GREENVILLE, S.C. — Former North Carolina State and Furman coach Dick Sheridan, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, died Thursday. He was 81.
Sheridan died at Grand Strand Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, his son, Jon, told Furman athletic department spokesman Hunter Reid. No cause of death was given.
Sheridan, who was from Augusta, Georgia, began his college coaching tenure at Furman in 1978, leading the Paladins to the Division I-AA (now Football Championship Subdivision) title game in 1985.
Sheridan was hired by the Wolfpack in 1986 and had six winning seasons in his seven years leading the program. He went 59-29-3 at N.C. State and made six bowl games.
Sheridan stepped away from the team in June 1993 at the age of 51, citing health issues and saying the recent death of his friend, Wolfpack basketball coach Jim Valvano, impacted his decision.
He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
“He was such a special man, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Sheridan family," said Furman coach Clay Hendrix, who played for Sheridan's Paladins.
Sheridan was also a former head coach at Airport, Eau Claire and Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School before he began his rise up the collegiate ranks.
