Longtime Lane High School football coach dies
A football coach who led Lane High School to a 53-game winning streak had died at the age of 89. Thomas George Theodose died Saturday as announced by Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook on Monday.
“He was at Lane when I was at Lane back in the 1960’s,” Snook said.
The winning streak came between 1962 and 1967 at a time when Charlottesville Schools transitioned from resistance to admitting Black students to white schools to acceptance. The streak straddled that time.
“He coached the first integrated state championship team in 1963 as they went 10 and 0,” Snook said. “Just as an indication of how revered he was at that point in Charlottesville, there was a referendum to have two high schools built and one of the contentious issues which was which one of the high schools was going to get Tommy Theodose as their football coach. “
Charlottesville opted instead to build two middle-schools which would become Walker Upper Elementary School and Buford Middle School. The stadium at Charlottesville High School is named after the late Theodose. Learn more about his life and what he leaves behind in his obituary.
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