LEGENDARY COACH STEPS DOWN DUE TO HEALTH
FAYETTEVILLE— One of the state’s most successful coaches in two sports is stepping down immediately due to health reasons, according to The Fayetteville Observer.
Gil Bowman, whose teams in women’s basketball as well as in men’s and women’s tennis have been perennially strong at Terry Sanford High School, has submitted his resignation after serving as a teacher and coach for almost 41 years at the school.
According to the newspaper, for the last four years the legendary coach has been battling chronic lymphocitic leukemia over the past four years and the treatments have taken a toll.
Bowman has been inducted into the Fayetteville Sports Club Hall of Fame and has coached numerous state champions in both singles and doubles in tennis. He also has coached three teams that got to the finals of the NCHSAA women’s basketball state tournament, including teams led by Shea Ralph, who went on to star at the University of Connecticut.
The newspaper reported Gerri Williams, Bowman’s assistant coach, will serve as interim head coach for the women’s basketball team for the remainder of this season, while a replacement to coach the men’s tennis team in the spring has not been named.
