who was horace fleming?
Horace H. Fleming, III, the third child born to Daisy and Horace Fleming, Jr., was raised in Richmond, Virginia (Henrico County), with his two sisters and brother. He graduated Virginia Randolph High School in 1967 and received his early Christian education at Pilgrim Journey Baptist Church. Horace relocated to the Washington Metropolitan area and graduated Bowie State University after serving his country as a Marine reservist.
Horace and his first wife built a home and raised their two daughters and son together. He enjoyed family time fishing, celebrating holidays, coaching neighborhood sports, and teaching his children as he fixed cars and worked on projects around the house. He later remarried and built another home with his second wife, raising his youngest daughter and step-daughter. I think we can say Horace may have been one of the first #GirlDads.
Mr. Fleming dedicated over 30 years to teaching and coaching Woodrow Wilson High School and other District of Columbia public school students in physical education, football, basketball, baseball, softball, golf, tennis, and swimming. He participated in the Redskins Charitable Foundation’s 4th & Life High School Football Program as well as other community programs to support the character development of student-athletes. Coach Fleming nurtured thousands of children through the classroom, community and organized sports, often serving as a father-figure and role model. Before he retired, he often found himself teaching and coaching the children of his former students.
In 2011, Woodrow Wilson High School awarded Coach Fleming an Outstanding Coach Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016, the Inter-High District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association recognized him for his outstanding commitment to football. Fleming led the Wilson Tigers varsity football team to a district championship in 1991 – the only championship for the school to date. In DC, he will always be known as a “Legend of the Game.”
He set high standards, but had a ready smile. His spirit lives on through his family, especially in unshakeable faith, amplifying the voices of the young, caring for the unheard and forgotten, focusing on what matters, giving their best, and encouraging the dreams of students.
The Fleming family established this scholarship in memory of Horace Fleming, III, and raise money through an out-pour of love and support from the Wilson community. Alumni, coaches and parents all shared testimony of how Coach Fleming impacted their lives.