Dickson remembered as beloved coach, great motivator

Chipley High School students, athletes, faculty, and staff are mourning the loss of beloved coach, Sacher “Sach†Dickson, who passed away unexpectedly July 14, leaving those who knew him in disbelief.

Dickson began his career at CHS in 2011 where he taught geometry, coached girls softball and was an assistant football coach. For many of those years, his classroom was next door to Kristi Broom, his “teacher bestie.â€

“For years, I saw Sach every 55 minutes during every day of school,†said Broom. “It is going to be really hard starting school this year without him.â€

Those who knew Dickson say he was “larger than life,†a great motivator, and the best teacher, friend, coach and mentor there ever was.

“He was good to everyone,†said Broom. “He had a calm and even demeanor. I never heard him raise his voice. Sach was extremely genuine and authentic. He helped anyone and everyone he could, even outside the classroom. Kids knew that if they were having personal problems, they could come and talk to Dickson, and he would help them. He was where he was supposed to be at CHS.â€

Athletic Director Marcus Buchanan says Dickson was more of a brother than a friend, one he could depend on at any given time.

“Dickson cared about and loved these kids,†said Buchanan. “He had a way of making them play 10 feet over their heads for him. I hope his players know how much he loved them.â€

“Coach taught us to have grit and be passionate in everything we do,†said former student Cami Brown. “He gave us life lessons, even when we didn’t want them. There was always a lesson behind everything he did. He taught us to always stay true to ourselves and our key principles. He was a second dad to all of us. He was always there. To know him was to love him.â€

Dickson was best known for saying, “Always give it 137 percent,†a standard to which he held himself and demonstrated to his students daily. Coach was known to give up his planning period to help students struggling in math, offering the time in his classroom as a free period for tutoring. In true Dickson style, he wanted to see all of the kids succeed.

Sacher Dickson leaves behind his wife Becky and their two children, Anika and Kal – and the legacy of “No matter what you do, see it through.â€