Retired Coaches
Some of North Carolina's most storied retired coaches discuss their careers, lessons learned, and what makes high school sports special.
This collection features some of North Carolina’s most accomplished and respected retired high school coaches reflecting on their careers, the athletes and communities they served, the lessons they learned, and the moments that defined their time on the sidelines. Through their stories, the collection preserves decades of high school sports history while exploring the leadership, relationships, traditions, and sense of purpose that make interscholastic athletics special.
Jerry Winterton
coach
Cary, East Wake · Wrestling · 1981-2010
Legendary Cary High School wrestling coach Jerry Winterton sits down with Varsity NC’s Nick Stevens to reflect on the people, moments, and philosophies behind one of North Carolina’s great high school sports dynasties. Winterton discusses growing up on a dairy farm in upstate New York, learning under NC State wrestling coach Bob Guzzo, arriving at Cary in 1981, building a championship culture, remarkable winning streaks, memorable wrestlers and teams, and what he hopes his legacy will be. Winterton has been inducted into several halls of fame, including the National High School Hall of Fame, the NCHSAA Hall of Fame, and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, among others.
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David Green
Leesville Road, Williams, Enloe, Apex · Football · 2000-2021
David Green coached high school football for nearly five decades — 49 years to be exact. His career began in South Carolina, but he ended up in Wake County as an assistant coach for longtime Apex coach Bob Wolfe. Later, he was hired as the head football coach at Leesville Road, taking over a program that had struggled to find wins. Things changed pretty quickly under Green’s leadership. In six seasons, Green’s teams compiled records of 52-24, including a trip to the 4AA eastern regional championship game in 2007. It was a period when Wake County football stepped up its game after struggling to compete at the state level for a long time, and Leesville Road was a big part of that change. Green left Leesville Road and Wake County to take over as the head coach at Williams in Alamance County. He later returned to Wake County as the head coach at Enloe, then at Green Hope, which was his last stop before retirement. His career as a head coach in North Carolina helped Green establish a reputation of turning around struggling programs. He found success at every stop. Though his time as a coach is done, Green has not stepped away from high school sports. In retirement, he is hosting his own podcast — “Did I Ever Tell You About…?” The podcast is about experiences and stories Green recalls from his 49 years on the sidelines. He’s a great storyteller, too. In this interview, we discuss Green’s new podcast, his time as a high school coach, and his thoughts on how high school sports have evolved over the past 50 years. He’s concerned about the direction high school football is headed for many reasons.