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Sidney Cure
Head Coach
Sid graduated from Gary High School as a member of the class of 1955. He earned an undergraduate degree in Education from Morehead State University and then a Masters degree, also in Education, from West Virginia University. He joined the faculty at Gary High School in 1961. He served as a volunteer assistant football coach during that year, became assistant coach in 1962, and head coach in 1963. His Coaldiggers won the state AA football championship in 1966 and again in 1970. These are the only state gridiron titles ever won by a McDowell County school. After the 1970 campaign Sid accepted the head coaching position at Bluefield State College, a post he held for three years. Sid later spent several years managing the Gary Country Club. He and his wife Maria still make their home in Gary. They now own and operate the Coaldigger Sports Club in Wilcoe. Their son Robert, a Mount View graduate, is currently a resident at the Medical College of Georgia.
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Julius "Sonny" Dykes
Assistant Coach
Sonny is an alumnus of Big Creek High School where he was co-captain of the varsity basketball team. He graduated from BCHS in 1960 and went on to Concord College where he studied Social Science, and Health and Physical Education. Sonny received his bachelors degree from Concord in 1965. Later that year he joined the faculty at GHS. Sonny began coaching football in 1966, was an assistant coach during the 1970 championship season and served as head coach in 1971--leading the team to a 7-2-1 mark. He also served as head basketball coach for the last three years of his tenure at GHS. Sonny received his Masters Degree from West Virginia University in 1971. He left Gary the following year, accepting a positon as Assistant Football Coach at Laurel Park High School in Martinsville, VA. The following year Frank Radnoczi also joined the Laurel Park staff as Assistant Coach. Sonny remained at Laurel Park until 1981 when he accepted a position with Pannill Knitting, a manufacturer of athletic apparel. He became Vice President for Human Resources in 1986. Pannill was taken over by Sara Lee in 1989 and Sonny accepted a postion with the new company. Sonny spent the years 1995 through 1997 in Costa Rica, as part of Sara Lee's operation in that country.
He is now Vice President for Human Resources for Sara Lee's underwear division--among others, Sara Lee owns the Hanes and Polo lines. Sonny, his wife Debra and her daughter Kasey now make their home in the Winston-Salem area. His son Erik lives in New York where he works in advertising for a division of Better Homes & Gardens. Son David is a Marketing Manager and aspiring actor in New York.
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Frank Radnoczi
Assistant Coach
Frank graduated from Gary High School in 1960. He earned an undergraduate degree in Education from Xavier University and returned to join the GHS faculty in 1965. He taught Physical Education and coached the junior varsity football and basketball teams. In 1968 he became an assistant coach for the varsity football squad. He also found time to work with the basketball program, and was an assistant coach for the 1973 team that won the state AA basketball crown. Frank left Gary for Martinsville, VA later that year. He joined the faculty at Laurel Park High School where he taught Physical Education and Social Studies and coached the junior varsity football and basketball teams. In 1978 he earned a Masters degree in Counseling from Radford University. In 1981 Frank moved to Drewry Mason High School where he worked as a guidance counselor and coached the junior varsity football team. Frank now servers as a guidance counselor at Dalton L. McMichael High School in Mayodan, NC. He last coached in 1991.
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David Callahan
Running Back
After graduating from high school in 1972, David attended Concord College where he studied Elementary Education. He played wide receiver for the Mountain Lions, who won the WVIAC conference championship during each year of David's college football career. He made one appearance in the NAIA playoffs with Concord. David enjoyed a brief stint of semi-pro ball with the Charleston Rockets and then went to work with ACF Industries of Huntington as a computer operator. David eventually returned to Gary and, in 1998, he attended the West Virginia police academy and joined the Gary police force. Since 2000 David has served as Chief of Police.
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John Machincia
Offensive Tackle
After graduating from high school in 1971, John earned an Associates degree in Electrical Engineering from Bluefield State College. He then spent twelve years working in the coal industry. He subsequently worked for Gardner Denver in Roanoke and Eimco in Bluefield. He now works at the Radford Arsenal for New River Energetics. He married Nancy Blevins, a member of the GHS class of 1972. The couple now make their home in Christiansburg, VA. Their daughter Jessica is currently studying nursing. Son Brad plans to study computing.
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Rick Nogosky
Offensive Guard
Linebacker
Rick graduated from GHS in 1972 and moved on to Marshall University where he earned a BS degree in Occupational Health and Safety. He then returned to Gary, accepting a position in the Safety Department of US Steel. In 1985 he transferred within the company to a position in Charleston. Rick again moved within US Steel in 1987. He is currently the superintendent of the company's Oak Grove mine in Alabama. Rick and his wife Patricia Grahovac Nogosky, also a member of the GHS class of 1972, currently make their home in Alabaster, not far from Birmingham. The couple have a daughter, Nicole, and a grandson, Nicholas.
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Steve Thornton
Quarterback
Steve was a Junior during the Coaldiggers' championship season. He returned in his senior year to lead the team to a 7-2-1 mark. After high school, Steve earned a degree from Kentucky State University where he majored in Political Science and minored in Economics. Steve met his future wife Janice while doing graduate work in Communications at the University of Illinois. Steve, Janice, son Blakely and daughter Taylor now make their home in the Dallas area. After stints with Aetna and IBM, Steve now works for Comdisco, a technology services company, as Managing Director of Sales Support for the Western United States.
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Special thanks to The Welch Daily News for permission to reprint their articles, and to the staff of the McDowell Public Library for their help in retrieving them.
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