It’s Official – Greg Porter Joins LDHS Raiders as New Head Football Coach

Mrs. Cathy Little, Chair of the Laurens County School District 55 (LCSD 55) School Board, announced at the January 22, 2024, School Board Meeting that the board approved the recommendation for hiring for the new Laurens District 55 High School (LDHS) Raiders Head Football Coach. On January 23, 2024, the LDHS Athletics Department held a press conference to make the announcement official and welcome Coach Greg Porter.

LCSD 55 Head Coach Tommy Spires opened the conference with excitement. He said, “I am certain we got it right.” Coach Spires shared a list of Coach Porter’s accolades and expressed his confidence in Coach Porter’s wealth of knowledge and ability to create a winning culture.

LDHS Principal Lewis Compton echoed Coach Spires’s excitement as he formally introduced Coach Porter.

Coach Porter thanked everyone for their support and God for the opportunity to serve in LCSD 55. He shared that his desire to work in LCSD 55 is fueled by the motivation to honor the 1991 legacy of former Raiders Head Football Coach, Bobby Ivey, who took the Raiders to a dramatic win against the Lower Richland Diamonds at the State AAAA Division 2 Championship on December 7, 1991. Porter said, “I enjoy the challenge, that’s the reason why I accepted the position.” 

Coach Porter also shared his passion for getting student-athletes in prominent colleges. He plans to provide structure, direction, accountability, and prioritization of academics. “I’m looking forward to the transformation,” he said.

Porter holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Nebraska, and a Masters in Education from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. He is an honored educator and coach. He has been with Greenville County School District since 1996 and taught Biology, Botany, Zoology, Physical Science, Earth Science, and Freshman Success at Ninth Grade Academy. In 2006, he received the WYFF News 4 Golden Apple Award. He was also named Greenville High School 2006-2007 Teacher of the Year. As a head football coach, he holds 122 total wins and a record highest win in a year- 14 wins in 2014. He holds a 5-1 record in the 2020 football season and led Greenville High to become a Co-region Champion. He has also taken Greenville High to the Upper State Finals for three straight years (2020-23). He is the 2022 AAAA Upper State Head Coach of the Year and 2022 AAAA Region 1 Coach of the Year. From 2008 to present, Porter has helped develop 58 high school student-athletes who went on to play in prestigious colleges such as the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, North Carolina State University, and Appalachian State University.

Porter says the key to getting student-athletes recruited by colleges is academics. His team’s 2020-22 GPA average is 3.62. He vows to work closely with the LDHS guidance counselors to make the same opportunity happen for the LDHS Raiders.

LDHS guidance/school counselors were present at Porter’s press conference and were extremely delighted to hear about Porter’s wish to work together and prioritize students’ academics. School Counselor Cynthia Godwin could not contain her joy. She said, “I’m excited! I’m excited about the scholarships. I’m excited because he puts academics first and I truly believe it will help the team! I’m just excited!”

School Counselor David Owens said, “I had the opportunity to talk to Coach Porter and he already has plans for our student-athletes. He has the best intentions for our students and we have his back.”

Students are just as excited about the hiring of Coach Greg Porter. LDHS 10th-grade student Kaylynn Phillips, an athletic trainer, said, “I’m excited to see the changes in the practice schedule. I look forward to his positive interactions with our student-athletes.” 

LDHS 11th-grade student and student section leader Walt Addy said, “I am excited about rebuilding our football team. He (Porter) has our support and I hope he uses it well.”

LCSD 55 School Board members Cathy Little and Mike Hughes were both present at the press conference and also expressed their confidence in Coach Porter and their support for Porter’s vision to prioritize academics. Little said, “I’m super excited! He has a winning track record, and he is focused on academics. That’s going to take our students where they need to be.” 

Hughes added, “Everywhere he has been, things have been done the right way because it has worked every time.”

Photos courtesy of LCSD55