Rock Music Folk Figure. He was a teacher whose name was immortalized in rock 'n' roll history. During the 1960s, Skinner was a coach and gym teacher at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida. His distaste for the long hair of his pupils led to many students being sent to the principal's office, among them the future founding members of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Before achieving worldwide fame, the band adopted Skinner's name in 1972, then changed the spelling as a homage to the vagaries of southern American pronunciation. The group also used their former teacher for inspiration when designing the cover of their third studio album, "Nuthin' Fancy" (1975). Using a picture of a sign from Skinner's real estate business (which featured his name and telephone number) on the album, he was inundated with thousands of telephone calls from fans around the world. Lynyrd Skynyrd also asked him to introduce them at their concerts. In later years, he became particularly friendly with band members Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant, Leon Wilkeson and with Gene Odom, the bodyguard for singer Van Zant, who was among those killed when the band's airplane crashed in 1977. In January 2009, the people of Jacksonville held an event called "A Tribute to Coach Leonard Skinner & Southern Rock" at the National Guard Armory. The New York Times called him "arguably the most influential high school gym teacher in American popular culture". He died from Alzheimer's disease.
Rock Music Folk Figure. He was a teacher whose name was immortalized in rock 'n' roll history. During the 1960s, Skinner was a coach and gym teacher at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida. His distaste for the long hair of his pupils led to many students being sent to the principal's office, among them the future founding members of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Before achieving worldwide fame, the band adopted Skinner's name in 1972, then changed the spelling as a homage to the vagaries of southern American pronunciation. The group also used their former teacher for inspiration when designing the cover of their third studio album, "Nuthin' Fancy" (1975). Using a picture of a sign from Skinner's real estate business (which featured his name and telephone number) on the album, he was inundated with thousands of telephone calls from fans around the world. Lynyrd Skynyrd also asked him to introduce them at their concerts. In later years, he became particularly friendly with band members Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant, Leon Wilkeson and with Gene Odom, the bodyguard for singer Van Zant, who was among those killed when the band's airplane crashed in 1977. In January 2009, the people of Jacksonville held an event called "A Tribute to Coach Leonard Skinner & Southern Rock" at the National Guard Armory. The New York Times called him "arguably the most influential high school gym teacher in American popular culture". He died from Alzheimer's disease.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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