Walter Dennis Skidmore (November 19, 1903 – April 13, 1993) was an American basketball coach. he was best known for being the

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team from 1935 through 1939. Skidmore had a record of 65–25 with the Tar Heels and led his team to win the Southern Conference Tournament in 1936 and Southern Conference regular season championship in 1938. In his last year of coaching, Skidmore coached George Glamack who went on to become a star player at North Carolina. Skidmore took over coaching after Bo Shepard left as head coach due to health problems. Skidmore was a native of

Harlan County, Kentucky Harlan County is a county located in southeastern Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,831. Its county seat is Harlan. It is classified as a moist countya county in which alcohol sales are prohibited (a dry county), but cont ...

, and the son of a coal miner. He attended

Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is a ...

in Kentucky, graduating in 1926. Before becoming the head basketball coach at North Carolina, Skidmore had coached the North Carolina junior varsity and Charlotte High School teams. He retired from coaching in 1939 and moved to

Letcher County, Kentucky Letcher County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,548. Its county seat is Whitesburg. The county, founded in 1842, is named for Robert P. Letcher, Governor of Kentucky from 1840 t ...

. From 1955 to 1970, Skidmore operated the Tar Heel Motel in Clinton, North Carolina. In April 1993, Skidmore died in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at age 89.

Head coaching record

References

;General * * * * ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Skidmore, Walter 1903 births 1993 deaths American men's basketball coaches Basketball coaches from Kentucky High school basketball coaches in the United States North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball coaches People from Chapel Hill, North Carolina Centre College alumni People from Clinton, North Carolina