Harris County to name football field for beloved educator in stadium where he collapsed

In a ceremony at halftime of Friday’s game, the Harris County High School football field in Tiger Stadium will be named after the beloved educator who coached and collapsed there.

Danny Durham was the school’s athletics director and an assistant principal when he died Aug. 16 after collapsing while jogging on the stadium’s track. He was 54.

Durham had “some type of a cardiac event” but no history of heart trouble, Harris County coroner Joe Weldon told the Ledger-Enquirer in the Aug. 17 article.

“The Harris County School District’s Board of Education passed a resolution for the field to be named Danny Durham Field,” superintendent Roger Couch said in a news release Wednesday. “Danny loved the Harris County Tigers. And, Danny loved all sports, but football was his sport. He was part of two national championships playing linebacker for Georgia Southern University. However, he was so humble most people didn’t know of his accomplishments.”

Durham came to Harris County as defensive coordinator for the football team in 2012. He was promoted to athletics director and an assistant principal in 2014. He previously spent a combined 12 years as head football coach at three Georgia high schools: Gordon Central, Franklin County and Rabun County. He was defensive line coach in 1990-91 at Georgia Southern, where he was a four-year letterman and a starting linebacker on the 1985 and 1986 national championship teams.

“His mission in life was to serve students, and while his path took him to several schools, the students and faculty of Harris County High School are fortunate to have had him in their lives,” Couch said. “As it has been said many times, to know Danny is to love Danny. He is greatly missed. We are glad to be recognizing his contributions to our school and our community in this way.”

Kickoff for Harris County’s game Friday against Thomas County Central will be at 7:30 p.m. It’s the Tigers’ last home game of the season, so the team’s seniors will be honored in a pregame senior.

Mark Rice, 706-576-6272, @MarkRiceLE.

This story was originally published October 17, 2018 at 5:05 PM.