Board names Chad Leaphart Gilbert High athletic director
February 1, 2016
At a Special Called Board Meeting on January 28, 2016, the Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees approved the hire of Chad J. Leaphart as Gilbert High School athletic director and head football coach.
Leaphart currently serves as head football coach and history teacher at Swansea High School in Lexington County School District Four. He replaces Barry Harley, who plans to retire effective June 30, 2016.
A 1992 graduate, Leaphart returns to Gilbert High, where he played as center and linebacker on the football team.
Leaphart has 19 years of coaching and teaching experience. He began his career in 1997 as a history and physical education teacher and assistant football coach for linebackers at Pelion High, later becoming offensive line coach. Leaphart also served as an assistant baseball coach and assistant track coach while at PHS.
In 2000, Leaphart moved to Strom Thurmond High School in Johnston, South Carolina, where he served as a history, government and economics teacher and offensive line coach before becoming defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, then offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Leaphart also served as head track coach and assistant athletic director at Strom Thurmond.
During Leaphart’s tenure at Strom Thurmond High, the football team won a 2005 state championship and five region championships, while the track team was runner-up state champion in 2006 and won three region championships. Leaphart coached two football players who were selected to play in the North-South All-Star Football Game and two football players who were selected to play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. He coached five track athletes who won individual state championships, and he received the region track coach of the year award four times.
This is Leaphart’s sixth year at Swansea High after moving there in 2010. As head football coach at Swansea High, he has a 41-27 win/loss record.
Leaphart led the Swansea High football team to five playoff appearances and, in 2014, won the only Class 3A region championship as well as the first Class 3A playoff games in school history. Leaphart led the football team to the Class 2A region championship in 2011.
Leaphart received the Region Class 3A Coach of the Year award for football in 2014 and the Region Class 2A Coach of the Year award for football in 2011.
At Swansea High, Leaphart coached one football player who was selected to play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, four football players who were selected to play in the North-South All-Star Football Game, and one football player who was selected to play in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl.
Leaphart holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and education from Newberry College and a Master of Arts in education from Southern Wesleyan University.
He and his family live in the Gilbert community.
Chad J. Leaphart
