Voting Station

Leonard Skinner

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Educator

The Resume

    (January 11, 1933-September 20, 2010)
    Born in Jacksonville, Florida
    Birth name was Forby Leonard Skinner
    Gym teacher and basketball coach at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville
    Later became a realtor and bar owner
    Namesake for the band Lynyrd Skynyrd

Why he might be annoying:

    Skynyrd named themselves after him because of his strict enforcement of the school policy against long hair.
    He said he was bothered by exaggerated versions of the story in which he got the band members expelled from school.
    When he heard his son playing the band's debut album, he yelled, 'What the hell kind of noise are you listening to?'
    After a photo of the sign for his real estate business (including his phone number) was featured on the band's 'Nuthin Fancy' album, he would receive calls from fans at all hours: 'They'd say, 'Who's speaking,' and I'd say Leonard Skinner, and they'd say 'Far Out,' which it really wasn't at four in the morning.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    After learning that the band had been named after him, he noted, 'I guess I could have sued or some such garbage, but it didn't bother me.'
    He became friendly with the band members, even taking the stage to introduce them at a hometown concert.
    The New York Times called him 'arguably the most influential high school gym teacher in American popular culture.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 18 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 105 Votes: 56.19% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 21 Votes: 47.62% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 24 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 17 Votes: 70.59% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 146 Votes: 58.22% Annoying