Leonard Skinner, Lynyrd Skynyrd inspiration, dies at 77
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 7:42 pmhttp://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-09-20/story/leonard-skinner-lynyrd-skynyrd-namesake-dies-77-0
Florida Times Union
Entertainment / Music
Leonard Skinner, Lynyrd Skynyrd inspiration, dies at 77
September 20, 2010
Photo courtesy of the Skinner Family
Leonard Skinner (second from left) of Jacksonville, FL, the namesake for the rock band Lynrd Skynrd, pictured in a 1960s era photo with Lee High School coaches.
By Matt Soergel
Leonard Skinner, the no-nonsense basketball coach and gym teacher whose name is forever linked with Jacksonville's legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd, died in his sleep early Monday morning. He was 77.
His son, also named Leonard Skinner, said his father had a bowl of ice cream just past midnight — he loved ice cream — and then was found dead around 2:30 a.m. He had been a resident of St. Catherine Laboure Manor, a nursing home in Riverside, for about a year, his son said. He had Alzheimer's disease.
Mr. Skinner never asked to become part of rock 'n roll lore. He was just a by-the-book gym teacher at Robert E. Lee High School who, in the late 1960s, sent some students to the principal's office because their hair was too long, touching their collars in the back.
Those students turned out to be members of a rock band that named themselves Lynyrd Skynyrd in a smart-aleck tribute to the coach.
During an interview in January 2009, Mr. Skinner said he was just following the rules; it always bothered him that the story grew to say he was tough on them, or that he'd kicked them out of school.
"It was against the school rules. I don't particularly like long hair on men, but again, it wasn't my rule," he said.
Mr. Skinner said that, even when the band got big, he didn't recall the long-haired students. Years later, though, he made friends with some members of Lynyrd Skynyrd who came to jam at The Still, a bar the ex-coach opened on San Juan Avenue. Lynyrd Skynyrd also asked him to introduce them at a concert in Jacksonville.
He allowed the band to use a photo of his Leonard Skinner Realty sign for the inside of their third album. For years, fans would call the phone number on the sign to reach the real Leonard Skinner.
Mr. Skinner's son said his father, while never completely comfortable with being linked to the band, did grow to embrace it.
"I think he kind of ate it up," he said. "He didn't like it at first, he had mixed emotions later, but I think he kind of liked it eventually."
The family is hoping to have a funeral for family and friends on Friday, Mr. Skinner's son said.
Florida Times Union
Entertainment / Music
Leonard Skinner, Lynyrd Skynyrd inspiration, dies at 77
September 20, 2010
Photo courtesy of the Skinner Family
Leonard Skinner (second from left) of Jacksonville, FL, the namesake for the rock band Lynrd Skynrd, pictured in a 1960s era photo with Lee High School coaches.
By Matt Soergel
Leonard Skinner, the no-nonsense basketball coach and gym teacher whose name is forever linked with Jacksonville's legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd, died in his sleep early Monday morning. He was 77.
His son, also named Leonard Skinner, said his father had a bowl of ice cream just past midnight — he loved ice cream — and then was found dead around 2:30 a.m. He had been a resident of St. Catherine Laboure Manor, a nursing home in Riverside, for about a year, his son said. He had Alzheimer's disease.
Mr. Skinner never asked to become part of rock 'n roll lore. He was just a by-the-book gym teacher at Robert E. Lee High School who, in the late 1960s, sent some students to the principal's office because their hair was too long, touching their collars in the back.
Those students turned out to be members of a rock band that named themselves Lynyrd Skynyrd in a smart-aleck tribute to the coach.
During an interview in January 2009, Mr. Skinner said he was just following the rules; it always bothered him that the story grew to say he was tough on them, or that he'd kicked them out of school.
"It was against the school rules. I don't particularly like long hair on men, but again, it wasn't my rule," he said.
Mr. Skinner said that, even when the band got big, he didn't recall the long-haired students. Years later, though, he made friends with some members of Lynyrd Skynyrd who came to jam at The Still, a bar the ex-coach opened on San Juan Avenue. Lynyrd Skynyrd also asked him to introduce them at a concert in Jacksonville.
He allowed the band to use a photo of his Leonard Skinner Realty sign for the inside of their third album. For years, fans would call the phone number on the sign to reach the real Leonard Skinner.
Mr. Skinner's son said his father, while never completely comfortable with being linked to the band, did grow to embrace it.
"I think he kind of ate it up," he said. "He didn't like it at first, he had mixed emotions later, but I think he kind of liked it eventually."
The family is hoping to have a funeral for family and friends on Friday, Mr. Skinner's son said.