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A coach's life: Bill Mayhew continues to leave his mark at South Iredell
Regan Hill photo
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Published: November 29, 2009
TROUTMAN — The old photo that occupies a special place in the Mayhews' memory is weathered and faded.
Slightly out of focus as well.
The image it portrays and the memories it brings back, though, are clear.
Bill Mayhew is to the far right, standing tall and looking proud.
On his right is Mitch Mayhew, sporting a big grin.
Mitch holds a plaque proclaiming the Vikings wrestling team as the 1986 N.C. High School Athletic Association champion.
A coach's life is filled with moments that make his heart swell with pride or bring him to tears.
Bill Mayhew has coached for nearly 50 years, 44 of those at South Iredell.
The years and memories can sometimes start to run together, but like that snapshot, Mayhew's favorite moment is permanently etched into his heart and his memory.
Yes, South Iredell won the state championship in 1986. But that state title held an extra meaning for Bill.
One of the most successful wrestlers in South Iredell history, Bill's son Mitch Mayhew also won an individual state title that year at 195 pounds.
Father and son shared the moment together.
"That has been the greatest moment in my career, and it's probably a no-brainer," Bill Mayhew said. "The fact that I got to win that one with Mitch ... I think that's what I will remember as the highlight of my career."
While Bill and Mitch Mayhew celebrated their championship that day, Mary Mayhew sat in the stands and watched.
Fans and parents rushed to hug her, told her she should join her husband Bill and son Mitch on the mats.
But she stayed.
She soaked in every moment, every round of applause and every smile.
"It was quite thrilling," she said, the memory bringing a smile to her face.
On the mat, with his kids.
'Set an example'
Prior to coaching at South, Mayhew got a few years of experience at the long-defunct Troutman High School from 1963-65.
He has steadily piled up victories and state championships during his remarkable coaching career, but being down in The Dungeon, working one-on-one with wrestlers is what Mayhew has enjoyed most.
Mayhew pushes them, that's for certain, but never quite too hard. Eventually, they learn to not necessarily push back, but to listen.
And they do listen, partly because Mayhew commands respect and partly because he isn't setting a double standard.
He lives his life the way he preaches to his athletes.
"You have to set an example for them," Mayhew said. "You can't tell them one thing, and then you do something different. They realize ... the importance of making sure that you treat everybody fairly. You have to live your life that way."
These grueling practices eventually give way to the weekly matches.
It's what most wrestlers yearn for: the pressure, the victories and the lights.
But it's the quiet Mayhew enjoys.
He has four years, sometimes less, to mold his wrestlers into productive citizens, if not state champions.
Alex Bustle, a senior on last year's team, wrestled in Troutman youth leagues before entering South Iredell.
His father, Brent Bustle, is a longtime South Iredell assistant.
Alex Bustle respected Mayhew well before he attended an official South Iredell practice.
"I've practically grown up with coach Mayhew," Alex Bustle said. "He always tries to talk to us about our problems, if we have any. He'll talk about school first, and then wrestling second. School and our lives are most important to him."
Mayhew understands there is a certain moral obligation that comes with coaching, and shaping the minds of, high school athletes.
More than teaching takedowns and escapes, Mayhew has spent his life teaching lessons that extend far beyond the walls of his wrestling room.
"As much fun as it is to have state champions and all-conference and regional champions, that's not the big thing," Mayhew said. "The big thing is that when you see kids that maybe could have gotten in trouble at school, but because of sports they went on and became good citizens, I think that's the most important thing."
That's the legacy Mayhew wants to leave, even more so than career victories.
And there are plenty of those, too.
'Congratulations, coach'
Bill Mayhew didn't think it was a special match when he took his customary chair near the mat during a duals match last year.
After watching his Vikings pull out a 42-36 win over East Wilkes, Mayhew became engaged in a conversation when assistant coach Brent Bustle tapped him on the shoulder and spoke two words.
"Congratulations, coach."
Mayhew and Bustle often greet each other with that phrase after a win. Not catching Bustle's tone, Mayhew smiled and turned around to continue his conversation.
Bustle spoke again.
"Coach, do you realize this was your 700th win?"
Mayhew didn't.
"I was just worried about winning the match," Mayhew said with a chuckle. "People think you think about those things, but you really don't. I probably thought more about stuff like this in the old days when I was going for 100 or maybe 200. But I don't think you worry about numbers, obviously. If you do, you're in the wrong business."
Mayhew's career coaching numbers are far better than anyone else in North Carolina.
They rank highly on a national level as well.
His career record is 703-218-1.
According to information published by the National Federation of State High School Associations in 2007, only four high school coaches in history had ever reached 700 wins at that time.
"It's obviously something I am proud of, but I've been proud of the kids throughout the whole thing," Mayhew said. "The kids I had last year, the fact that they were a part of it was special."
Mayhew complements his 703 victories with five total state championships in two different associations.
He has also been inducted into three Hall of Fames - the N.C. High School Association, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Mooresville High School Hall of Game - and was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" in 1996 after picking up his 500th career victory.
"I think when he came to South Iredell and started that program, he set the standard," said Iredell-Statesville Schools athletic director David Rothwell, who coached Statesville High to a state wrestling championship in 1991. "He's certainly set the standard for wrestling in the county and in the state.
"It was always a great time when we were at Statesville and wrestled South Iredell. I have a lot of good memories of coach Mayhew."
'Family comes first'
One of the best things about earning all those accolades is the people Mayhew shares his successes with.
The constant is his wife, Mary. The two have been married and lived in Troutman for 46 years.
Mary is also very much into athletics and is so talented, Bill Mayhew feels like he might be the second-best coach in the family.
"She was a very good athlete herself and could have been a heck of a coach, probably a better coach than me," Bill Mayhew said. "But she chose to stay home with the kids and not coach. She had the hard part. She realized we didn't need two coaches in the family."
Bill and Mary met as students at Appalachian State when they were set up on a blind date in the spring.
The two didn't see each other again before school let out, and Bill Mayhew left the state to work over the summer.
"I got a postcard from him," Mary Mayhew quipped.
With football starting in the fall, they didn't go another date until later that winter in 1962.
In August of 1963, they were married.
Mayhew's best career moment was winning a state title with his son Mitch.
He has two other children, though, who have been just as supportive of his career.
Jae Marie and June Mayhew grew up attending matches and offering their unwavering support.
"They were both real good athletes," Mayhew said. "And both the girls have always been so supportive and always been there for me. To us, family comes first."
Each of Mayhew's children has experienced their own personal glory at South Iredell.
June was a three-sport star and garnered several all-conference distinctions. She was also the Homecoming Queen.
Jae Marie was a cheerleader during her time at South. In addition to being named Miss South Iredell one year, she was well-known for her unique name.
There's a story behind that one.
When Mary Mayhew was pregnant with Jae Marie, her doctor informed the proud parents they would have a boy.
Bill and Mary Mayhew settled on the name Jay Martin.
Then Mary Mayhew gave birth to a girl.
"We didn't even look at girls names," Bill Mayhew said. "And they told us, 'Look, you cannot take this baby home if you don't give her a name.' "
Bill Mayhew knew has wife had always liked the name Marie.
Then they changed the spelling of Jay to Jae, and the smooth, elegant-sounding name stuck. She's gone by Jae Marie her whole life.
"It came out good for a poor baby that didn't have a name for three days," Bill Mayhew said.
The core family is scattered around the region now, as families tend to do once the children grow up and start having families of their own.
There is a grandson who lives close by, though.
When he's not coaching or at the school, Mayhew is likely to be fishing or spending time with his grandson.
"And the good news," Mayhew said, "is that my grandson likes to fish."
'His mission'
As the years have gone by, a lingering question grows stronger: How much longer will Mayhew continue to coach?
He says it's dependent on three factors: that South Iredell administrators want him to coach, that he stays healthy and that he continues to have a desire to coach.
All three aspects are currently in perfect harmony.
"I think somebody would have to be a fool to get rid of coach Mayhew," South Iredell athletic director Bobby Deal said with a chuckle. "We love him to death. The job is his as long as he wants it. What he does is just amazing."
As for his health, Mayhew is in tremendous shape for a 69-year old man, both mentally and physically. He takes good care of his body, the direct result of his triple bypass surgery years ago.
One day, though, the time will come for Bill Mayhew to hang it up for good.
When he does, the numbers will pop and stick out and measure him against some of the best coaches in the country.
That's not what he wants to be his lasting impression.
"I just want for others to say that these kids were treated fairly, that they were taught to be good citizens and that when they go out, they are going to be very good in the workforce and will work every day," Mayhew said.
That's still a ways down the road, though.
Mary encourages Bill to coach as long as he is able.
Not only does she enjoy it because of happy it makes her husband, but she firmly believes that is his calling.
"It's his mission in life," Mary Mayhew said. "The effect he's had on those young men, it's his purpose. He truly loves what he does, and that makes me happy."
Back in "The Dungeon," the wrestlers are going through holds and reversals, keeping the tempo fast and getting a good workout.
The grunts are becoming more audible, and the sweat is starting to come quicker.
"You can't go in there and go half speed," Mayhew said. "You have to go wide open, and you have to do it for two hours. That's how we practice."
Mayhew has made adjustments over the years, but some things in practice are still the same. He teaches the stand-up switch the exact way he did on the first day of practice in 1966.
He has to teach more moves and counters now, and is dealing with a different type of athlete.
That's a result of the urban sprawl that has crept from Charlotte to Mooresville along Interstate 77.
It has slowly changed the Troutman area as well.
"We're more of a city-type school," Mayhew said. "In the early days, you didn't have to worry as much about weightlifting because kids came off the farm and were naturally strong. We had more farm kids, being a rural school.
"I think there's still some tough kids, but I think there were probably more what I call 'tough kids' and more naturally strong kids."
Wrestling is still wrestling, though, and coaching is still coaching.
Same as it ever was.
Keeping a watchful eye on the rest of practice around him, Mayhew approaches two of his wrestlers.
They are engaged in a drill, but he wants it to be a little more crisp.
Mayhew explains.
The wrestlers listen.
He steps back and watches.
They try again.
This time, it's perfect.
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