Buddy James, the winningest coach in Parkersburg High School football history, passed away at 89 years old on Monday. James is pictured here prior to a 2023 football game. (Photo provided by John Davis)

PARKERSBURG — Daniel “Buddy” James used to tell his players, “Once you put that uniform on, you are a Big Red forever.”

James, an icon in the world of Parkersburg High athletics and West Virginia high school coaching, passed away Monday at 89 years old. His impact on Parkersburg, the Mid-Ohio Valley and even the entire Mountain State is undeniable.

“When you think of Parkersburg High School, the first name that comes to mind for a lot of people is Buddy James for all he did for the school and for the community,” said hall-of-fame WTAP sports anchor Jim Wharton.

James was a standout football player and wrestler at PHS from 1953-56.

In football, he played tackle and was named first team all-state. James wrestled under legendary head coach Bob Dutton, going undefeated his senior year on the way to claiming a state title.

He went on to compete in both sports collegiately at Montana State before transferring to Marshall. In 1963, 10 years after he began his high school career at PHS, James was hired as an assistant football coach for the Big Reds. By 1968, he was promoted to head coach, a title he held through 1990.

By the time James’ 23-year head coaching career was complete, Parkersburg had been established as a national powerhouse.

James guided the program to state championships in 1976 and 1978. His 178 victories made him the winningest high school football coach in West Virginia at the time. He remains Parkersburg’s winningest football coach of all-time.

Don Reeves was the quarterback for the 1978 PHS team that beat Dupont 7-0 for the state championship.

“When I played for Coach James, I learned to respect and appreciate the hard work he wanted me to put in,” Reeves said. “His perspective was you had to put in the work, and that was almost a year-round thing. We were the first high school in the state to have a weight room.”

A loss by Beckley in the final game of the season helped the Big Reds qualify for the playoffs that year.

“We were a defensive team, and we didn’t think teams could beat us,” Reeves recalled. “Coach James instilled the little things. He never wanted us to waste timeouts. I remember one time I got the air knocked out of me. I about rolled off the field to try and avoid having to take a timeout because I know Coach James wouldn’t like it.”

Wharton remembers the 1978 title game well.

“I was there on the station that night,” he said. “(James) came on the station for a 15-minute interview segment. I was nervous. I hadn’t been on TV that often. I had been bugging the station to let me on — I had mostly been behind the scenes in production. I was kind of in awe of him, but he was very generous and kind. He’s an X’s and O’s guy. He was very good at explaining what went right and what went wrong. He always gave credit to his players and his staff.”

A Buddy James-coached football team shared similar philosophies to that of legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes.

“Three yards and a cloud of dust,” said former PHS athletic director Jim Hamric.

Reeves laughed.

“Being the quarterback, I always wanted to throw the ball more than he did,” he said. “Coach James is a well respected coach who will be sorely missed by the community, especially the hundreds of guys he coached.”

James was a pioneer for wrestling at the middle school level in West Virginia. He coached Jackson Middle School — then Jackson Junior High — for several years. The annual Buddy James Coach of the Year Award is given to the top middle school coach in Wood County.

“Buddy’s impact goes beyond Parkersburg,” Hamric said. “He had an impact on the whole state as far as football coaching is concerned. He was well respected in the teaching field. He coached Jackson wrestling quite a bit and was a front-runner for the sport in its early days. In football, those players highly respected him. If you were a good football player under a Buddy James-coached team, you were a pretty tough customer.”

Toughness was a core principle for the Big Reds during the Buddy James era, as hall-of-fame coach Mike Hayden can attest.

“I coached against him for 14 years and only beat him twice,” said Hayden, who compiled an 86-55 record during his tenure at Parkersburg South. “The games were always competitive and very physical. It was always an honor to coach against him because you knew you were going up against the best.”

Hayden started out on James’ coaching staff for two years at PHS before heading to South.

“I’ve been able to watch him grow as a head coach clear up until when he retired,” Hayden said. “The thing I can say about Coach James is he did everything with class. He personified that, and he instilled in his youngsters to work hard and always do the right thing. I think his players respected him because of that. His teams never beat themselves because they were always very prepared, very physical and always gave their best effort.”

Following the conclusion of his coaching career, James stayed heavily involved in local athletics. He took pride in helping some of the area’s greatest athletes and coaches get proper recognition for their achievements, serving as president and later a committee member for the Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame. He also played a major role in establishing the Parkersburg High School Football Hall of Fame.

As recently as last year, James gave a lecture as part of the Smoot Theatre Winter Lecture Series, where he spoke on the importance of his wife, Nancy, and how her support made James’ career possible.

“If you are a coach, your wife better be on board,” James said. “She is a great wife, and she was on board with all of it.”

In 2023, James received a Legion of Honor award from the Chapel of Four Chaplains for his service to the community.

“This is my hometown,” James said after receiving the award. “I grew up here. This town’s been so good to me.”

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.