‘Bo’ Tutt Dies At 73 Long-Time Coach Remembered For Calm Demeanor, Making Sports Fun
A Parry McCluer coaching and teaching legend known for making learning and sports fun passed away on Tuesday of last week.
Jerry “Bo” Tutt, who coached and taught for four decades, died at age 73. Tutt mostly coached at Parry McCluer High School, with the majority of his teaching coming at Parry McCluer Middle School. He taught physical education and driver’s education throughout his career and media math for most of it. For the final three years of his career, Tutt coached eighth-grade volleyball at the middle school.
Tutt coached at PM from 1974 until his retirement in 2015, starting the boys and girls tennis programs in the mid-1970s and becoming an assistant boys basketball coach in 1975.
Tutt grew up in Luray, playing tennis throughout his life and playing basketball at Luray High School and James Madison University. In 1970, Tutt was a player, and another local legend, Chick Crawford, was the coach on the undefeated Luray team that won the state championship. Tutt would later serve as an assistant coach for Crawford at PMHS in 1975 and 1976.
At JMU, Tutt was a guard who specialized in ball-handling and defense instead of scoring. He played for the Dukes’ basketball team for two years.
As fellow coaches, former athletes and friends remembered him, they said Tutt was known for his calm demeanor and laid-back style.
That didn’t stop him from being competitive, though. The Blues went undefeated in the Pioneer District in tennis several times. In 1984, Tutt coached boys tennis players Rad Patterson and Chip Lawhorne to the state doubles tournament. Patterson and Lawhorne placed third.
In his first couple of years of coaching at the high school, Tutt kept busy with both the boys and girls tennis teams before the Blues got a separate girls coach. He had strong years with the tennis teams, with at least two undefeated seasons and 115 career wins, an impressive accomplishment since each season normally consists of 10 to 12 matches.
A 1984 PM graduate, Patterson recalled what Tutt was like as a coach. “He was probably one of the best coaches because he was easy to get along with,” said Patterson. “He let you have fun. He had fun.”
After college and a year of teaching, Patterson returned to PM in 1990 and became a physical education teacher. At that point, he said Tutt “took me under his wing.”
“He was fun to be around,” added Patterson. “He played little pranks on everybody at the school and kept everything upbeat.”
In teaching, coaching and developing relationships, Patterson said Tutt “made an impact on everybody’s life.”
Patterson and Tutt were both assistant boys basketball coaches for head Nelson Fox, working together from 1990 until Fox’s retirement in 2014. Patterson and Tutt then coached together for a year under Josh Blevins before Tutt’s retirement in 2015.
After he retired, Tutt said he would miss working with the players and coaches and “the fun of the game itself.” In recent years, he could be seen watching the Blues as a fan.
Patterson would continue coaching under Mike Cartolaro, helping the PM boys basketball team win its first state title in program history in 2021. Patterson retired from coaching in 2023, a year after Cartolaro stepped down from coaching, and Tyler Kerr has been the Blues’ head coach since the 2022-23 season.
Patterson said Tutt’s laidback, fun style complemented Fox’s more disciplined approach. Fox coached the PM boys basketball team for 35 years, with Tutt at his side, and won 554 games.
Remembering Tutt fondly, Fox said, “Bo was just a oneof- a-kind, very easy-going guy, very knowledgeable in basketball and other sports.”
Fox and Tutt got their master’s degrees in teaching from the University of Virginia and traveled a lot together over the years. Both men went to JMU for college, with Tutt graduating a year before Fox.
“He’s going to be missed by a lot of people,” said Fox.
Fox, who is in the PM athletic hall of fame and is a member of the Hall of Fame committee, was confident Tutt will be inducted in the near future.
Another one of Tutt’s colleagues, Ron Loy, had kind words to say about Tutt. After coaching wrestling, football and track and field, Loy was PM’s athletic director from 2008-19, which included Tutt’s last seven years of coaching. Loy said Tutt was “a positive influence in the classroom and on the court. He has always been very patient in helping his students and student-athletes reach their potential. He is someone you could always count on, day in and day out. He will be greatly missed.”
“He was a great stabilizer, as far as getting things done,” added Loy. “He was very persistent in a very calm way. A lot of times, you can get more of people that way.”
One of Tutt’s former basketball players, Troy Clark, also remembered his coach well. Clark, a 1984 PM graduate, is now the Blues’ head softball coach and the assistant principal at PM. Clark said Tutt was “a coach, teacher, mentor, coworker and friend. He meant so much to me and touched the lives of so many students and players at Parry McCluer High School. He was also respected, humble and a great man. He and Coach Fox played a pivotal role in me wanting to teach and coach. He was one of the most inspirational leaders in my life.”
Also learning from Tutt was Lindsey Coleman Fitzgerald, a 1998 PM graduate who was a star basketball, softball and volleyball player and is in the PM Athletic Hall of Fame. Fitzgerald, who coached PM volleyball for several years, taught physical education at the middle school alongside Tutt and Patterson for several years. “A lot of great memories from my time teaching with Coach Tutt and Rad,” said Fitzgerald.
In a tribute on Facebook to Tutt the night of his death, Fitzgerald posted, “My guy. I don’t have any words, but I love you like a brother and I’m thankful for your impact on my life.”
Tutt’s wife, Brenda, passed away in October 2022, after the couple had been married for 48 years. She started her career as an educator and retired as an assembly technician from Dana Corporation in Buena Vista.
They leave behind three adult daughters – Kisha, Cheryl and Jasmine – and several grandchildren.
Summing up Tutt’s impact on the community, Fox said, “He was a great contributor to Parry McCluer and Buena Vista.”
