After 35 years, Jim Blanton to retire
By Ed Simmons, Jr.
cpreporter@verizon.net
Jim Blanton, the Caroline High School athletic director and coach who made Caroline sports history in 1982, is retiring.
"In capturing 'Coach of the Year' honors for the second year in a row," reads a newspaper account of that time, "Blanton accomplished several feats never done before. Caroline became the first team to post unbeaten league records in the Battlefield District for back-to-back seasons and also the first team to win four straight Battlefield tournament championships."
That same year Caroline won the Sportsmanship Trophy with Blanton receiving "a loud and tumultuous ovation from the standing audience when introduced."
"We worked to instill in our players to be class individuals and I can say without a doubt they are class individuals... this is an experience that won't stop," Blanton told the newspaper back then.
Born and raised in Milford, Blanton attended Bowling Green High School where he played point guard on the basketball team for four years. He also pitched for the baseball team and quarterbacked for the football team.
He went on to study at Morr's Hill College in North Carolina. He returned to teach and coach at Ladysmith High School for two years and then came to Caroline High School when it was built in 1972. There he taught P.E. and was assistant varsity football coach, head boys' basketball coach and assistant baseball coach.
In addition to the glory days of the basketball team, Blanton remembers as a high point in his Caroline career the varsity football team advancing to the Regional Playoffs.
All told, he taught, coached and was athletic director for 35 years.
His favorite sport to coach was basketball. "I had great students to work with. Football was great to coach too. They were always very strong. Caroline had an outstanding group of athletes."
For the last 15 years when he was athletic director he put in particularly long days, often from 7:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night, scheduling, planning, taking care of equipment needs, communicating with colleges and everyday working on the playing fields for all sports, lining and painting them, from soccer to field hockey to baseball to football – as well as attending all the games. It kept him busy, lean and working very hard.
"After 35 years, I'm ready for retirement," he said. "There's some other things I'd like to do."
Hunting and fishing are two of those things he plans to get around to, having been kept too busy to get out into the woods like he'd like.
He also plans to get up to Massanutten frequently with his wife Amy. She taught second grade at Bowling Green Primary School for 29 years, retiring eight years ago.
As well, he looks forward to working around the house, particularly outside. They live on Milford Street in Bowling Green.
These days at the high school he's still working on the fields. He's got the fall football season all scheduled and he's showing the new athletic director, Dan Dickey, the ropes.
"He'll do a good job. He's a smart guy. He'll do well," Blanton said.
An editorial back in 1982 spoke of Blanton and his basketball in these terms:
"With pride, poise, and courage, you've written yourselves into Caroline sports history, and you'll never be forgotten."