Longtime Erwin statistician Gene McClure honored with press box dedication and scholarship James Crabtree-Hannigan Asheville Citizen Times February 7, 2023
Erwin basketball star Loyd King was beginning to get some college attention in the 1960s when he received a puzzling request from his math teacher, Eugene McClure.
McClure was in need of a suit jacket and other formal wear for some upcoming events, he said, and he gave King the money to go buy some. Because they were about the same size, McClure said King could pick out clothes that fit him and bring them back to the school.
King did so, but when he tried to hand them off, McClure said he didn't need them yet, and King could hold onto them a little while longer. The future ABA player wore the jacket on his college recruiting visits, kept it with him throughout his collegiate career at Virginia Tech and still has it today, nearly 60 years later.
McClure's generosity was on display throughout his 29 years as an Erwin teacher and 51 years as a Warriors statistician. Since his retirement, the community has repaid him, most recently naming the football press box and starting a college scholarship in his name for his 90th birthday last month.
"I feel very honored, of course. I didn't really expect it," McClure said. "It's very special to have the former students keep in touch."
Nearly 200 people were in attendance for McClure's birthday party Jan. 28 at Mount Carmel Church, and about half were former students. A Jackson County native, McClure – referred to almost exclusively as "Mr. McClure" by those in attendance – taught math at Erwin from 1958-87 and volunteered far beyond that.
In addition to his 51 years as the basketball statistician, he kept the football stats for 45 seasons, was the baseball scorekeeper for 23 and the softball statistician for five. He worked into his 80s before stepping away following the 2018 season.
"Before I kept the book I did some of the individual rebounds and that type of thing," McClure said. "I just sort of fell into it, and I enjoyed doing it."
Longtime statistician Gene McClure (left) poses with fellow Erwin Hall of Fame member Connie Rogers-Newcome. The press box at the Warriors football stadium was named after McClure as part of a 90th-birthday celebration for the former math teacher.
A member of the inaugural Erwin athletics Hall of Fame class in 2009 and recipient of the Mountain Amateur Athletic Club lifetime achievement award in 2018, the soft-spoken McClure is no stranger to being honored by former students and athletes, but a birthday party planning committee comprised of Erwin legends wanted to make sure his 90th was special.
They successfully petitioned Buncombe County Schools to name the Erwin football press box after him and, as a surprise, endowed a scholarship in his name to be awarded to Erwin High students attending his alma mater, Western Carolina, and studying math.
"Everybody knows him as a math person," said Keith Webb, a former student who now serves as the North Buncombe basketball statistician. "When we get the endowment set up, there will be an annual scholarship there for one or more, depending on how much money we're able to raise and put into the endowment."
Since retirement, McClure has spent his time volunteering at his church, First Baptist, while continuing to receive support from his Warriors family with things such as grocery shopping during the pandemic. They feel it's the least they can do.
"He's always there to help you, and he's not looking for something in return," Webb said. "To him, it was just his way of giving back to the community."
posted February 8th, 2023
(2017) Long-time Erwin High Teacher, Gene McClure, receives award
(WLOS) — For more than a half-century, the Erwin High basketball teams haven’t had to worry about a scorekeeper or statistician.
For 51 years, math teacher Gene McClure’s knack for numbers served the Warriors’ needs for the boys and girls teams, along with long stints doing similar duties for the football, baseball and softball teams.
For his decades of faithful service and volunteerism, McClure has been selected as the 2018 MOOG/Gene Ochsenreiter Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Presented by the Mountain Amateur Athletic Club, the award annually recognizes and honors a local person who achieves outstanding work in his community.
McClure will be honored at the 57th WNC Sports Awards Banquet at Omni Grove Park Inn, presented by Ingles.
The banquet, which begins at 5:30 p.m. on May 6, recognizes the top high-school athletes and teams in WNC.
More than 100 athletes and teams will be invited to the banquet as finalists in 22 categories, and winners will be announced at the event.
And more than a dozen athletes will be awarded $1,500 scholarships through the Darlene and John McNabb Scholarship Program.
The banquet also serves as the induction ceremony for the WNC Sports Hall of Fame, presented by Dixon Hughes Goodman. The Class of 2018 includes three legendary high-school coaches – Bobby Poss of Reynolds football, Cindi Simmons of Smoky Mountain basketball and volleyball and Jan Stanley of West Henderson basketball and volleyball.
In addition, a Special Olympics athlete will be honored for outstanding achievement and that athlete’s charter will receive a $1,000 grant.
McClure, 85, grew up in the Addie community of Jackson County. He knew by 5th grade that he wanted to be a teacher, and after earning two degrees at Western Carolina, he taught at Andrews and served two years in the U.S. Army.
His career at Erwin began in 1958, teaching business and math, and he retired in 1987 but has continued to serve as the school’s scorekeeper and statistician for 30-plus years after retirement.
He kept stats for the football team for 45 years, baseball for 23 years and spent five years with the softball team.
His volunteer work with athletics began as an accident, but he is happy it worked out that way.
“This just kind of fell in my lap and they kept asking me to come back each season,” McClure said.
“I enjoy it because it’s my way of keeping up with students. I plan to continue doing it as long as my health allows it.”
His previous honors include the Erwin Booster Club Award for Service in 1979 and the Unsung Hero Award by the N.C. High School Athletic Association in 1994.
In 2010, he was inducted into the Erwin Athletic Hall of Fame in its inaugural class.
One of the great athletes at Erwin McClure enjoyed watching and tracking stats for was
Loyd King, a basketball standout who played at Virginia Tech and is a member of the WNC Sports Hall of Fame.
“One of my best memories of Mr. McClure is hiding out in his office,” said King.
“We had many conversations on a variety of subjects and what was going on in my world. He gave me insight on how to look at things from different perspectives without telling me what to think or feel. The time shared in his office has been very special to me, then and now.”
McClure also made an impact on non-athletes.
“Mr. McClure was already a legend by the time he taught me in 1985,” said Martha Ball. “My older brothers had him for trigonometry and I knew I was walking into the classroom of a teacher who was going to challenge me.
“My classmates and I were in awe of him for not only being a complete math genius, but the
fact that he was ambidextrous and would write on the chalkboard with both hands and
the same time, with each hand going in a different direction. I heard many students refer
to him as ‘Mean Gene the Trig Machine.’
“More importantly, he cares about life and about people and he showed his love of life in the classroom.”
