Georgia prep hoops coaching legend dies
David Boyd, a Cobb County native who went on to guide four different teams to a total of six boys basketball state championships over a prolific coaching career, died Monday.
Boyd, 69, died at his St. Simons Island home from heart failure related to his long battle with diabetes. He went 641-210 in his long coaching career and was inducted into the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2023.
“He was a great mentor to so many,” brother Cal Boyd said on social media. “The coaching World lost a legend today! Thankful for all of our conversations over the years. I already miss my brother very much!”
Cal Boyd, now the boys basketball coach at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy in east Cobb, was a player on his older brother’s first state championship team at the original Campbell High School in 1982. The year prior, the Panthers finished as the state runner-up.
In addition to the title he won at Campbell, David Boyd also won championships at Tucker (1997), Berkmar (2000, 2001) and Milton (2010, 2012). He took 10 teams to the state finals.
He saw immediate success at Berkmar as his first team, led by future Georgia Tech point guard Tony Akins, made the 1998 state finals before losing to a talented Savannah team. In five seasons at Berkmar, Boyd was 128-26 with two state titles, three state finals appearances, four region titles and three national rankings.
“Heartbroken to hear the news of the passing of David Boyd,” former Berkmar player Robin Nelson posted on social media. “He was a great coach and mentor. I have many fond memories of playing for him at Berkmar. He was a tremendous leader and wanted the best for his players on and off the court. He helped us become champions on the court and off. You will be missed and remembered. I pray for your family at this time. Thanks for being my coach.”
Boyd played basketball and football at Campbell, then played college basketball at Georgia State before beginning his coaching career. He coached his final two seasons at East Jackson before retiring in 2016 and settling on St. Simons Island. He had served as a volunteer assistant coach at Brunswick since 2017.
The longtime English teacher saw his first book — “The Life and Times of Hall of Fame Coach David Boyd: A Memoir” — published last year. All the proceeds went to Brunswick’s boys basketball program.
“To be honest, I really didn’t have much incentive or motivation to write a book,” Boyd told the Gwinnett Daily Post last year. “But my older daughter, Charisse, had been encouraging me for a long time to write about my experiences as a teacher and a coach and a dad and all that good stuff. She mainly wanted me to do it for family as kind of a keepsake.”
In the classroom at Campbell, Boyd’s effect has previously been highlighted by at least one alum — future Academy Awardwinning actress Julia Roberts, a Smyrna native who graduated from the school in the mid1980s. Boyd was even called by David Letterman once while he was interviewing Roberts during his “Late Night” show on NBC.
Boyd is survived by his wife, Genise, and their four children, Charisse, Geoff, Christina and Wesley.