He coached West Charlotte to 600 wins. Now, his legacy will live on in CMS school gym.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board on Wednesday unanimously approved naming the new gymnasium at West Charlotte High the “Charles A. McCullough Sr. Athletic Center” in honor of the school’s former longtime coach.
McCullough served as the West Charlotte High boys basketball coach for more than 30 years, between 1960-1993. His teams won about 600 games and five state championships, including three from 1986-1993.
“This is an honor that is well-deserved,” said board member Thelma Byers-Bailey, a West Charlotte High alum. “I hope having his name on the gym at West Charlotte (High) will keep his memory alive.”
A West Charlotte graduate, McCullough won 21 conference championships and reached the state quarterfinals 16 times. McCullough also was named Charlotte Observer Coach of the Year twice.
He died of a respiratory disease in 2017.
“Coach McCullough not only saw himself as a coach, but as a mentor of young men,” Acquanetta Edmond, the West Learning Community superintendent, wrote in a letter to Interim Superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh Sept. 9. “His players continued to be successful on and off the court. Coach McCullough’s dedication was unparalleled. He is greatly missed.”
West Charlotte High students opened the school year in a new building. The high school, which opened in 1938, is one of Charlotte’s oldest public schools.
About coach McCullough
McCullough was born and raised in Charlotte, getting up at 3 a.m. to deliver milk and using the money he earned to buy toys for his younger siblings, according to a biography CMS provided.
He graduated from West Charlotte after lettering in four sports — and setting the Mecklenburg County high jump record that stood for many years.
After serving two years in the U.S. Army at Fort Benning, Ga., he attended North Carolina Central University, where he played baseball and basketball, and ran track and field, before graduating in 1956.
McCullough returned to his alma mater in 1960 to coach basketball.
On April 13, 2019, McCullough was posthumously inducted into the NCHSAA Hall of Fame for his coaching legacy, mentorship and shaping the lives of young men.
When he died on Aug. 4, 2017, former NBA player Jeff McInnis, who played for him said: “Feels like losin’ my own dad… He really taught me to be accountable on and off the court. He was a legendary coach but a better man,” according to the CMS biography.
This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 10:43 AM.
