He was the No. 1 Monarch.
Former Manning High School girls basketball Coach and U.S. history teacher John Franklin Thames touched students' lives both on the court and in the classroom, according to those who worked closely with him during his 55 years at the school.
Thames, who has the most wins for girls basketball in state history, died Friday at his home.
"Coach Thames was like a father to me, and a mentor in all parts of my life, not just with coaching," said Coach Kay Young, who began working with Thames in 1985. Initially just a tennis coach, Young began coaching junior varsity girls' basketball in 1991, and began assisting Thames with the varsity girls team about the same time.
"He was a very Christian man, and was loved by everybody," she said.
Thames coached the girls' basketball team at Manning High for 46 of his 55 years at the school. He coached the Lady Monarchs to two state championship titles; three state runner-up titles; 15 regional championship titles; and seven regional tournament championship appearances.
Thames was only the second coach in state history to reach the 800-win mark as a coach of women's basketball. The first was Mullins' Fred Senter. Thames would eventually pass Senter's own record, receiving 828 wins in 2014, shortly before his retirement.
"He was an asset to this district," said Clarendon School District 2 Superintendent John Tindal. "He was the No. 1 Monarch. Even after his retirement, he was frequently spotted at all of our games. He supported all sports, not just basketball."
Thames, a native of Alcolu, had coached all sports at Manning High at one time or another. Laurence Manning Academy Athletic Director Robbie Briggs is one of several coaches in the state today who not only coached with Thames, but played under his leadership.
Briggs worked with Thames from 1994-2013, and played on the Monarch football team when Thames was assistant coach from 1984-88.
"He is the most pure American high school coach to ever grace the soils of South Carolina," Briggs said. "Integrity plus loyalty plus unselfishness equals Coach John Franklin Thames. That's simple, but it sums up the man that was the ultimate mentor for me. He has always been a living legend in my eyes."
Former Manning High Athletic Director Brian Joyner also worked with and played under Thames.
"He was one of my coaches when I played at Manning," he said. "When I started coaching in 1992, and Coach Thames worked with me, coaching the offensive line. I worked with him for many years."
Like Briggs, Joyner thought of Thames as a great mentor.
"He was one of the rare people who lead by example and loved everyone," Joyner said. "He touched countless individuals and was a one-in-a-lifetime person. They don't come like Coach Thames anymore."
Thames himself graduated from Manning High School in 1953, and always had a dream to come back and coach for his alma mater. After service in the U.S. Army and graduation from Presbyterian College in Clinton in 1958, Thames turned that dream into a reality.
Later in his career, he told The Manning Times that he had prayed since the early 1980s that God would let him know about a year in advance that it was time to retire. He made the announcement in 2013, and left the district in 2014.
"I always wanted to go out when it was time," he said in 2014. "I had asked the Lord to let me know when it was time, but about a year ahead. And I felt at peace with it."
Thames racked up multiple honors during his time with Manning High, aside from his wins on the court.
He was the Pee Dee North-South All-Star South head coach in 1969, and served as head coach in the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association North-South Girls All-Star Game in 1984 and 200. He was the 2000 High School Sports Report State Coach of the Year, was a 2009 inaugural inductee into the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame and a 2011 inaugural inductee into the Clarendon County Athletic Hall of Fame.
The Manning High School gymnasium where he won many of his home games was renamed in his honor in 1993, and then rededicated in his honor 20 years later. He was Manning High School Teacher of the Year twice, and was named in 2008 by the Daughters of the American Revolution as the Outstanding South Carolina Teacher of U.S. History.
He was also a recipient of the Order of the Silver Crescent, the highest honor a South Carolina resident may obtain from the state. He also received tributes in 2011 and 2015, respectively, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and the South Carolina General Assembly.
In making the resolution for tribute in 2011, Congressman James Clyburn said there were "no coaches that go above and beyond as much as Coach John Franklin Thames does for his students."
"He uses his personal funds to buy shoes for all his players," Clyburn said on the U.S. House of Representatives floor. "He has done so because he doesn't want to single out the ones who cannot afford new shoes. He provides transportation and other clothing for many of his students who have limited resources. He is also dedicated to helping students get into higher education institutions so they can pursue their own dreams."
Thames said he was most proud of the fact that more than two dozen of his girls ended up obtaining basketball scholarships and gaining college degrees through their athletics.
"What matters most is an education," Thames said in 2014. "Athletics are important. I believe they build a good foundation for the individual. But you have to have that education. I tried to instill that in all my girls."
Thames considered his players and students to be his children, as he had none of his own.
"He may not have had any biological children, but he was a parent to hundreds," said former student and cheerleader Grace Nelson. "I remember cheering my loudest when the team would get a bad call, just so he wouldn't get a foul for his own yelling"
Nelson told of how Thames disciplined students with a paddle that he then made them sign.
"With signed permission from parents, discipline like that was allowed in school," she said. "If a student got into trouble, you had to go see Coach Thames. He stood in the gap with a lecture and a paddling. When it was done, you would have to sign the paddle. You see, the gap was a place where you learned self control, love and respect. Growth in the gap was paramount, or you would find your name on the paddle several times."
Rita Hodge Weaner was one of Thames early students at Manning High.
"He was a true gentleman, as well as a gentle man," she said. "There just aren't enough words to describe him, as I sit here in tears. Anyone he touched, he touched in a positive way. Manning High School, the city of Manning and the state of South Carolina have lost a hero."
Former Manning High School trainer Bob Cato, a pastor, agreed.
"I spent four years with this great man; sometimes it would be midnight before we could get away," he said. "I have spoken about him in pulpits I have filled for 40 years and told what an impact he had on my life."
Lakewood Gators Coach Ron T. McBride said Thames "will be greatly missed, and not just by the Monarch family and Manning community, but by the state of South Carolina."
"Thank you for caring and for sharing your words of wisdowm and knowledge with us all," McBride said. "You were a great leader and mentor, and I thank God for allowing our paths to cross and for me getting to meet such an awesome guy."
Tommy Guthrie worked with Thames from the time he was 10, serving as the coach's water boy, batboy and manager.
"He taught me the meaning of a solid work ethic, accountability and responsibility," said Guthrie. "As his quarterback, shortstop and team captain, he instilled in me the meaning of clean competition and humiltiy, win or lose. I sat on the bench next to him as his shadow, absorbing all I could. One of the proudest moments of my life was reporting on and getting the byline for my first article published in The State newspaper about his basketball state championship with the Lady Monarchs in 1974, my graduation year from Manning High School."
Guthrie said Thames was like a second father to him.
"I am proud of all I learned from him and cherish the many memories and experiences we shared," he said. "I love him deeply and I know he loved me too, no more and no less than all the students, parents and colleagues he touched. Maybe most of all, I am proud to be counted among the many as his student, player, manager, friend and yard ape, especially as one of his yard apes."
Mary Stone remembers the day Thames began his long career at Manning High School.
"My first memory of him was him directing the buses beside Weldon Auditorium," she said. "All the girls crowded around him. He was one popular fellow!"
At a 50th class reunion several years ago, Stone said she and other students were remarking on their children and grandchildren.
"John Franklin stood up and said that he had no biological children - that he knew of - but that all of the students through his years of coaching and teaching, especially his girls, were like his children," Stone said. "He was so proud of them all. He was a remarkable man and left quite a legacy."
Weaner agreed.
"We are all so blessed because we were a part of his life," she said. "I thank God that he was a friend of mine for 55 years. I sat in his classroom on his very first day as a teacher at Manning High School, and with all of us crazy kids, he actually stayed! Let's all celebrate his life and count our blessings for having been a part of that wonderful life."
