Hall of Fame
Loyal, committed, likable, honest, and humble….these are just some of the many adjectives that friends and family members of Madison “Revis” Conrad have used to describe him. Although Conrad passed away, his work still lives on after touching so many lives through his loved professions, teaching and coaching. Close friend, Jim Hathaway, described Conrad as “a man who could truly love the unlovable” and “a loyal friend, coach, and leader”.
Conrad came to Chowan College in 1962 on a football scholarship from Lexington, North Carolina. In 1963, Conrad met his wife, Sylvia, while working a summer job on Chowan’s campus. They married shortly after Conrad completed his Associate’s degree in 1964. Conrad served as a Graduate Assistant Coach in 1964 under Jim Garrison before heading over to Atlantic Christian College (Barton College) in nearby Wilson, North Carolina.
While at Atlantic Christian he worked towards his four year degree while also serving as an assistant football coach at Wilson Fike High School. He worked nights for a local trucking company to help pay bills while his wife was employed at Atlantic Christian. In 1967, he joined fellow Chowan grad, Pete High, at Brunswick Academy in Lawrenceville, Virginia. The two teamed up to start a football program there from the ground up. He taught and coached at Brunswick Academy until 1970.
Conrad and his wife were very active in the Lawrenceville community and in 1969 the Jaycee’s organization named Revis “Jaycee of the Year”.
COnrad's family moved to Hampton, Virginia in 1970 where Conrad would work until his retirement. Along with his history teaching duties, Conrad ran summer recreational programs through Kecoughtan High School. Over his tenure at KHS Conrad coached basketball, football, wrestling, and swimming. He coached many successful seasons at Kecoughtan High School, but to Conrad, success was not just measured in wins and losses. Hathaway supports this and goes on to say, “His commitment to his players was always the same regardless of a season ending 20-0 or 0-20. The man could flat out coach, as evidenced by being successful in football, basketball, and wrestling.”
Conrad passed away and leaves behind his wife, Sylia, and their five children, Shannon, Dawn, Judy, Jenny, and Danny.
