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Former NBA player Jeff McInnis: McCullough 'was a mentor to all of us'

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charles McCullough was more than a coach. He was an athlete, teacher and father.

Many knew him for his storied career as head basketball coach at West Charlotte High School where he coached 33 years and won more than 500 games.

[PHOTOS: Remembering coach Charles McCullough]

“He just did the work,” his daughter Cynthia McCullough said. “He let his efforts speak for themselves.”

“A lot of history was made during his run,” said his son, Charles McCullough.

McCullough died Friday after a long battle with lung disease.

But his legacy lives on.

McCullough’s teams won five state championships, two of them before desegregation.

His third state title was in 1986.

“If you've ever seen the movie 'Remember the Titans,' that was pretty much his experience,” his son said. “First state championship played in the Dean Dome. It was the first Championship of any kind played in the Dean Dome.”

Jeff McInnis, who coaches AAU basketball in Charlotte, played for McCullough at West Charlotte in 1990-91 before transferring to Oak Hill Academy, and then on to the University of North Carolina before playing in the NBA.

"(McCullough) was always a mentor,” McInnis said. “He taught us about life off the court, not just basketball. He was a big mentor to all of us off the court.”

For all McCullough accomplished, his children said their father was just as proud of the student-athletes he coached.

“They were just like his children, even as much as we were,” his son said. “He taught young men how to compete. The way you compete is you do your best.”

“He will be missed and West Charlotte won’t be the same without him. We love him and we miss him,” McInnis said.