Dorman names football field after former coach Dave Gutshall

Dorman High School football fans better get used to seeing Dave Gutshall's name.

On Sept. 18, the school held a ceremony before the football program's matchup with Irmo to officially rename the facility Dave Gutshall Field.

Advertisement

"To be honest with you, I was surprised," Gutshall said when asked what his immediate reaction was to the field being named after him. There aren't many fields around here that are named after coaches. I was shocked, but obviously very honored. I called this place (Dorman) home for 29 years."

Gutshall's accolades run deep. He became coach of the Cavaliers in 1993 and led the program to eight state championship games, winning two titles in 2000 and 2009. He also won 10 region championships and posted a 279-105 record when it was all said and done.

"I don't know if I look at myself as being legendary," he said. "I kind of look at it as a 'we' thing. A lot of coaches and people in this community built this together. It's never an 'I' thing. So with the field named after me, I see it as something we've accomplished as a community."

Dorman's current coach, Jake Morris, was one of Gutshall's players when he was a young Cavalier, and was a part of the coaching staff when Gutshall coached the team.

Advertisement

"I played all four years for him," Morris said. "I can't even begin to tell you how much I've learned from him. The best thing I can say is that it's more than just football. I'm a better husband, father, and friend because of that man (Gutshall). It's a sense of pride to see the field named after him. It's about him, but we all had a little piece of it. I'm just happy for him; he deserves this experience."

MORE: Who is the new team in Upstate Super 20 Football Rankings for Week 5?

Gutshall expressed appreciation for the recognition he's received throughout the Roebuck community. But more than that, he's happy to return to Dorman with his name ingrained in the school's history."

"I'm so happy I don't have to worry about winning or losing the game. If we get beat, they won't blame me," Gutshall said, chuckling. "But on a serious note, this is exciting. I haven't seen a high school football game in some time now, and this is just the perfect time to come do it."

Advertisement

Kamryn Jackson covers high school and college sports for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Greenville News, Anderson Independent Mail, and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at KEJackson@gannett.com for story ideas, athlete-of-the-week nominations, and statistics, and follow her on X @KamxJack (formerly Twitter).

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dorman names football field after former coach Dave Gutshall