Paul Spence’s legacy honored

Bishop England High School recently named its wrestling room in honor of longtime coach Paul Spence.

 

That’s only appropriate because the school, whether at the old location on Calhoun Street in downtown Charleston or its current incarnation on Daniel Island, has pretty much been a second home for Spence, who is 56 years old and has been connected to BE for 44 years, first as a student and later as a coach.

 

“It was a shock,” Spence said of the recognition. “I was kind of in awe that they decided to do that. They’ve honored other coaches. They named the football stadium after Jack Cantey. I don’t know if I am on that level, but I’m honored.”

 

Spence has coached thousands of BE student-athletes in wrestling, track and field and football. Spence, a Charleston native, enrolled at BE in time for the 1980-81 academic year.

 

He was first exposed to wrestling during a physical education class his sophomore year and joined the wrestling team as a junior. Spence quips that calling him an average wrestler would be a stretch. But he loved the sport.

 

The rest is history.

 

He has mentored 116 wrestlers who were state qualifiers, and 76 of them finished in the top four at the state. Eighteen wrestlers were crowned state champs and three wrestlers, Michael Regner, Pat Stanley and Sam Cherichello, were two-time state champs.

 

His teams, always limited by depth in certain weight classes, have finished state-runners-up three times while another claimed third place.

 

Cantey, who also served as the school’s athletic director, suggested Spence to serve as an assistant to James McKinney, a four-time state champion at Buford who was hired as head coach at BE. When McKinney moved on, Spence became the main man.

 

Good things have come in spades for Spence in the last year. He learned that he will be inducted into the National High School Wrestling Hall of Fame as a member of the South Carolina Chapter Class of 2025. He is being honored for life service.

 

Spence also was named BE’s Teacher of the Year at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

 

Spence’s coaching and teaching styles are formed by his experience as a U.S. Marine. Of course, he wanted his wrestlers to win gold at the state or earn a scholarship. But he’s more interested in developing them into adults who will be leaders in the community. Ditto for his students.

 

“Teacher of the year: It’s also something that I didn’t expect,” Spence said. “If I’m teaching or coaching, I do the best I can. You’re either in or you are out.

 

“For many freshmen at Bishop England, it’s the first time they’ve had a male teacher,” Spence added. “I remind them to take good notes, to study and do well. I make sure they are up for the challenge.”

 

Spence has served on the South Carolina Wrestling Coaches Association board of directors for 18 years. He has served as vice president and president of the organization.

 

Spence and his wife Catherine will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in June. They have two sons, Ethan, 27, and Austin, 25.