Plaza for a Legend: Honoring the Legacy of Coach Bob Prevatte

A legend is coming home.

The statue of Coach Bob Prevatte, long a symbol of leadership, excellence, and community pride, is being relocated from Limestone University to Gaffney High School. And with it, a chapter of local history returns to where it all began. 

Though the current Gaffney High campus is not the same building where Coach Prevatte once led his teams to glory, it stands on the same foundation of pride and tradition that he helped build.

There are few names in Cherokee C
ounty that stir as much pride, respect, and admiration as Coach Prevatte. For decades, his name has been synonymous with excellence, not only in football but in character, discipline, and community leadership. Now, as his statue finds its new home at Gaffney High, we are reminded that heroes do not just live in history books.

They live in the hearts of the people they served.

The relocation of the statue is more than a physical move. It is a symbolic homecoming. For the generations of students, athletes, and local residents who were shaped by his wisdom and unwavering commitment to excellence, this new location feels right. 

It feels personal.

Thanks to the support of the Cherokee County School Board, this tribute now carries a name worthy of the man it honors. The area in front of the Gaffney High Booster Club Room will be named Bob Prevatte Plaza. This designation is not only a tribute to a great coach, but also a lasting landmark that reflects what it means to lead, to teach, and to serve with humility.

Coach Prevatte’s record speaks for itself. As head football coach from 1956 to 1969, he led Gaffney to an extraordinary 119-29-11 record and captured five state championships in 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, and 1965. But his greatest victories were not just on the scoreboard. They were in the lives he shaped and the values he instilled in his players and students.

The young men who played for Coach Prevatte did not just learn how to win games. They learned how to win in life. His lessons in discipline, humility, and integrity extended far beyond the football field. He set a standard not only for coaching, but for what it means to be a mentor and leader.

In 2019, Jerry Richardson generously funded the creation of Coach Prevatte’s statue at Limestone University. Now, with the support of Sossamon Construction, which is handling the relocation and installation at no cost to the district, the statue is finally coming home to a place where it will continue to inspire.

Coach Prevatte showed us that greatness is not measured in trophies. It is measured in the difference one life can make in the lives of many. 

That is the legacy Bob Prevatte Plaza will embody.

A formal dedication ceremony is being planned during the 2025 Gaffney High football season. It will be a moment to celebrate not just a coach, but a man who helped shape the spirit of this community.

Let this plaza be a place where students pause to reflect on what it means to be part of something greater than themselves. Let it be a space where the next generation draws strength from the example of a local legend. 

And let it serve as a permanent reminder that Coach Bob Prevatte’s legacy lives on, not only in bronze and stone, but in every corner of Cherokee County that still feels the power of his life’s work.

Coach. Educator. Mentor. Legend.

And always, one of our own.