Charlie McFall: The Education of a Coach
From the day he was born, sports have played a huge role in the life of Charlie
McFall, who will retire as Collegiate's head football coach at the conclusion of this year's state playoffs. For 35 years, his father was a coach at Randolph-Macon Academy, so as
a young boy, Charlie was always in the company of athletes.
He lived on campus, just a stone’s throw from the gym and fields. There was always a practice to hang around, a game to attend. Late each summer, he saw his Dad start football practice, then shift his focus to basketball in the winter, then baseball in the spring, then repeat the cycle year after year after year.
He lived on campus, just a stone’s throw from the gym and fields. There was always a practice to hang around, a game to attend. Late each summer, he saw his Dad start football practice, then shift his focus to basketball in the winter, then baseball in the spring, then repeat the cycle year after year after year.
Lyle McFall, who died last month at 91, taught algebra, directed the athletic program, lined the fields, washed the uniforms, drove the bus. More important, he modeled integrity, character, humility, and sportsmanship. He kept winning and losing in perspective, mentored “his boys”, and even saved a few souls along the way. His son and namesake watched, learned, and absorbed the culture.
Charlie’s favorite sport was the one in season, but football was his passion from the beginning. “I’ve been drawing plays since I was 13,” he said. “I’d get a stack of church bulletins and draw them during the service. I really loved it when there was a blank back page.”
When he reached high school in the mid ‘60s, he competed year-round under the guidance of his Dad. He was a pretty fair quarterback, point guard, and second baseman, his long-time friends will tell you, but listen to him talk today and you’ll hear only one self-deprecating story after another.
Typical is his assessment of his baseball ability. “Couldn’t hit my hat size,” he said, “but I remember getting a base hit off Sanford (Boisseau, Collegiate’s star and a future All-American pitcher at William & Mary). Never let him forget it. I can remember all my hits. That’s how few there were.”
Just before he graduated from Randolph-Macon College in 1970, Mac Pitt Jr., Collegiate’s headmaster, offered him a job. “Tell you the truth,” McFall recalls, “I didn’t know what the heck I wanted to do. Teaching and coaching were all I knew. That’s where my role models were.”
Back then, he taught math, coached the younger football and basketball squads, and assisted with varsity baseball. He became head baseball coach in 1982 after Petey Jacobs retired and stayed on until he hired Boisseau to replace him in 2001.
He took over the football program in 1986, amassed a 125-66-1 record entering tomorrow’s game with Norfolk Academy, and led the Cougars to five Prep League and three state championships with another in sight.
Throughout his career, McFall lived, breathed, even dreamed about football. His love for sketching plays, plotting schemes, and devising strategy became legend. He had the uncanny ability to see 22 players in motion at once and the instinct for putting young men, some with limited size and talent, in positions where they could succeed. His teams were always known for their preparation, their determination, and their refusal to cower in the face of adversity.
Over the years, McFall wisely assembled a group of loyal assistants, one of whom – Mark Palyo – will take over when he hangs up his whistle. Rather than pack his pickup truck and head off to some deer stand in the wilderness, McFall will continue as co-athletic director, a position he’s held for 20 years. As always, his top priority will be keeping alive the core values of Collegiate’s athletic program.
“We all have role models we try to emulate,” he said. “When I think of Petey, Mac Pitt, and Dad, I think of gentlemen who believed in sportsmanship and doing things the right way. It’s up to our generation to keep that going.” — Weldon Bradshaw
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Charlie’s favorite sport was the one in season, but football was his passion from the beginning. “I’ve been drawing plays since I was 13,” he said. “I’d get a stack of church bulletins and draw them during the service. I really loved it when there was a blank back page.”
When he reached high school in the mid ‘60s, he competed year-round under the guidance of his Dad. He was a pretty fair quarterback, point guard, and second baseman, his long-time friends will tell you, but listen to him talk today and you’ll hear only one self-deprecating story after another.
Typical is his assessment of his baseball ability. “Couldn’t hit my hat size,” he said, “but I remember getting a base hit off Sanford (Boisseau, Collegiate’s star and a future All-American pitcher at William & Mary). Never let him forget it. I can remember all my hits. That’s how few there were.”
Just before he graduated from Randolph-Macon College in 1970, Mac Pitt Jr., Collegiate’s headmaster, offered him a job. “Tell you the truth,” McFall recalls, “I didn’t know what the heck I wanted to do. Teaching and coaching were all I knew. That’s where my role models were.”
Back then, he taught math, coached the younger football and basketball squads, and assisted with varsity baseball. He became head baseball coach in 1982 after Petey Jacobs retired and stayed on until he hired Boisseau to replace him in 2001.
He took over the football program in 1986, amassed a 125-66-1 record entering tomorrow’s game with Norfolk Academy, and led the Cougars to five Prep League and three state championships with another in sight.
Throughout his career, McFall lived, breathed, even dreamed about football. His love for sketching plays, plotting schemes, and devising strategy became legend. He had the uncanny ability to see 22 players in motion at once and the instinct for putting young men, some with limited size and talent, in positions where they could succeed. His teams were always known for their preparation, their determination, and their refusal to cower in the face of adversity.
Over the years, McFall wisely assembled a group of loyal assistants, one of whom – Mark Palyo – will take over when he hangs up his whistle. Rather than pack his pickup truck and head off to some deer stand in the wilderness, McFall will continue as co-athletic director, a position he’s held for 20 years. As always, his top priority will be keeping alive the core values of Collegiate’s athletic program.
“We all have role models we try to emulate,” he said. “When I think of Petey, Mac Pitt, and Dad, I think of gentlemen who believed in sportsmanship and doing things the right way. It’s up to our generation to keep that going.” — Weldon Bradshaw
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