Winston-Salem Coach Gets 800th Win

Clarence (Big House) Gaines, the Winston-Salem State coach who has been in the shadows of major college basketball for most of his 44 seasons, grabbed the spotlight Wednesday night and became the second collegiate coach to win 800 games.

Gaines, 66, achieved his milestone on the third try, beating Central Intercollegiate Athletic Assn. rival Livingstone, 79-70. Winston-Salem (9-8) lost to North Carolina Central on Saturday, then to Norfolk State on Monday.

The only other coach to reach 800 is Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp, who won 875 games with the Wildcats. Gaines grew up in Kentucky.

“It means an awful lot,” said Gaines, with his wife, Clara, at his side after he received a basketball and large plaque commemorating the occasion. “Where I’ll go from here, I really don’t know.”