PICKENS — Changes keep coming to Blue Flame football. Along with a new coach at the helm for the 2017 season, players will honor the memory of a past one: Bill Isaacs.
At a recent school board meeting, trustees approved the naming of the Pickens High School football field for legendary coach Bill Isaacs. The field will now be called “Bill Isaacs Field at Blue Flame Stadium.”
Coach Isaacs, who was killed in 2015, led the Blue Flame football team for 28 years — from 1965 to 1993.
With 57 wins between the years of 1969 to 1975 — including five straight Western AAA Region titles — Isaacs’ teams set the South Carolina record for the most consecutive regular season wins.
The record still stands today.
In the seasons prior to Isaacs arrival, The Blue Flame had lost 33 games in a row.
By the end of his tenure, Isaacs boasted a total record of 181-109-5 and in addition to his duties on the gridiron, Isaacs served as a teacher, athletic director, class sponsor and bus supervisor at Pickens High School.
“I’m so proud that the board and the school are able to recognize Coach Isaacs’ legacy in a permanent, prominent way,” said newly elected school board trustee Shannon Haskett, who represents the Pickens area. “He expected the best from everyone and I’m glad that we’re able to give him our best recognition now.”
The opening for Blue Flame football, played on Bill Isaacs Field, will begin this fall.
