05-07-2024, 09:01 AM
Coach Skinner: The (Unwitting) Namesake of Lynyrd Skynyrd
Leonard Skinner, a Florida gym teacher and basketball coach, may not have known it, but he played a pivotal role in rock music history. Skinner's strict enforcement of a school dress code against long hair in the 1960s directly inspired the now-iconic name of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Several members of the band, including Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, and Bob Burns, attended Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, where Skinner was a teacher. Facing disciplinary action for their nonconformist hairstyles, they decided to immortalize Skinner's name in their band, albeit with a playful misspelling to mock his authority.
While Skinner himself might not have intended to be a part of rock and roll lore, his name became synonymous with the band's rebellious spirit and Southern roots. Lynyrd Skynyrd, despite the initial friction, later acknowledged Skinner's influence and maintained a respectful relationship with him.
![[Image: 00-PDyEH66lQ5GRfTRHJjBuSELA7EuT9wu8bqZ3-...1715090183]](https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-PDyEH66lQ5GRfTRHJjBuSELA7EuT9wu8bqZ3-PlrawWxpCGExWPm-XKGzmTlToH1qCe7ffHDJpwno-pEcjtJnw?cn=THISLIFE&res=medium&ts=1715090183)
Leonard Skinner, a Florida gym teacher and basketball coach, may not have known it, but he played a pivotal role in rock music history. Skinner's strict enforcement of a school dress code against long hair in the 1960s directly inspired the now-iconic name of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Several members of the band, including Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, and Bob Burns, attended Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, where Skinner was a teacher. Facing disciplinary action for their nonconformist hairstyles, they decided to immortalize Skinner's name in their band, albeit with a playful misspelling to mock his authority.
While Skinner himself might not have intended to be a part of rock and roll lore, his name became synonymous with the band's rebellious spirit and Southern roots. Lynyrd Skynyrd, despite the initial friction, later acknowledged Skinner's influence and maintained a respectful relationship with him.
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
1 Timothy 2:5-6
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the witness for this proper time.
Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
1 Timothy 2:5-6
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the witness for this proper time.
Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
![[Image: ronnie-van-zants-first-wife-nadine-insac...075898803d]](https://preview.redd.it/ronnie-van-zants-first-wife-nadine-insacoe-v0-fd7pdz64a2za1.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=101f14494a249276d223079f43f86c075898803d)
