Coach Maxie Skinner (sitting) was a standout athlete at Piedmont College in the ’50s and later retired as the school’s athletic director. (photo/Piedmont College Athletics)
“Nobody, nobody loved Piedmont like I did. I loved it with a passion,” said Coach Maxie Skinner. He loved his alma mater until his dying day.
The former Piedmont College student, standout athlete and coach passed away January 31st. He was 83.
A local sports legend in the making
Skinner began his storied athletic career in Buford where he played football, baseball, and basketball in high school. His family moved to Habersham County while he was still in high school. He made it to State twice and, after graduation, went on to study and play at Piedmont College.
Maxie Skinner graduated from Piedmont in 1956 as the college’s first NAIA All-America basketball player. At one time he held the school’s scoring record, scoring more than 2,000 points during his Piedmont career. He averaged 32.8 points per game his senior year, according to Piedmont’s Athletic Department website. And that was before the 3-point era.
Skinner was also a standout on the baseball diamond for the Lions.
“Piedmont, I loved that place better than anybody in the world.”
Skinner graduated from Piedmont with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education. He coached baseball and football at Toccoa High School before a two-year stint in the U.S. Army. In 1959 he returned to northeast Georgia to coach for 19 years at Banks County High School, where he was a three-time Coach of the Year.
Skinner served as director of the Habersham County Parks and Recreation Department from 1978-1984, before returning to Piedmont as athletic director and men’s basketball coach for nine years. During his tenure as athletic director, he also coached the Piedmont women’s basketball and softball teams, as well as the golf team.
He was inducted into the Northeast Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
A final farewell
In a video produced by the Piedmont College Athletic Department in 2016, Coach Skinner said, “Piedmont, I loved that place better than anybody in the world.” It’s clear that Piedmont loved him back.
He was inducted into the Piedmont College Hall of Fame in 1984. The college later retired his jersey and hung a banner in his honor in the school’s athletic center during “Maxie Skinner Day” on January 23, 2016. On that day, former players remembered him as a “father figure” who not only taught them the skills of the game, but who instilled in them skills they needed to succeed in life.
This Saturday, those former players and Skinner’s former teammates will serve as honorary pallbearers at his funeral. He’ll be laid to rest at 4 p.m. on February 3 at the Chapel of McGahee-Griffin & Stewart Funeral Home in Cornelia.
Coach Skinner is survived by his wife and three children. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 1 p.m. until the funeral hour.
Click here to view Coach Maxie Skinner’s complete obituary
