Ernest Spann

A career of teaching, coaching and motivating spanning over 40 years earned Ernest Spann a spot in the Clarendon County Athletic Hall of Fame.

Spann, selected as part of the inaugural class of inductees, will not be able to personally relish it. He passed away in June of 2007 but his family and wife, Queen, will be on hand to accept it on his behalf.

“Thank you for considering him; it’s quite an honor,” she said. “He would have enjoyed this. To me, I feel that it’s an honor for the committee to have thought of him and I know it’s well deserved because of what he did.”

Spann was a coach at Scott’s Branch High school and over his career, he received scores of accolades for teaching, counseling and coaching.

Spann began his athletic career at Lincoln High School in Sumter in the early 1950s where he excelled at football; but he was also a solid athlete in basketball, baseball and tennis.

Following graduation in 1954, he attended South Carolina State University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education.

Later, he earned his Masters in Education from SCSU with a specialty in Secondary Counseling.

Upon gradation from SCSU, Spann got his first job in 1962 at Mount Pleasant High School.

After a short stint there, Spann was hired at Scott’s Branch and stayed there for his entire career of more than 40 years before retiring in 1995.

Spann had many championship teams including a football team that went undefeated in the mid-1980s.

Even after retiring, Spann was not done with his teaching or coaching lessons.

He valued children, education and discipline so much that he continued to be a part of their lives for a long time even after his retirement.

He left the high school and went to the middle school where his knowledge could impact the younger generation and future students and athletes of Scott’s Branch. He remained there until his illness forced him to leave the grass behind.

Spann demanded not only great effort from his players, but great accomplishments and respect in the classroom.

He was known as a strict disciplinarian and valued his players’ education as the most important factor in their careers.

He did such things as making sure their homework was completed or started before they went outside to practice.

“He did it with love,” Queen Spann said. “The kids in turn loved him for it as well as the parents. He had that respect with the students and the parents and with the community. Everybody knew Mr. Spann.

“His main concern was getting the kids educated. He was a strong advocate of that.”

Former assistant coach, Johnny Pearson, said Spann is deserving of the award for things he did on and off the field.

He agreed Spann was a great coach but also a great teacher and someone he and players through the years could rely on.

Pearson said one of the aspects Spann displayed was being a father figure to some of his students or players who may not have had a real father at home.

“He showed a lot of tough love,” Pearson said.

Spann’s last year at the middle school with the football team contained the majority of the players from the 2010 Scott’s Branch State Championship football team.

“I feel that he was one of the reasons this football program got to where it is,” said Pearson. “He was a big inspiration.”

Queen Spann said she has created a scholarship, Spann Scholarship Foundation, in Coach Spann’s honor for his dedication, mentoring and being a father figure.