John McCoy

John David ‘Johnny’ McCoy Sr. was a lifelong resident of Huntington. He developed an appreciation for music in his early years and learned to play the violin, trumpet, organ and piano before he attended Douglass High School. He spent summers at the Juilliard School of Music and, at the age of 11, he was playing the trumpet and piano in Willie Kate’s Orchestra at The Frederick Hotel, Vanity Fair and at Dreamland Pool Pavilion.

While in high school, McCoy and his brothers formed their own group, “The McCoy Brothers Band.” He later formed a band with Henry Pierce and Dick Howard called “The Johnny David Trio.”

McCoy and his brothers played street basketball and by the time they reached Douglass High School, they were a force to be reckoned with. In 1948, the principal of Douglass and the assistant pastor at St. Joseph Catholic Church began the first basketball competition between the two schools. It marked the first time in Huntington that a white school played a Black school.

McCoy graduated from Douglass High School and was offered a football scholarship at Kentucky State and Virginia Union and a basketball scholarship at East Carolina. He turned down the offers because he was married and needed to take care of his family. He had a brief career in the Army and returned home. He was a lifeguard at  A.D. Lewis Pool and taught children how to swim and play basketball. He worked with The Rev. Charles Smith at O.I.C. and worked at Inco Alloys for more than 30 years.

McCoy attended First Baptist Church and sang in the Chancel Choir, where he met his second wife. Together, they sang and played at large functions in Huntington and throughout West Virginia for several years. McCoy remained active in the church, playing for all the choirs and soloists. He became an ordained deacon in 2006. He loved the Lord with all his heart and would share his knowledge of scripture and pray for, or with, anyone.