Veteran Coach and Teacher at North Forsyth High to Retire

Gene Bowles

In the Wednesday May 29 issue of the Winston-Salem Journal, reporter Mason Linker writes about Gene Bowles at North Forsyth who is retiring at the end of the school year. Here’s how the story opens:

Tacked to a bulletin board in the North Forsyth athletics director’s office is a black and white photograph of a stocky, smiling student in a football uniform, posed with one knee on the ground.

That was as close to resting as it came for Gene Bowles, a veteran coach and teacher — and former athlete — at North; Bowles will retire at the end of this school year.

“I guess you might say I am the last of the dinosaurs as far as just coming in and being a coach,” said Bowles, who at times has been the head coach in baseball, football and wrestling, and has also been an athletics director in 39 years of education at North Forsyth and North Stokes.

“No one told me I needed to specialize. I wouldn’t change anything. I have had ups and downs but I wouldn’t change anything.”

Bowles turned in his head-coaching duties in 2009 after his final seasons of coaching wrestling and baseball, but has remained an assistant AD, always present at football and basketball games with an approachable manner and even-keel demeanor.

“He is one of the best all-around guys that you will ever be around,” said Mike Muse, the basketball and softball coach at East Forsyth who coached alongside Bowles for 15 years at North Forsyth.

“He’s a good role model, a good mentor; he loves his players, loves other coaches. He tried to help everybody. He’s a guy that coached with passion, was very positive and one of the fairest guys you have ever been around in your life. He was a good guy to be around as a younger coach and we got along great.

“There is not a better person around. He will do whatever he can, he will give you the shirt off his back — and if he doesn’t have one he will help you go find one.”

For the rest of Linker’s story, go to Winston-Salem Journal