He coached UNC star quarterback Sam Howell at Sun Valley High. Now, he’s stepping down.
After 38 years of coaching high school football, Sun Valley coach Tad Baucom is stepping away from the game.
Baucom, 64, said he is making the move to help care for some family members, and the time required would not allow him to coach. He will teach through June and plans to return to teaching in the fall, and he is not ruling out a return to coaching one day.
Baucom told the team in an emotional talk at the school’s stadium Thursday afternoon. Baucom has eight assistant coaches and said he was surprised to see the five who don’t work on campus also show up to support him.
“You talk about a picture of love,” Baucom said, choking up. “We got through talking about it and you’d think the kids would be running out of there, to get to bus or somewhere, but they’re all lined up to talk and waiting to hug it up. There were tears shed.
“What do you say? You don’t want to go. You don’t want to leave them, but they don’t get mad. They understand.”
Baucom, who coached UNC star quarterback Sam Howell, was at Sun Valley for six seasons and 38 years overall. He coached in Union County for 31 years.
Baucom began his coaching career in 1978 at Piedmont Academy and later coached at Pender Academy and Topsail before later coached at Monroe, Central Academy and Sun Valley. His career record is 180-133. Baucom was also an assistant football and head softball coach at Piedmont High for 10 years.
In his career, Baucom has coached a future Navy SEAL, two NFL players and more than 100 kids who would earn college scholarships. Among them was Howell, the greatest player in Union County history. Baucom coached Howell from 2015-18. Howell ended his career with the second-most passing yards (13,355) in N.C. history, trailing only Independence High legend Chris Leak (15,593). In December, Howell finished his freshman season at UNC by leading the Tar Heels to a win in the Military Bowl.
“He’s been great for Union County,” longtime Union County athletics director Doug Jones, himself recently retired, said of Baucom. “He was my football coach at Monroe (High School) when I got there in 1994. He’s known in Union County and he’s a good coach and he’s going to be missed. He’s done a lot of good for us.”
Baucom said he hoped to remembered for what he did for his players, about how much he cared.
“An old adage says, ‘Kids forget what you say to them, and they forget what you do for them, but they never forget how you make them feel,’” Baucom said. “That’s what brings them back. We tried to bring the best out of them and help them be men of integrity, good fathers, good husbands. I know football’s not a kind game, but you’ve got to be a different person when you leave the field. Be kind. Be supportive. We need more of that in this world.”
This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 5:27 PM.
