Local community mourns loss of longtime Shaw Coach Tommy Gunns
The community of Shaw lost one of its beloved sports figures last week as long time Shaw High School coach and educator Tommy Gunns passed away on May 12 due to congestive heart failure and stage 4 kidney disease.
He was 87-years-old. Gunns was best known for his time serving as Shaw High School Head Girls Track and Field Coach from 1979-2002 and Shaw High School Head Girls Basketball Coach from 1985-2002. His teams in both sports were consistently successful. Gunns led the Lady Hawks to back-to-back BB Girls State Track Championships in 1984 and 85 and guided the Lady Hawks to a 2A State Runner-Up finish in basketball with a 32-6 record in the 1987-88 season.
Gunns, who graduated from college at Mississippi Valley State University, began teaching at Shaw High School in 1964 as he taught subjects such as industrial arts, woodworking and shop for 36 years. The basketball gymnasium at Shaw bares Gunns’ name as it’s named the Gunns-Rodges Gymnasium. Gunns’ funeral was held at the gymnasium on Saturday (May 17).
West Bolivar Consolidated School District Superintendent L’Kenna Whitehead, who graduated from Shaw High School in 1997 and served a stint as the school’s Head Baseball Coach, said Gunns lived to make people better on a daily basis.
“Coach Gunns consistently motivated people on and off the court,” said Whitehead. “He would talk to the football players to make sure they were doing the right things even though he coached girls basketball and track. When I was a young coach, Coach Gunns was still around, still volunteering and providing structure and advice.”
Gunns’ daughter, La’Tanya Patty, was a key member of Shaw’s state runner-up basketball team and a member of Shaw’s state championship track teams. She ended up playing college basketball at Delta State University where she helped the Lady Statesmen win the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1990 and 92.
Patty had fond memories of her father who coached her in track and basketball for four years.
“He sent me off to Delta State basketball camp every year,” said Patty. “To me, my dad was an inspiration and a motivator in my life. He was very supportive to not only me but all he coached. I enjoyed playing for my father and didn’t want to let him down in anyway.”
Patty said playing for Gunns provided extra motivation to succeed
“I had to prove my skills,” said Patty. “I wanted to show leadership, and I had to set positive examples for those that were playing with me. It was hard because he looked up to me to be the example, so I was determined to make my father proud and a proud man he was.”
Patty said Gunns did everything he could to attend her games in college.
“He traveled to nearly all of my college games, especially when he could make them,” said Patty. “My dad was truly an inspiration to me in all of my days. He even showed me how to paint since he was a carpenter. He will truly be missed.”
Another key member from that state runner-up basketball team was Theresa Perry-Rash. Rash ended up playing basketball at Delta State University where she helped the Lady Statesmen win the 1992 National Championship.
Rash said Gunns helped put her on the path to college.
“Besides my father, he’s the reason why I played basketball at Delta State University,” said Rash, who graduated from Shaw in 1990. “I wasn’t thinking about playing basketball on the next level. After high school, I just said that was it. But Mr. Gunns started taking me to basketball camps at Delta State when Lloyd Clark was the coach. I started going in my 10th grade year. Every year after that, I would go to basketball camp at Delta State. That is where Coach Clark offered me a basketball scholarship, but it wasn’t until Coach Tommy Gunns started taking me to basketball camp. He saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself besides my daddy. I give him credit as well as my dad for the reason why I played basketball on the next level.”
Patricia Ann Perry-Harris, who was a member of Shaw’s State Championship track teams in 1984 and 85, enjoyed being around Gunns.
“One of the things about Mr. Gunns I loved was he had a huge personality,” said Harris, a 1986 Shaw graduate. “He was kind, he was direct and compassionate. One thing he always did was he told you the truth. He was funny to be around. He had a sarcastic behavior. He would get smart with you, but it would be funny. There was really never a dull moment with him. He loved us and worked us hard.”
Harris said Gunns put his skills as a shop teacher to good use when it came to coaching his teams.
“Back then, he took the little things we had and made the most of it,” said Harris. “He made a lot of equipment for us to use and practice with. He designed and made a weight machine and various equipment we used back in the day to make us better and stronger athletes.”
Rash said Gunns was more than just a coach.
“Not only was he a coach, but he was a father figure to us,” said Rash. “He was a fun person to be around. I had never seen Mr. Gunns having a bad day. I’d never seen him sad. He always liked to joke and have a good time. There was never a dull moment with Mr. Gunns.”
Harris remembered Gunns being a person that wanted her to stay on the straight and narrow.
“From time to time, I was kind of a rebellious young girl that would get in trouble sometimes with my parents,” said Harris. “I would have to tell Mr. Gunns that I probably won’t be able to make practice today, because I did this and that at home. I didn’t follow the rules. I was like can you call my mama or call my daddy. He would say, ‘Look doggone girl, you need to do starting doing right. You’ve got to do right.’ You’ve got to do right.’ He would still give them a call, and they would let me come back to practice if I was on punishment. I could still come to practice, but he would have to make sure I go straight home after practice. He would do that for me from time to time.”
Whitehead said Gunns would cheer Shaw’s programs at the games after he retired from coaching and always wanted everyone he came in contact with to be successful.
“The biggest thing about Coach Gunns was he was Shaw High’s number one fan,” said Whitehead. “He would get the whole crowd going at a basketball game. He would be in retirement. He would be like ‘Let’s get fired up.’ He also took pleasure in seeing the young men and women he taught and coached do well. You could see it on his face. He just wanted the best for everybody.”