SWANSBORO, NC – Ronnie Ross, a fantastic teacher, coach, and athletic director at Swansboro High School, passed away on Monday at 84. Ross was a Swansboro graduate, going through East Carolina prior to spending three years in service of the United States Navy. After his naval career, Ross spent 28 years as a coach and athletic director at Swansboro High, working in education for an additional three years at Jacksonville and Williamston.
Ross was selected to the NCHSAA’s 100 Administrators to remember in 2013, serving on many NCHSAA Committees, including the NCHSAA’s first Endowment Committee that helped start the NCHSAA Endowment Fund. He earned many NCHSAA Awards including the Region 2 Athletic Director of the Year in 1986 and the Lifetime Achievement Award that same year.
He was an outstanding coach, serving in football, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball. Notably, he coached the East-West All-Star Game in Women’s Basketball in 1993 and led the Swansboro football team in 1970 to an undefeated regular season.
