever they wanted me to do, I would talk to the kids. If some of them got a little rough, I could handle them and I knew all of the boys. Mr. Crump said when he was going to retire, he encouraged me to apply for the job and also my wife encouraged me to apply.”

Magee said he didn’t want to get out of coaching.

“My first interview with the superintendent, coach Murray showed up unannounced and told the superintendent, ‘if you’re going to take coach Magee out of coaching, you are supposed to take my resignation,’” Magee said.

Magee said that he loved his job in coaching and administration.