Marion Kirby, Greensboro Page coaching legend, dies

Marion Kirby, who established a football powerhouse at Greensboro Page in the 1970s and 80s, died on Monday.

Kirby guided Page to four NCHSAA 4-A state championships, winning his first in 1980 and then three straight from 1983-1985. The Pirates were also the state runners-up in 1982.

Kirby spent 23 years at Page from 1973-1996 and won 219 games after starting his coaching career in 1966 at Edenton Holmes, where he went 59-14-3. Kirby finished his high school career with an overall record of 278-65-8.

Kirby's Page teams made 16 playoff appearances and won 13 conference championships.

The football stadium at Page is named in his honor.

When he retired from Page in 1986 after 30 years teaching in public schools, Kirby was named the first head coach for the Greensboro College football program, guiding the Pride for five seasons between 1997-2001. He later became the athletics director at Guilford College.

Kirby was a native of Hickory, N.C. and was an offensive lineman and kicker at Lenoir-Rhyne College.

He kicked the game-winning field goal in the 1960 NAIA National Championship game as a freshman, helping lead the Bears to a 11-0-1 record.

Kirby was inducted into the Lenoir-Rhyne Sports Hall of Fame in 1988, the NCHSAA Hall of Fame in 2000, the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. He was also a devoted member of the N.C. Coaches Association, where he served as the treasurer for several years.