It was a little more than two years ago, in February of 2017 to be exact, when I decided to check in with Claudia Randolph to see how her husband, long-time Harrison County educator and former Bridgeport boys’ basketball Coach Gene Randolph was doing.

 

My method of communication was Facebook messenger. I let Claudia know I had heard he was battling health issues and she told me about it. Part of the discussion was to see if Gene would be willing to share his story because as things often do in today's world of social media people were wondering how he was doing.

 

Gene said yes. I asked Claudia what a good time would be to call for an interview. In a not-so-surprising fashion, he wanted to meet face to face. Of course, my answer was absolutely a yes.

 

That last lengthy encounter came storming back to me Saturday when I heard the news. As many of you know, and perhaps some may not know, Gene Randolph passed away Saturday. A long, lengthy battle with cancer he first told me about two years ago, where he never once bowed down and never once flinched in his optimism and faith in dealing with it, concluded.

 

I learned of his passing in back-to-back phone calls from the last two men who shared a bench with Gene Randolph during his lengthy tenure as the Indians basketball coach. Dennis Hutson and Mike Robey both called to let me know about the man who was more than a mentor to them. He was their friend.

 

I was his friend, too, and am proud to say so. For reasons I can’t remember, he greeted me to the very last time I saw him as “Doctor” and followed it with a firm handshake. I’m certain the circle of friends for a man who taught and coached for decades was immense and always welcoming because his wealth was that comprised primarily of non-material things. Friendship was at the top of his list of wealth.

 

It’s who he was. A man of God. A man who loved his wife, family and friends. A man who loved the mountains. And he certainly was a man who loved his dogs.

 

We’ll talk more about Gene on those fronts shortly. First, a discussion about the stage for which so many knew him. And that was under the term “Coach.”

 

He coached for 38 years, retiring in 2013. Starting at Flemington and ending here at Bridgeport where he became the coach for one of only two state championship teams in the school’s history.

 

Gene Randolph won a title with flair. He was full throttle on the sidelines with dance-like maneuvers, verbal hoots and the occasional flashing of cards for the sets he wanted to run. And the post-game interviews, particularly at the state tournaments, were legendary.

 

Randolph at the podium after a game in Charleston was gold. Win or lose, it was pay-per-view quality entertainment. He created words that fit his feelings and his team’s narrative and the statewide media loved him for it because it wasn’t for show. It was Gene’s inner self coming out and it was one classic soundbite after another.

 

I remember all of the interviews, including the one where he broke down emotionally coaching his last-ever team and game in Charleston and the one where he set his own and state record for new words in the basketball vocabulary after topping Tug Valley for the state title.

 

That championship year, as Randolph would often say, was magical. By his side for that season, and for a total of nine years on the bench, was Dennis Hutson.

 

On Saturday, Hutson was still ringing from the recent news. He, as so many others, had lost a mentor, colleague and friend. Hutson still vividly recalled that year, deeming it “magical” as Randolph did so many times.

 

“It’s hard to win a state basketball tournament and that was only the second one in Bridgeport history. I was thrilled to be a part of it and being able to be part of it with Gene made it that much more special because I don’t think people knew how hard the man worked,” said Hutson. “He ate, drank and slept basketball. He spent so much energy trying to figure out ways to beat the other teams because he wanted it for the kids.

 

“The thing with Gene is it was always about the kids,” Hutson continued. “(Former Randolph assistant and current BHS Coach) Mike (Robey) and I were talking about that (Saturday). He just didn’t have an ego. In this day and age that’s unheard of but ask anyone that worked with him and they’ll tell you the same thing.”

 

Robey did just that. In fact, it was among the first things he said.

 

“It was never about Gene, and that was with the kids and his coaches. He didn’t care who was calling the offense and the defense as long as the right one was called. If it led to a win for the kids then it was never a problem because a win was positive for the kids and there was never a coach more positive with their kids than Gene,” said Robey, his voice filled with sadness. “The reason for that was he had no ego.

 

“If he trusted you with decision making he gave you a lot of room. He did that with me and he did it with Dennis,” Robey continued. “There were times as coaches you’re not always going to agree on everything and if he didn’t think your idea would work, he’d tell you. The thing is, he always listened and never belittled an idea. We could use a lot more like him in this profession and we could use a lot more like him outside the profession.”

 

No one should take Randolph’s good nature as a sign of weakness. Randolph was old school. He was a bit hardcore too coming from my old stomping grounds of North View.

 

“Gene was tough as nails and he hand inner-toughness too,” said Robey. “He just didn’t show that when he was coaching the kids, but he was a grizzled veteran that came from a tough era who led his life and his teaching and coaching with a gentle touch.”

 

By 2013, the gentle touch was officially finished on the coaching front after stepping down full-time as a teacher a few years earlier. He had told me many times in the last year that “the mountains are calling me.” He was ready to spend time with his wife Claudia and the car load of dogs the two of them had rescued and have some of their own time.

 

Gene and Claudia took off on their own excellent adventure. They were still in town, but there was new property in the mountains and the dogs were always with them. Along the way, that gentle touch continued whether it was well above sea level or down in the valley here in Harrison County.

 

When I learned of his failing health in 2017, I was deeply saddened. When the old ball coach came in for that interview, I was revitalized when it was over even as he told me he was battling a form of stomach cancer because of how he approached his showdown with the same fire he displayed on the sideline. He had dropped weight as his once robust frame, which still looked good and was still covered with immaculately neat clothing (another trademark), but he talked so long that day for a reason. His faith had never dropped.

 

Although I knew Gene was strong in his faith, I didn’t know to what level. I did when the interview back in 2017 was finished and he hammered home how God was going to guide him through it. Facing a situation that would make many question their faith, for Randolph it increased. Hutson said he was never surprised by that fact and how he battled cancer with optimism and a positive attitude in defiance of his situation.

 

“He would tell me ‘Denny, I’m going to beat this, and then smile. If you knew him, you knew why he was like that,” said Hutson. “First of all, his love for the Lord was unbelievable. His relationship with God was real. He witnessed that to me and others after he was diagnosed with cancer. It played a big part in helping Gene through those times. The thing was, his passion for the Lord spilled over into passion in every phase of his life.”

 

In my mind’s eye, I still hear Gene telling me I needed to join him up on that mountain to witness “God’s beauty” as he called it. I could see why he said it as I saw Claudia’s Facebook post this very morning about her husband’s passing. Take a look at it above; he’s in his chair on the porch with a look of peace in his eyes that can’t be described.

 

He told Mike Robey and Dennis Hutson and I’m sure countless others the same things about that mountain and I imagine the door was open for everyone. I’m sorry I never took advantage of the invitation.

 

He had everything he needed these last few years. Gene had Claudia, his pack of dogs and those mountains that put him ever so closer to the God he was so faithful to.

 

I’ll miss hearing the greeting of Doctor. I’ll miss the hand-written notes (as I know others will) he would send me at Christmas, after a big win or a big moment in my life he learned about. And I’ll cherish the last one I received after writing that blog in 2017 on his health.

 

The sense of loss this morning is profound. There is sadness from his crew on Kelly Drive. There is sadness from his friends in Clarksburg, the thousands of students he encountered as a teacher and coach. And there is sadness from that large circle of family and friends who know a real-life legend is gone from this world.

 

There’s such a profound sense of loss because Gene Randolph’s impact was so profound. He made a difference and did until the end – cancer never got its hands on that.

 

Above I said his battle with cancer concluded. I didn’t say he lost his battle on purpose.

 

To suggest that someone lost here may indicate that there was nothing left; that there was nothing gained. I can assure you that with Gene Randolph nothing could be further from that.

 

Left in Gene’s shadow is a legacy of caring. Gene led a good life in the manner God wants us to and enriched our lives in the process

 

Lost a battle? Not for one second.

 

Rest in Peace coach. You’ve been called home from the ball game to enjoy the mountains with the greatest view of all.

 

Editor's Note: Top two photos show Gene Randolph calm on the sidelines and expressing his trademark emotion, while he's shown with his last team after they recognized his career in the third photo. The fourth photo was taken following his interview in 2017 where he disclosed his illness publicy. In the fifth photo, Randolph is shown at the state tournament and the final game of his career as he breaks down talking about the final group of kids he coached. In the sixth photo, from Claudia Randolph's Facebook page, Randolph is shown relaxing with peace in his eyes. In the botto photo, Randolph is joined by his then assistant Mike Robey, far right, and RCB Coach Billy Bennett prior to a battle between the Indians and Eagles. All photos, with the exception of Randolph from 2017 and on the porch are by www.benqueenphotography.com.