East Carolina announced the passing of one of its greatest former athletes, a Hall of Famer and championship high school swim coach, Bob Sawyer.
Below is more from ECU Sports Information.
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Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information)
Bob Sawyer, an East Carolina Athletics Hall of Famer, two-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) champion and three-time All-American selection, passed away on Sunday, August 17, he was 88.
Sawyer came to ECU by way of Greensboro where he was an individual state swimming champion under legendary coach Bob Jamieson who guided Greensboro Senior High School to state titles in 1954 and 1955. A three-time team captain for the Pirates, Sawyer earned All-America honors in three different events during his time in Greenville in the 400-medley relay (1957), 400 free relay (1957-59) and the 200 backstroke (1959).
Under ECU Hall of Fame coach Ray Martinez, he won the NAIA Championship in the 200 backstroke in 1957 and 1959, while also claiming the North Carolina Collegiate 200 backstroke crown. After graduating from East Carolina in 1959 with a bachelor’s in business administration and a master’s degree in physical education, Sawyer returned to his high school alma mater in 1961 for a 30-year run at the school, which was later renamed Grimsley High, and achieved incredible success as a coach.
His teams won 16 consecutive conference championships and an unprecedented 15 straight NCHSAA state titles in swimming. He also coached track, cross country and junior varsity football during his career. Sawyer helped to host and direct countless NCHSAA state tournaments and events in several sports. A charter member of the East Carolina University Sports Hall of Fame in 1974, he guided Grimsley athletics as athletic director to numerous Wachovia Cup state titles, symbolic of the best overall interscholastic program in the state.
In all, he has been enshrined into the ECU Athletics, Guilford County Sports, NCHSAA and NC High School Athletic Directors halls of fame. The Grimsley gymnasium was dedicated to him in September of 2000 and in 2013 the Bob Sawyer Award began to recognize Guilford County High School football players.