Campbell High School basketball coaches James Gwyn and Randy McClure, fired last month, six years after the school named its gymnasium after them, hope to learn that they are reinstated at a 7 p.m. Thursday Cobb County Schools board meeting.
“I got an email from human resources saying they’d probably make some final decision tonight, and it sounded like it would be favorable,” McClure said. “As soon as we get it, we can go from there.”
Said Gwyn, “My hope is get back to doing what I love to do, which is coaching and working with kids, doing what I feel I was called to do.”
McClure and Gwyn declined to comment further until a resolution was final.
Cobb Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced at last month’s board meeting that he was investigating their dismissals after more than 4,000 people signed a petition calling for the school board to have the coaches reinstated.
“When I learned of the way they were let go, I immediately and personally initiated a review of that decision,” Ragsdale said at the March 20 meeting. “That review has now resulted in an investigation. To the extent that I can, I will report on that investigation at its conclusion, along with any actions we will be taking. As a district, we hold ourselves to a higher standard than the way this was handled, and I look forward to bringing updates soon.”
McClure, Campbell’s girls coach, and Gwyn, the boys coach, have 1,200 career victories combined. McClure was hired as head coach in 1990 and Gwyn in 1995.
McClure’s girls team was 23-5 this past season. Gwyn’s boys team was 15-11. Both made the Class 7A quarterfinals in 2024.
Campbell declined to renew their contracts in March and gave no reason publicly for their dismissals.
“I’m pretty shocked and hurt and, I don’t mind telling you, pretty upset by it,” McClure told the AJC the day after the firings. “It came out of the blue.”
Several of the coaches’ supporters turned out at the March school board meeting, and five of them spoke during the public comment portion. One of the speakers was Rashida Castleberry, one of McClure’s former players.
“I have heard that some people feel like maybe it’s time for a change, but these men deserve to be treated and handled better than they were,” Castleberry said. “They mean something to me and a lot of people in this community, and it is disgusting how they were treated in this manner. Based on their legacy alone, they both deserve to be honored and celebrated on their way out, and this should have been handled differently.”
The school board meeting will be held at the district’s Glover Street office in Marietta and will be aired online.
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