The Dyn amic Duo Late Coach Robert Lightsey

Football Coach, Batesville Junior High

Batesville, MS 1981 to 2008

Robert Lightsey, the youngest of the five sons of Bufkin & Margie Lightsey, was a lifetime resident of Batesville, Mississippi. During his early years whenever he was not busy learning the value of hard work, he developed competitive skills by playing ball with his brothers and neighbors and sharpening his accuracy & throwing ability in their corn cob fights. When Robert was fourteen, he received the life-changing diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. With this diagnosis came daily insulin shots, testing, dietary & other restrictions. Robert was not so concerned about whether he could continue to play ball but rather when he could start playing again. While he didn’t exactly receive the positive assurance he wanted, his determination proved that he could & would indeed play. Most players face only one opponent in playing ball, but Robert also faced this additional adversary 24/7…all day every day. With his erratic coaching schedules, no schedule was normal or the same. When it rained, he was always physically working on ball fields giving him more challenges. Knowing exercise not only made him feel better but was part of the necessary treatment for staying healthy, Robert continued daily exercise for as long as he lived. Looking back over his lifetime, this opponent made life much harder but did beat him. When Robert was in the eighth grade, he received the honor of Most Athletic which foretold of his future athletic accomplishments. He not only worked hard & always tried to do his best but was truly a natural & talented athlete. At South Panola, Robert excelled in football, basketball, & baseball earning all Delta Valley Conference honors in each sport. His DVC honors came as a tight end & punter in football, as a forward in basketball & as a pitcher in baseball. After graduating from South Panola High School in 1970, Robert attended Northwest Junior College where he played football & received honors as an All-State Junior college punter. He also played baseball.

In 1974, Robert graduated from the University of Mississippi. Then he accepted his first job at North Panola High School where he taught physical science & coached football, girls’ basketball, & baseball. While his girls’ basketball teams were quite successful, there was no junior high football program which made successful high school competition almost impossible. Two years later he began teaching & coaching at Batesville Junior High while also assisting in the high school. He also did some scouting for the high school football team. In 1981 the dynamic coaching duo of Coach Robert Lightsey & Coach Will “Pete” Robertson began. For the next 27 years this exceptional duo made a definite mark on South Panola athletics by using profound motivation…sometimes with a board…if it were necessary. This exceptional coaching duo’s responsibilities & duties included 7th, 8th, & 9th grade football, 7th, 8th, & 9th grade girls & boys’ basketball, and all the PE classes in junior high. Robert later served as head baseball coach in the high school, coached tennis, was named teacher of the year & served as AD for the junior high. Coach Robertson also coached track. In 2008 Robert told Pete he would be retiring. So, in 2008 after working together for twenty-seven years, the dynamic coaching duo of Coach Robert Lightsey & Coach Will “Pete” Robertson retired together. On July 18, 2014, Coach Lightsey passed away leaving behind his high school sweetheart & wife Carol Anne Stone Lightsey. Robert also left the other delights of his heart… his daughter Sandra Lynn Bright & husband Josh & his son Brad, wife Kerry, & six precious grandchildren…Sadie, Anson, Easton, Carter, Kate & Reise. They are following in the footsteps, example & legacy of Coach Robert Lightsey, their beloved Pop.