Walter Skidmore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kentucky, U.S.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.
 Skidmore pictured in Yackety yak 1936, UNC yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 19, 1903 Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | April 13, 1993 (aged 89) Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1935–1939 | North Carolina |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 65–25 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1938 - Southern Conference regular season 1936 - Southern Conference Tournament | |
Walter Dennis Skidmore (November 19, 1903 – April 13, 1993) was an American basketball coach. He was best known for being the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team from 1935 to 1939.[1] Skidmore had a record of 65–25 with the Tar Heels and led his team to win the Southern Conference Tournament in 1936 and Southern Conference regular season championship in 1938.[2] In his last year of coaching, Skidmore coached George Glamack, who went on to become a star player at North Carolina.[3] Skidmore took over coaching after Bo Shepard left as head coach due to health problems.[4] Skidmore was a native of Harlan County, Kentucky, and the son of a coal miner. He attended Centre College in Kentucky, graduating in 1926.[5][6] Before becoming the head basketball coach at North Carolina, Skidmore had coached the North Carolina junior varsity and Charlotte High School teams.[7][5][8] He retired from coaching in 1939 and moved to Letcher County, Kentucky. From 1955 to 1970, Skidmore operated the Tar Heel Motel in Clinton, North Carolina.[6] In April 1993, Skidmore died in Chapel Hill, North Carolina at age 89.