Blue Ridge High School Football Stadium

Paul Moro's last state crown came in 2013 when Blue Ridge defeated River Valley 17-7 in the Division IV championship game, capping a streak of six straight title contest appearances. (Blue Ridge High School photo)

The following is a press release provided by Blue Ridge High School on their field dedication.

The varsity football field at Blue Ridge High School has been the scene of many dramatic games over the past 40 years. Perhaps the same can be said of any high school football field. But it should be noted that, for consistent excellence, it would be difficult to match the accomplishments of the Blue Ridge Yellowjackets during the coaching tenure of Paul Moro.

For this reason, and out of the deep sense of loss at the passing of Moro in January, a group of boosters secured permission to name the football field where he held court for so many years in his honor. The same group also raised the funds to place a specially lit sign above the stadium in his honor.

On the occasion of the 2019 home opener vs. the Winslow Bulldogs, the field was dedicated and the stadium signage was unveiled, accompanied by approximately 150 of Coach Moro’s former players. Head coach Bob London, longtime line coaching assistant to Moro, spoke of the caring side of his former colleague, illustrated by the story of his hiring in 1991. He told the packed house crowd that in the interview for the job, over lunch, Coach Moro never said a word about football. He wanted to know about London’s family.

Longtime assistant on the defensive side of the ball, Gary Williams, spoke of Moro’s football intellect, while reminiscing on the kids of team building activities the great coach instituted. He also spoke of the man’s competitive intensity, which was second to none.

Troy Rivers, a player who was on the varsity when Moro first reported for work as an assistant at Blue Ridge in 1979 spoke of being in the military overseas when John McCain came in for a surprise visit. McCain asked Rivers, halfway around the world, “So you’re from Blue Ridge? What is it with that football team winning every weekend?” Rivers replied, “One guy – Coach Paul Moro.”

Twenty-five year stadium announcer Clay Stidham reeled of a series of statistics compiled by Moro over his career at Blue Ridge. Playing in by far the most competitive conference at the 3A level, these are only a few of the most impressive numbers:

• 13 state championships
• 123 shutouts
• 63-game winning streak
• 10 undefeated seasons
• 21 conference championships
• 76 consecutive conference wins
• 93 consecutive regular season wins
• 27 consecutive playoff appearances
• National Coach of the Year – 2011

The unveiling of the new stadium sign was announced by Moro’s grandson, Elijah, and his granddaughter Aubrielle, followed by fireworks.

Although it is already well known in the halls Blue Ridge High and history of Blue Ridge football, Howard's name will now forever be associated with the program.

Tuesday night at the Greenville County Schools Board of Trustee meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve the naming of Blue Ridge High School's football stadium in honor of Howard – the school's winningest football coach in program history.

The Tigers stadium will be named Coach Jim Howard Stadium, Blue Ridge AD Shane Clark told The Greenville News Tuesday night.

Howard, a Whitmire native, coached at Blue Ridge from 1981 to 1997. Reporting from The News in January of 1997 says that Howard resigned from his role as head football coach that month following a 1996-97 season in which the Tigers finished 1-10.

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He was hired at the school in May 1981, per a report that month from The News. The same report said Howard had been head baseball coach and an assistant football coach at Travelers Rest from 1973 until his departure for Blue Ridge. When he was hired that year, he succeeded Ron Aughtry, who went 1-19 in two seasons.

The decision immediately paid dividends for Blue Ridge High School. After Howard was hired, Blue Ridge steadily improved from 1981-86. In his first season Blue Ridge finished 2-8, but Howard led the Tigers to four, six, seven and then 10 wins in subsequent seasons. From 1986 to 1989, Blue Ridge went 35-13.

That 1986 season in which the Tigers went 10-3 is only one of two double-digit win seasons in program history. And Howard's tenure at Blue Ridge is the longest and most successful of any coach in the school's history. His 87 career wins (91 losses) at Blue Ridge more than double the next highest total, as does his 16 seasons as head coach.

Story continues

Blue Ridge's football team has began the 2022 season with a 3-3 record. This past school year, the Tiger boys basketball program won the Class AAA State Championship – the first state championship in the program's history. The state title was only the sixth, across all varsity sports, in school history. The other five came in cheer, boys cross country, boys golf and volleyball.

Joe Dandron covers high school sports for The Greenville News. Contact him by email [email protected] and by phone at 864-415-6213.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Blue Ridge High School football names stadium after coach Jim Howard