UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A Union County high school remembered its beloved football coach Thursday evening. Parkwood High School's Terrance Gittens died unexpectedly last week.
The stadium lights at the Parkwood High Stadium didn't turn on Thursday night. Instead, candles were lit over the field where Coach Gittence once led his team.
"We're grieving, we're sad, we're angry," Terrence Gittens, Jr. said.
He took over as head coach back in May 2020.
His son, Terrence, and daughter, Mya, were overcome with support as for nearly two hours, his former colleagues, players and family shared stories of a head coach in his prime -- with a whole life ahead of him.
"The way he lived his life showed us how to put 100% into everything we did," Wesley Pointdexter, a former football player who played under Gittens, said.
Gittens' children said their father was living his dream and was a man full of love and support, serving as a role model to many.
"He was my hero," Terrence Gittens, Jr. said.
Parkwood High School wrote the following on its Facebook page:
"Our school and community is saddened by the news of our head football coach, Terrence Gittens, passing away unexpectedly Thursday night. He touched so many lives at Parkwood and beyond. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers in the upcoming days, weeks and months. Parkwood is a better place because of you Coach."
A cause of death has not yet been publicly released.
Gittens will be laid to rest in his home state of New York. His family said the funeral service will be on Saturday.
"He always talked about faith, family and football," Mya Gittens said. "That's something that he lived by and so will we."
Those in Monroe will continue to mourn the beloved coach and keep him in their thoughts while on the field.
"I know you are in a better place now," a current Parkwood High football player who played under Gittens said. "This season is for you."
Contact Hunter Sáenz at hsaenz@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Locked On is the leading podcast network for local sports and is owned by WCNC Charlotte's parent company TEGNA.
Listen to Locked On here.
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.
MORE ON WCNC
Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.