Sam Venable 

Department of Irony

There must be something about hair and the surname “Skinner” that breeds controversy.

Leonard Skinner, 77, the most famous gym teacher in the history of rock music, died six years ago this month—September 20, 2010, to be precise—in Jacksonville, Florida. His claim to fame occurred in the late 1960s, when he sent several students to the principal’s office because their hair was too long.

Among the shags was one Gary Rossington, who played guitar in a teenage band. In just a few years, the band would rocket to stardom and, bazillions of record sales later, remains one of the icons of southern rock. We’re talking, of course, about Lynyrd Skynyrd, which mockingly took its name from the ol’ coach.

Here in Knoxville, another “Skinner” and his hair were making headlines about the same time.

That would be the late Bill Skinner, a track star at the University of Tennessee, the greatest javelin thrower of his day. In his first three years at UT, Skinner hurled the spear to record lengths throughout the United States and Europe. But as a senior, about to graduate with honors, Skinner committed a heinous sin.

He grew a mustache.

I know that seems tame today. But in 1971, it was high crime. The Athletic Department ordered him to shave. Skinner refused. Thus, he was banned from competition as a Vol.

Every word of what I just typed is true. Skinner, who died of pancreatic cancer in October 2015, won the national javelin championship under the colors of the New York Athletic Club. Sports Illustrated chronicled the entire affair in a four-page spread.

Oh, and speaking of hair and musicians, you surely know about Phil Everly’s well-documented encounter with West High School Coach Walter Ganz. This was shortly before he and brother Don left Knoxville and headed to international fame in Nashville.

The coach gave him two choices: get a haircut or wear a hair net. The next day, Phil showed up with a hair net—and wore it proudly.

Amazing, isn’t it? In an era when athletes routinely sport chartreuse manes, are tattooed like road maps, and have enough piercings to qualify as a metal recycling center, it’s hard to fathom that follicles would foment such furor.

Sam Venable is an author, stand-up comedian, and humor columnist for the Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel. He may be reached at sam.venable@outlook.com.