Eddie McGirt

Eddie McGirt
Biographical details
Born	January 31, 1920; Camden, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	December 21, 1999 (aged 79)
Playing career
Football
c. 1940	Johnson C. Smith
Position(s)	Fullback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1958–1977	Johnson C. Smith
Basketball
1959–1962	Johnson C. Smith
Head coaching record
Overall	118–73–3 (football); 63–32 (basketball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
	Football; 1 CIAA (1969); 2 CIAA Southern Division (1970, 1972)

Eddie C. McGirt (January 31, 1920 – December 21, 1999) was an American football and basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina from 1958 to 1977, compiling a record of 118–73–3. McGirt was also the head basketball coach at Johnson C. Smith from 1959 to 1962, tallying a mark of 63–32.

Early years

McGirt was born in Camden, South Carolina. He competed in football, basketball, and track at Mather Academy. He enrolled at Johnson C. Smith University in 1940, earning All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) honors as a fullback for the football team.^[1]

He entered the United States Army in 1943 and received a Purple Heart.

Coaching career

McGirt was the football head coach at Mather Academy for several years. In 1958, he returned to Johnson C. Smith University, where he eventually became the school's 11th head football coach.

He is credited with lifting Johnson C. Smith's struggling football team to become one of the CIAA's most respected. For 20 years, his teams ranked at the top of CIAA standings. He retired after 20 years as Johnson C. Smith's head football coach. During his tenure, his teams won one CIAA championship (1969), two divisional titles, and were runners-up twice. He retired with an overall football coaching record of 118–73.^[2]

He also served many teaching positions and coached the university's basketball team from 1959 to 1962 with an overall record of 63–32.^[3]

McGirt remained as the university's athletic director and head of the Department of Health and Physical Education until June 30, 1985. He supported Johnson C. Smith athletics until his death on December 21, 1999.

In 1977, he was inducted into the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Hall of Fame. The university's football field is named after him (Eddie McGirt Field). The Eddie C. McGirt Endowed Scholarship is awarded to a sophomore, junior, or student athlete with at least a 3.0 GPA.

Head coaching record

Football


Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing
Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1958–1977)
1958	Johnson C. Smith	6–2	5–2	9th
1959	Johnson C. Smith	5–4	5–4	7th
1960	Johnson C. Smith	6–3	6–2	7th
1961	Johnson C. Smith	8–1	6–1	3rd
1962	Johnson C. Smith	7–2	6–1	3rd
1963	Johnson C. Smith	7–2	5–1	4th
1964	Johnson C. Smith	7–2–1	6–1	4th
1965	Johnson C. Smith	5–4	5–1	2nd
1966	Johnson C. Smith	3–5–1	3–2–1	4th
1967	Johnson C. Smith	6–2–1	5–0–1	3rd
1968	Johnson C. Smith	5–4	3–3	11th
1969	Johnson C. Smith	8–2	6–1	1st
1970	Johnson C. Smith	8–2	6–1	1st (Southern)
1971	Johnson C. Smith	5–4	3–2	2nd (Southern)
1972	Johnson C. Smith	6–5	4–0	1st (Southern)
1973	Johnson C. Smith	7–4	3–2	4th
1974	Johnson C. Smith	4–7	4–2	4th
1975	Johnson C. Smith	8–3	6–1	T–2nd
1976	Johnson C. Smith	4–7	3–5	T–6th
1977	Johnson C. Smith	3–8	2–6	T–8th
Johnson C. Smith:		118–73–3	92–38–2
Total:		118–73–3

References

^ "Eddie McGirt worked way to Johnson C. Smith head coach". Retrieved January 12, 2019.
^ "Eddie McGirt worked way to Johnson C. Smith head coach". Retrieved January 12, 2019.
^ "JCSU relaunches McGirt Football Classic". Retrieved January 12, 2019.

External links

Honoree South Carolina African American History Online

[1] "Eddie McGirt worked way to Johnson C. Smith head coach". Retrieved January 12, 2019.

[2] "Eddie McGirt worked way to Johnson C. Smith head coach". Retrieved January 12, 2019.

[3] "JCSU relaunches McGirt Football Classic". Retrieved January 12, 2019.

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