Eddie McGirt
Eddie C. McGirt (January 31, 1920 – December 21, 1999) was an American football coach. He was the head football coach at the Johnson C. Smith University of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) from 1959 to 1977.
Early years
McGirt was born in Camden, South Carolina where, he starred in football, basketball, and track at Mather Academy in South Carolina. He then enrolled at Johnson C. Smith University in 1940, earning All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) honors as a fullback for the football team.
McGirt entered the United States Army in 1943 and received a Purple Heart. He married Minnie Dannelly in 1945 and returned to graduate from Johnson C. Smith University in 1947 with a bachelor's degree. He then went to Columbia University to receive his master's degree in 1952.
Coaching career
In 1958, he returned to Johnson C. Smith University, where he eventually became the school's 11th head football coach.
McGirt 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 was considered the "Dean of Coaches" in the CIAA, winning 118 of 191 games at Johnson C. Smith.
He also served many teaching positions and coached the university's basketball team from 1959 to 1962 with a record of 48 wins and 26 losses.
McGirt, known to many as "Cut", retired after 20 years as Johnson C. Smith's head football coach. During his tenure, his teams won one championship and two divisional championships, and were runners-up twice. His overall record was 118 wins and 73 losses.
He 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 the Eddie McGirt Field after him. The Eddie C. McGirt Endowed Scholarship is awarded to a sophomore, junior, or student athlete with at least a 3.0 GPA.