File Photo LEFT: Clyde Brewer, right, and his wife, Lou Ann, in January at the Clyde Brewer Roast at the Vienna Community Building. Brewer, 78, who coached the Parkersburg High School basketball team, died Wednesday morning.

PARKERSBURG — A man who coached the Parkersburg High School basketball team for more than two decades died Wednesday morning.

Clyde Brewer, 78, who coached the Big Reds from 1982-2005, battled cancer for many years, his daughter, Mary-Kay Brewer, said.

Brewer was born and raised in Kermit, W.Va., and was a basketball standout at Glenville State College, where he graduated in 1965.

“He was a great basketball player,” said Jim Hamric, acting athletic director at Parkersburg High and an old friend of Brewer’s.

Upon graduation, Brewer went to work at Jackson Junior High School where he coached all sports, said John Coe, who worked for the school board and has known Brewer for more than three decades.

He then became the basketball coach at Parkersburg High where he was the school’s winningest coach with a record of 346 wins and 195 losses.

“Clyde was always a tremendous competitor,” said Bill Niday, a retired superintendent of Wood County Schools who was principal at Parkersburg High in Brewer’s latter four years. “He sure hated to lose.”

Services have yet to be determined, Mary-Kay Brewer said.

“He’s in a better place right now,” Hamric said.

“I didn’t know of anyone who was tougher than Clyde Brewer,” Hamric said. “He was an inspiration to me.”

Kenny DeMoss, principal at Parkersburg High, played basketball under Brewer for three years from 1988-1991. Brewer was known for stomping his foot, DeMoss said.

At the state AAA championship, Parkersburg won its first game, but Brewer had stomped his foot so hard that he broke a blood vessel and had to wear panty hose, DeMoss said. At the following game, Brewer was unable to stomp his foot, DeMoss said.

“He took his shoe off and pounded the floor,” DeMoss said.

Brewer expected excellence and his players to give their all, DeMoss said.

“If you didn’t, he let you know,” he said.

Brewer’s contemporary at Parkersburg High School was football coach Buddy James.

“I was proud to call him a co-coach,” James said.

Brewer was an easy person to work with and a great coach, Mike Hayden, former Parkersburg High athletic director, said. They worked together for 16 years.

“I consider him a friend,” he said.

Another friend was Tom Azinger, a former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and Vienna city councilman. Azinger enjoyed the Thursday get-togethers hosted by Brewer at his boat dock.

“We always had a good time down there,” Azinger said.

Brewer was an excellent basketball strategist, Azinger said.

“He really knew the game,” Azinger said. “I think he would have coached for nothing.”

A community roast in honor of Brewer was held in January, Azinger said. The reception hall was overflowing with several hundred people, he said.

“He was just an excellent, excellent person,” Coe said.