Posted by Ed Davis
We are all saddened by the passing of our legenday and beloved Coach Carlisle. Coach departed this world on Sunday, May 22, 2011. His obituary can be found below. In the obituary will be found details about the private burial services for Coach and a memorial service for him on Monday, May 30, at 11:00 AM at the George B. Carlisle Field House on the campus of CCHS in League City, Texas.
Coach Carlisle was friend and mentor to a vast number of people and he will be dearly missed by all. His wife, Peggy, said the he is now in a better place after suffering from Alzheimer's for the past few years. She was excited to think about his reunion with their son, Billy, who passed away unexpectedly a couple of years ago.
This blog was created to honor the accomplishments of Coach Carlisle as the head basketball coach at both Webster High School and Clear Creek High School in League City. Those who knew him or knew of him will fondly remember those accomplishments that meant so much to so many.
Here is the obituary:
GEORGE BARBER CARLISLE, born November 3, 1928, passed away Sunday, May 22, 2011.
George dedicated his life to education and spent most of his career serving in Clear Creek ISD. He graduated from Southwest Texas State University in 1949, coached at Webster High school
for a year and then served from 1951-1953 in the US Army. George returned after his tour of duty and was the head basketball coach at Webster which became Clear Creek High School where he coached successfully until 1962.
George left CCISD to coach basketball at Rice University and returned to the district to serve as the first principal of Seabrook Intermediate. He then opened up Clear Lake High School as principal from 1972-1979. George continued to serve Clear Creek ISD as the Deputy Superintendent of Business and, finally, served two terms on the Clear Creek ISD Board of Trustees.
George is survived by his wife of 60 years, Peggy McMahan Carlisle, daughter, Vicki Garrison and her husband, Bob, his son, George B. Carlisle, Jr. (Buddy) and his wife, Jenny, and his daughter-in-law, Shannon Carlisle. George has seven grandchildren: Brent, Brandon, Kelsey, Wilson, Weston, Wyndon and Kaleigh, and five great-grandchildren: JB, Shelby, Adrian, Abigail, and Brendon. George is preceded in death by his youngest son, Billy Glyn Carlisle.
A memorial service will be held at 11 am, Monday, May 30, 2011 at the George B. Carlisle Field House located on the campus of Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas. A private burial will be held on Saturday, May 28, 2011. For those desiring, donations in George's memory may be made to the Clear Creek Education Foundation c/o Buddy Carlisle 2210 Golden Sails Drive League City, Texas 77573.
We love you, Coach, and look forward to our reunion with you in the future.
Following is an excellent story from the Bay Area Citizen:
By MARY ALYS CHERRY Houston Community Newspapers | 0 comments
Throughout the history of the Clear Creek School District, few names stand out more than that of George B. Carlisle, who died early Sunday morning. He was 82.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, May 30, Memorial Day, at the Carlisle Field House in League City.
Private burial services will be Saturday, May 28.
“It is a sad day here in Clear Creek ISD. George Carlisle was an amazing educator, coach, and friend to many employees and families in the district,” Superinterndent Greg Smith said Monday.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Carlisle family and we want them to know that Coach Carlisle personified the adult we aspire all of our students to become.”
Over his 36 years with CCISD, he served as school board trustee, principal, administrator and basketball coach. His name became synonymous with education.
Each year the Clear Creek Education Foundation presents the George Carlisle Distinguished Service Award to recognize people who have made significant contributions to the Clear Creek Independent School District.
After serving for a number of years as head basketball coach at Webster High and later Clear Creek High when it opened, he became principal at Seabrook Intermediate School.
When Clear Lake High was built in 1972, Carlisle was chosen to open that new school.
When at the age of 60 he retired in 1988, he served for a number of years on the Clear Creek School Board, as he had done back in the 60s.
Carlisle was born in San Marcos on Nov. 3, 1928. He attended Prairie Lea High School, which he helped win back-to-back state basketball championships in 1944 and 1945 and was named to the all state tournament team.
MARRIED IN 1950
Next stop was Southwest Texas State in San Marcos, where he earned All-Conference honors in both football and basketball before serving for two years in the Army and marrying his wife Peggy on Sept. 16, 1950.
Carlisle began his career with CCISD when he was hired as basketball coach at Webster High, where the Webster Wildcats were in the process of becoming a state basketball power that continued the school moved into a new building and was renamed Clear Creek High School.
There have been many memorable Texas teams but ranked among them is the Clear Creek boys’ string of 19 consecutive district championships from 1953 until 1972.
There were two other coaches, who joined Carlisle in leading the Creek cagers during that memorable streak. Bill Krueger coached the last seven district champions before opening the Clear Lake High School basketball program. Henry Bauerschlag was at the helm for three years before going into administration in the Clear Creek School District.
It was a time when the Wildcats became a Texas basketball power and were the example which other hoops programs tried to copy.
HEAD COACH AT RICE
Then from 1962 to 1967, Carlisle left CCISD to become first assistant and then head basketball coach at Rice University, where he found it difficult to recruit quality basketball players due to Rice’s high entrance requirements.
After the 1966-67 season, he left Rice to return to the school district he had made famous – this time as an administrator.
He opened Seabrook Intermediate School as its principal in 1967 and did the same when Clear Lake High School opened its doors in 1972. In 1979 he became the assistant superintendent of business, a position he held until his retirement in 1988.
ALL IN EDUCATION
All three of Carlisle children followed their father into education. Vicki was a teacher in CCISD and secretary of athletics at Buda Hays for many years and Billy coached for 23 years at Deer Park High -- the last 20 as head coach before his unexpected death in 2006 after a district game.
Buddy coached 30 years at Clear Creek High, the last 28 as head coach. His 579 career wins are the most by any head coach in Clear Creek’s storied basketball history. Buddy, Billy and George have just over 1,200 career victories as high school basketball coaches.
George Carlisle was inducted into the Southwest Texas State University Hall of Honor and the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach. In 1988, the Clear Creek gym was renamed George B. Carlisle Field House and in 2006 the court was named for his oldest son Buddy.
Posted by: Dan Jensen | May 25, 2011 at 02:27 PM
Here is what I posted on the funeral home's guest book and I hope others will add their comments on this blog thread. Let's not let the blog die with him. It has become way too inactive for some time now.
Some called him George, some called him Mister. I called him Coach. I was a high school freshman when he came to Webster out of Southwest Texas State. He was the architect of our tremendous basketball tradition, coaching the first nine straight district championships that eventually stretched into a state record. He is in the Texas High School Hall of Fame as a player at Prairie Lea but he is even more worthy as a coach. He was a great coach but an even better person. His passing leaves a void in many, many lives. We have lost a giant.
Posted by: Dan Jensen | May 25, 2011 at 03:33 PM
Amen to your comments about Coach, Dan He was the most influential person in my life as I tried to always model myself after him in so many ways. The whole Carlisle family has been very important to me and they will be in my prayers constantly.
Posted by: Ed Davis | May 25, 2011 at 07:09 PM
This appeared in today's Galveston News:
Clear Creek icon George Carlisle dead at 82
By Jordan Godwin
The Daily News
Published May 27, 2011
George B. Carlisle, whose name has long been synonymous with Clear Creek Independent School District athletics, died early Sunday morning. He was 82.
Carlisle served as school board trustee, principal, administrator and basketball coach during 36 years of service to Clear Creek ISD. He coached basketball at Webster High and later at Clear Creek when the school opened.
Clear Creek ISD will host a memorial service at 11 a.m. Monday at Carlisle Field House, which was named after him in 1988.
“Mr. Carlisle is the icon of CCISD,” Clear Creek athletic director Bill Daws said. “He was a great man on every level, and he had such a great impact on so many lives.”
As a player, Carlisle helped Prairie Lea High School win back-to-back state basketball championships in 1944 and 1945 and was named to the all-state tournament team. He then played at Southwest Texas State in San Marcos, earning honors in football and basketball before serving two years in the U.S. Army. He married his wife, Peggy, on Sept. 16, 1950.
After Webster High was renamed Clear Creek, Carlisle helped the Wildcats basketball team to 19 consecutive district championships from 1953 to 1972.
From 1962-1967, Carlisle left Clear Creek to be assistant coach and then head basketball coach at Rice University.
He left Rice in 1967 to open Seabrook Intermediate School as principal and did the same when Clear Lake High School opened in 1972. In 1979, he became the assistant superintendent of business until he retired in 1988.
In 1985, Daws first met Carlisle when he was hired as head track and field coach. From their first meeting to when Daws became athletic director in 2003 and beyond, Daws would seek Carlisle’s advice on different matters.
“He was a mentor who supported me for years,” Daws said. “I learned a lot from him.”
Carlisle’s son Buddy coached 30 years at Clear Creek, the last 28 as head coach. His 579 wins are most by any head coach in Wildcats history.
“He accomplished so much here and always gave athletics plenty of support as a former coach,” Daws said. “He will be missed.”
Posted by: Dan Jensen | May 27, 2011 at 08:29 AM
'He gave a lot' to Clear Creek
Former coach, district official remembered
By JENNY DIAL
Copyright 2011 Houston Chronicle
May 28, 2011, 11:59PM .
Kim Christensen Special to the Chronicle
George Carlisle coached the Clear Creek basketball team to nine consecutive district titles.
The George B. Carlisle Field House at Clear Creek High School will be full of people at 11 a.m. Monday celebrating the life of the building's namesake.
George Barber Carlisle, 82, died last Sunday of complications with Alzheimer's. A memorial service will be held for Carlisle in the field house that was named for him in 1988.
Ralph Parr, one of Carlisle's closest friends, who will give a eulogy for him Monday, said Carlisle was one of the most intelligent and charismatic people he ever knew. The two met when Parr was a freshman at Webster (now Clear Creek) High School in 1951.
"He cared so much about education and about the teachers, the students and the whole staff at the school," Parr said. "He really had a passion for it."
Carlisle left the school after 1951 to enter the military. After two years in the Army, he returned to the school and coached the basketball team to nine consecutive district titles. The program would go on to win 10 more for a streak of 19.
In 1962, Carlisle left the high school coaching world and went to Rice, where he stayed until 1967. He then returned to his home in League City to dedicate his life to education. He helped open Seabrook Intermediate as the principal and went on to open Clear Lake High School as its principal in 1972.
After that, he was the Clear Creek Independent School District's assistant superintendent of business before retiring in 1988.
Carlisle had three children with his wife, Peggy, and all three followed in their father's footsteps in education. Buddy Carlisle coached basketball at Clear Creek for 30 years and has 579 wins — the most of any Clear Creek coach. The court in the George B. Carlisle Field House is named for Buddy. Carlisle's daughter, Vickie, was a teacher in CCISD and worked in the athletic department at Buda Hays. Carlisle's son Billy coached basketball at Deer Park for 23 years and died in 2006.
Parr said he hopes people will remember Carlisle for his contributions to the school district.
"You couldn't find a better leader, and he just knew how to do that," Parr said. "He gave a lot of himself to make the school district better, and it worked. He just did that very naturally."
Even in his death, Carlisle wished to continue giving to Clear Creek ISD. Donations in his memory may be made to the Clear Creek Education Foundation c/o Buddy Carlisle, 2210 Golden Sails Drive, League City, Texas, 77573.
Posted by: Dan Jensen | May 29, 2011 at 09:22 AM
If you weren't there you missed a great celebration of one man's life and a family that we all truly love so much...I cried at so many things and laughed at a great deal more...It was an amazing service that I wouldn't forget for a long time..
Posted by: debbie goodwin cooper | May 30, 2011 at 08:01 PM
I agree with you, Debbie. It was a great and wonderful memorial service. We will miss Coach but his influence and his legacy will always be with us. Amen for that!!!
Posted by: Ed Davis | May 30, 2011 at 10:52 PM
I had Coach as a principal in Seabrook...then startedwith him in Clear Lake...then as our principal as the first graduating class. He always had a kind word and a beautiful smile. I graduated with his son Billie who would always speak to you. He had 19 victory years in basketball and started Cleat Lake's win when he moved there as my principal. Life for me came full circle as he was in Seabrook when I started there when we moved to Seabrook and he was my last principal as I graduated Lake. I always had the upmost respect for him...
Lacy
Posted by: Lacy Loomer Holcomb | August 30, 2013 at 02:16 AM