Ken Solesbee is considered by many to be the patron saint of Andrews athletics.
Andrews – The disappointment following the Andrews football team’s 20-3 loss to Mitchell on Friday night soon turned into grief.
Before the game, public address announcer and Andrews High School Principal Lance Bristol told the crowd to keep Ken Solesbee and his family in their prayers. The legendary Wildcats coach was flown to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Sept. 1, where he underwent surgery for a blood clot on Sept. 4.
His health did not improve, and Bristol sadly announced after the game that Solesbee passed away Friday night at age 83.
“He was Andrews,” Bristol said. “Over 1,500 people that he coached – and probably double that many, triple that many students (he taught) – and he did everything right. He was such a class person.”
Solesbee came to Andrews in 1971 and coached men’s and women’s basketball, softball, baseball, volleyball, track and field and junior varsity football over his 46-year career. Though there’s no official count due to a lack of record keeping, Bristol estimates he won at least 1,000 games in his coaching career.
He led the Lady Wildcats to the 1977 N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A state championship, which is Andrews’ last women’s basketball state title. In 2016, the gym at Andrews High was renamed the Ken Solesbee Athletic Center.
After retiring, Solesbee, who also taught math, history and physical education at Andrews High, was still a constant presence at the school. He would fill in as a substitute teacher and attend as many Wildcats sporting events as possible. That dedication to Andrews is why he’ll be remembered by more than just wins and losses.
As Wildcats football head coach James Phillips led his team in their postgame prayer, he struggled to get the words out when he mentioned Solesbee and his family. Phillips told his team Solesbee was “special to a lot of people,” and was quick to call on the weekends or stop by his office to provide encouragement.
After the team’s huddle, Phillips walked past the end zone near the scoreboard to the shot put throwing area, and kneeled down to collect himself.
“He would be the first one after a game like this to call me or come see me on Monday and try to encourage me,” Phillips said. “There’s been so many times that I was first here, and I was down and discouraged and in the dumps, and he always made time for me. We’ve had so many talks through the years about culture building and programs, and just life in general.
“I’m going to miss him.”
Andrews athletic director Frank Maennle played on some of Solesbee’s first basketball teams. Maennle, who graduated from Andrews in 1974, said Solesbee was a coach you’d run through a wall for. He wanted his teams to believe in themselves, play tough defense and wasn’t afraid to show his teams how he wanted things to be done.
Solesbee starred at Nantahala High School. Maennle said even in his early years as a coach, he was “as good an athlete as anybody at that time.”
But what was just as important to Maennle is the example he set. Solesbee harped on the importance of integrity.
When Maennle’s dad passed away during his junior year, he said he learned a lot from Solesbee about “how to be a man.” He said Solesbee showed him the importance of trying to outwork everyone, which is something Maennle tries to do to this day.
After being an assistant coach alongside Solesbee for four years from 1979-83, Maennle later coached against him during his 24 years as the head men’s basketball coach at Swain County High School from 1989 to 2012.
For Maennle, it was an honor to go against him, as he hoped that Solesbee could see how he helped influence his coaching. So when Maennle returned to Andrews in 2017, part of him thought it was God’s way of reconnecting the two so they could spend time together during a different part of their lives.
In his first year back, Maennle said he remembers hearing a door open at the gym before the sound of a chair being dragged across the floor. It was Solesbee, parking himself in a corner of the gym to watch practice – not to critique, but to still be involved. Just being there to set a good example for the kids was most important to Solesbee.
“He was an example of what we all strive to be like,” Maennle said. “I just can’t say enough of what he meant in my life and so many others.”