Y.C. touched the lives of tens of thousands of children over the last half century. He was a great athlete himself, but you'd never know it to hear him talk. He was a role model for his students; he's probably taken more kids home after practice or school than anyone in history.

I'm very, very honored to be here tonight in this facility and in this city. You cannot come to this city without the realization that this is the seat of American government, and you can't come here without feeling a little patriotic, especially in a building such as this.

Players and the game are central components and the coach has more of a supporting role in the whole environment for younger kids. Working with kids at 6, 8, 10 years of age will impact how kids experience the game at 14.

He probably transported more kids home than any two coaches in the entire state of South Carolina. They would get to some of the major Saturday meets a little later because Y.C. was going around picking his kids up.

The kids had a great respect for him. He touched people.

He was a beloved coach, teacher and friend; some of the students were in a state of shock. Yes, Y.C. and I had our moments as coaches from rival schools, but we remained true friends over the years. I saw him two weeks ago at a middle school wrestling tournament. If there was an athletic event at that school, he was there.