Garwin DeBerry
Lane High School, Burley High School, and Charlottesville High SchoolBiography
Garwin DeBerry, born in May, 1947, was 13 years old when admitted to 8th grade at Lane High School. Upon arrival at Lane in 1960, he was told that he could not play in the band and a little later he was told he could not play football, either. Lane’s administrators blame his race for the decision. He returned to Burley High School, played on the varsity football team and won an athletics scholarship from Virginia State College. From a very young age, he knew he wanted to be an athletic coach. And where did he end up? As head coach at Charlottesville High School (formerly known as Lane High School)—the school that wouldn’t let him play—where he served as head coach for 28 years.
Full Interview
Clips
Garwin DeBerry
“This is not right. But no one prepared us for that.”
Garwin DeBerry
“I was actually frightened to go into a class with all white kids.”
Garwin DeBerry
“They got all the good books, all the new books. We got the hand-me-downs.”
Garwin DeBerry
“Everybody else is the white sea all around us.”
Garwin DeBerry
Garwin DeBerry
Garwin DeBerry
“They don’t think we need a Black football coach here.”
Garwin DeBerry
“Black people stayed in their place. White people ran everything.”
Garwin DeBerry
“There just were not many Black teachers there during my time.”