On the night of Oct. 17, Our school lost one of its most notable legends, Larry Lindsey, a renowned basketball player, a stellar coach and the man who led us to winning championships. At the age of 85, Lindsey left not only a strong legacy at our school but on the state as well, with him even being inducted into the NC sports hall of fame in 2017. 

However, Lindsey didn’t start out coaching basketball. Instead, he played it. At the very school he first coached at, Lindsey was a basketball player at Youngsville high school in 1956. Lindsey also played college basketball at UNC Pembroke. Once he graduated from Pembroke, Lindsey began his coaching career. 

Though playing and coaching are different in their own ways, Lindsey knew how to find enjoyment in both.

“When you win, you feel great as a player. When you win as a coach, you feel great — you feel great for the players. It’s the same feeling. You feel a sense of accomplishment because this particular group finished something,” Lindsey said in an interview for the Wake Weekly.

Lindsey enjoyed his time at Youngsville both as a player and a coach, but eventually it was time for him to move on to coaching at a different school, and that school was us. 

“They asked me the year (1969) before, but I turned it down. And the next year they asked again, and I figured it was time to move. But it was tough, though,” Lindsey said in an interview with Wake Weekly. “Youngsville was my home. I grew up there, played ball there; it was really home for me.”

Despite a challenging transition, Lindsey was successful as a coach here with him even gaining six titles. Lindsey’s success also led him to getting the school gym named after him.

“I told someone I was there when the gym was built, but I never expected this. I remember when they were building it: on one of the beams inside, I actually wrote my name. So my name is on the inside and the outside of the gym. It’s just a great, great honor. I never thought my name would be there,” Lindsey said in an interview with Wake Weekly.

Lindsey’s accomplishments are all astounding, but he doesn’t count his success towards him.

“It means a lot for my players. They are responsible for all that I accomplished in my time as head coach,” Lindsey said in a past article of The Forest Fire.

While Lindsey thanks his success to his students, his students thank their success to him.

“Coach’s success was based around discipline, fundamentals, and teamwork.  We were always better prepared and in better physical condition than our opponents.  He also built a team unity that was a “brotherhood”.  Many of our team are still close friends 48 years later,” Bryant Wiggins, a former player under Lindsey said.

In life, all good things must come to an end, including Lindsey’s coaching career. In 1992, Lindsey retired from coaching after a long and successful career with pride.

“Just coaching for 23 years and coaching those kids,” Lindsey said. “That was my proudest accomplishment,” Lindsey said.

Later on, Lindsey gained another accomplishment that some only dream of. In 2011, Lindsey was inducted into the Carolina sports hall of fame. With over 20 conference titles, a 609-156 overall record and a winning percentage of almost .800, Lindsey had several reasons to be inducted into the hall of fame.

Even with Lindsey’s recent passing, his legacy has continued to live on. With a basketball team that has benefited from Lindsey’s teachings, a gym named in his honor and a school that looks to Lindsey with the utmost respect and pride, we will always remember the impact coach Larry Lindsey has had on his past colleagues, his former players and on the school as a whole.