Strickland announces retirement

NEWBERRY — Phil Strickland, Newberry High School head football coach, has announced that he will retire at the end of the 2021 season.

“This is going to be my 40th year in education, just felt like it was time to retire and do a little fishing and spoiling my grandkids,” Strickland said.

Along with being in education for 40 years, Strickland has spent the last 34 years as a head coach.

According to highschoolfootballamerica.com, as a head coach, Strickland has never missed the postseason. He’s won five state championships, two with Batesburg-Leesville (1995, 1999) and three with Gaffney (2003, 2005, 2006). Strickland has taken Newberry to three state championship games.

Strickland, who is a member of the South Carolina Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame and South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame, owns 334 career victories.

“I still have a lot of passion for what I do, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have come back this year. I enjoyed being around the kids and watching them grow and becoming good citizens,” he said. “I’ve always been told you know when it is time, it hit me, especially with this mess with COVID-19, and I just decided 40 years in education and 34 years as a head coach, it is time to move on to another chapter of my life.”