Petition seeks to stop termination of beloved Campbell HS basketball coaches
Beloved basketball coaches let go, no warning
Two longtime basketball coaches, James Gwyn and Randy McClure, were reportedly let go abruptly. Now, students at Campbell High School in Smyrna are fighting to save their jobs.
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - A high school community is rallying to save the jobs of two beloved Cobb County basketball coaches.
What we know:
An online petition states that administrators informed Campbell High School coaches Randy McClure and James Gwyn that they would not receive new contracts—without warning.
The petition has accumulated more than 1,900 signatures as of Monday afternoon.
The school named the gym after the coaches six years ago.
Dig deeper:
The petition says that, between them, McClure and Gwyn have 1,200 victories and 70 years at the school. It also states that the coaches had already begun planning for the 2025-2026 basketball seasons.
Additionally, Coach McClure served as the science department chair for more than 20 years and was awarded Teacher of the Year three times, according to the petition.
The petition says that Coach Gwyn served as a Campbell administrator for 11 years, summer school site principal for 8 years, and business department chair for 4 years.
The petition also states that the coaches were denied the opportunity to personally inform their coaching staff, athletes, parents, or the broader community of the "heartbreaking" news.
Coach McClure and Coach Gwyn. Courtesy of Change.org.
What they're saying:
The two coaches spoke with FOX 5 across the street from the gym that bears their names. "Usually, when your name is on the building, you're retired, or you may be deceased," Gwyn said. McClure said he spent 39 years at the school doing what he loved. "When I came here, I was 23 years old," McClure said. "I'm 62 now, which is crazy."
Kaylan Robertson, a Campbell High School senior on Gwyn's team, was devastated to hear the news. "It’s disappointing," Robertson said. "Very disappointed. I expected him to go out in a better way."
An officer with the Cobb County School District Police Department attempted to end FOX 5's interviews but was unable because we were on a public sidewalk. In an email, a district spokesperson did not explain the reasoning behind the two coaches' departures. "The District could not be prouder of Coach Gwyn and Coach McClure and all they have accomplished over their 30-plus-year careers," the spokesperson said. "Simply put, Coaches Gwyn and McClure are two of the best coaches in Georgia high school sports history. We have had a front row seat to two of the best to ever do it and hold ourselves to a higher standard than the manner in which they were released."
Gwyn said not only is he out of his job as coach, but also his job as a member of the school's faculty. "I love working with young people," he said. "It's what I've always wanted to do, my career of choice."
What you can do:
The petition is calling upon parents, students, alumni, supporters, and fellow educators to sign and urge the Cobb County School Board to halt the terminations.
If nothing else, the petition says, the coaches deserve an honorable exit from a lifetime of service to Campbell High School.