Hall of Fame
Wayne Cosby came to Chowan in the Fall of 1959 after graduation from Manchester High School in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia. Cosby was a two-sport star at Manchester High School where he excelled on both the football field and the baseball diamond. He came to Chowan to play baseball under then head coach, Jerry Hawkins.
At Chowan, Cosby played two seasons under Hawkins. He played both third base and pitcher while at Chowan. He graduated in 1961 with his A.A. and headed to nearby Greenville, North Carolina and East Carolina University. He returned to his hometown after graduating from ECU for a teaching and coaching position at Huguenot High School. This is where Cosby got his taste for coaching and spring boarded into his next position as one of the most successful high school football coaches in the country.
After three years of coaching JV football and basketball at Huguenot, Cosby accepted a teaching and coaching position at Southampton County High School in Courtland, Virginia in 1966. Along with his teaching and coaching duties at Southampton he earned his M.Ed. from William and Mary in 1970.
Cosby wasted no time creating one of the most dominant high school football teams in the state of Virginia. In 14 seasons (1966-1980) as Southampton’s Head Coach he amassed an amazing 128-8-2 career record, including a then national record 69-game win streak. From 1972-1979 his teams played in eight straight Virginia High School State Championship games and won four VHSL Group AA titles. He has been tabbed Coach of the Year by several coaching associations and was runner-up for National Coach of the Year in 1979. Cosby was selected by the VHSCA to coach in the VHSCA High School All-Star game for eight seasons, serving as head coach for two of those seasons. Cosbyattributes much of his success on the football field to his all-time football idol, Paul “The Bear” Bryant, whom he modeled his coaching philosophies around, including the deadly triple option.
Over the years he coached many players who went on to play at schools such as Virginia Tech, UNC, Richmond, James Madison, East Carolina, Duke, and Virginia. In 1981, Wayne hung up his coaching hat and successfully ran for the Clerk of Circuit Court for Southampton County and the City of Franklin. Cosby held this position until he retired in 2007.
Cosby is also a 2007 inductee in the Virginia High School Hall of Fame.
Cosby is married to his high school sweetheart, Judi. Together they have three children, Calvin, Gay, and Carol. They are also proud grandparents to Olivia, Caroline, Ryan, Ford, and Madelyn.
