Riverside High Football Coach Dies

Riverside High School has confirmed the death of football coach Linny Wrenn.

The 53-year-old Wrenn died of a heart attack Wednesday night. He had been a football and track coach at the Durham school since 1991.

Wrenn led the Pirates to their first PAC-6 football championship last season and went 62-42 in nine seasons. Adding to the feat was the fact that Wrenn was legally blind.

He started as athletic director in 1991 and became head football coach in 1994.

Wrenn is survived by his wife, two sons and many others in the Riverside community.

"We're really a mess right now," a school spokesperson said Thursday.

According to Riverside athletics director Mike Marks, Wrenn had been working in his yard Wednesday, when the temperature at Raleigh-Durham International Airport hit 92 degrees. Marks said Wrenn had reported feeling dizzy and died from either a heart- or heat-related issue.

A graduate of Northern High School, Wrenn played football at Appalachian State.