Jimmy Satterfield, head coach of Furman University's 1988 NCAA I-AA (FCS) National Championship football team and member of both Furman and South Carolina Athletic Halls of Fame, passed away today following a brief illness. He was 79 years old.
"It is truly a sad day for the Furman Football family with the passing of coach Jimmy Satterfield," said current Paladin head coach Clay Hendrix. "He had an incredible impact on so many young men and sincerely cared about what kind of men, fathers, husbands, and citizens we would all become.
"As an offensive coach, he had one of the most creative minds I have ever been around. There are many things we continue to do today that coach Satterfield had a hand in developing. On a personal note, he gave me my first coaching job when I was 24-years old and didn't know anything. He also attended the press conference 29 years later when I became Furman's head coach. Coach Satterfield loved his players and coaches, but what I will remember most about him was how much he loved his wife, kids, and family."
A Lancaster, S.C., native, Satterfield spent 21 years as a member of Furman's coaching staff, serving as an assistant for 13 seasons (1973-85) and head coach for eight years (1986-93). During his Furman tenure he played a key role in the program's unparalleled success that included 16 winning seasons, nine Southern Conference Championships, and 1988 NCAA I-AA National Championship — the first by a SoCon school. His 66-29-3 head coaching record ranks second in program history in winning percentage (.689).
He joined head coach Art Baker's Furman staff as offensive backs coach in 1973 following a nine-year tenure at Eau Claire (S.C.) High School, where he was an assistant and head coach, and two seasons as head coach at Irmo (S.C.) High School.
Satterfield posted a 30-4-1 record at Eau Claire, claimed the 1970 South Carolina Upper State championship, and served as head coach of South Carolina's Shrine Bowl team. He went 19-4 record in two seasons as head coach at Irmo before coming to Furman.
In 1978 he was named offensive coordinator under first-year Furman head coach Dick Sheridan and played a key role in the Paladins going 8-3 and winning the school's first SoCon football title
Fueled by high powered offenses under Satterfield's direction, Furman proceeded to claim five more league championships over the next seven seasons and reel off four consecutive wins over NCAA I-A (FBS) foes South Carolina (1982), Georgia Tech (1983), and N.C. State (1984 & '85), in addition to advancing to the 1985 national championship game as part of a 12-2 season.
In 1986 he took over the head coaching reins and directed Furman to new heights, including SoCon titles in 1988, '89, and '90. The 1988 squad posted a then-school record 13 wins (13-2) en route to a national championship, capped by a 17-12 victory over Georgia Southern in Pocatello, Idaho, after which he was recognized as AFCA National Coach of the Year.
Following his Furman tenure, Satterfield served as head coach at Lexington (S.C.) High School from 1996-03.
In his 13 seasons as a prep head coach his teams at Eau Claire, Irmo, and Lexington made the state playoffs every year and won eight conference championships.
His combined head coaching record spanning 21 seasons at the high school and collegiate level was 189-63-8.
Coaching legend Jimmy Satterfield passes away
Satterfield was a head coach at three Midlands high schools and Furman University