The Lugoff-Elgin community is mourning the loss of a man whose impact reached far beyond the football field. Former Lugoff-Elgin head football coach, athletic director and principal Burnan Creig Tyler passed away Monday, August 31, at the age of 78.
Known to generations of students and athletes simply as “Coach Tyler” or “Mr. Tyler,” Tyler spent much of his life helping shape young people through athletics and education. His career included several stops across South Carolina, but Lugoff-Elgin held a special place in his life.
Tyler served as both the head football coach and athletic director at Lugoff-Elgin High School, helping lead the Demons football program while also overseeing athletics at the school. His influence, however, was not limited to wins and losses on Friday nights.
After his coaching career ended, Tyler moved into school administration and eventually returned to serve the Lugoff-Elgin community in another important role — principal of Lugoff-Elgin High School. It was a career that allowed Tyler to influence thousands of young people, first as a coach teaching discipline, teamwork and toughness and later as a principal helping guide an entire school.
Long before becoming a Demon, Tyler had already established himself as an outstanding athlete.
A 1966 graduate of Beaufort High School, Tyler competed in football and track and field. During his senior year, he broke the South Carolina state record in the discus, a mark that remained standing for several years into the 1970s.
Tyler continued his football career at The Citadel, where he became a three-year starter at offensive guard for the Bulldogs. He was selected as a co-captain for the 1969 season and earned first-team All-Southern Conference and Honorable Mention All-American honors during his senior year.
His accomplishments as a player were recognized decades later when he was inducted into The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016. Following college, Tyler dedicated his professional life to education and coaching. During a 17-year high school football coaching career, he made stops at Spring Valley and Irmo and served as a head coach and athletic director at Manning, Lugoff-Elgin and Lancaster.
But his legacy cannot simply be measured by football games, championships, honors or positions held.
For those around Lugoff-Elgin who played for him, worked alongside him or walked the halls while he was principal, Tyler was part of the history of the school and community.
Coaches can teach young athletes how to block, tackle and compete. Principals can establish rules and expectations. The special ones, however, leave lessons that former players and students carry with them long after graduation. Creig Tyler was one of those educators.
His connection to Lugoff-Elgin continued beyond his time on the sidelines, and the relationships he developed with students, teachers, athletes and members of the community remained important to him throughout his life. Away from athletics and education, Tyler was a devoted family man. He and his wife, Gilda Reynolds Tyler, were married for 56 years. He was the father of Brittany and Jared and grandfather to Tyler, Logan and Emerson.
For the Lugoff-Elgin family, the passing of Creig Tyler marks the loss of someone who wore many hats during his years with the school — coach, athletic director, principal, mentor and leader. The Friday night lights eventually turn off. The seasons end. Players graduate, and the wins and losses become memories.
But the influence of a good coach and educator can last for generations. At Lugoff-Elgin, the influence of Coach Creig Tyler will be remembered for many years to come.
