Mulkey’s life was memorialized in a state high school basketball championship.
Louis Mulkey lived in Charleston, South Carolina, working as a firefighter. Mulkey was passionate about youth development, so in addition to his firefighting duties, he was a substitute teacher and varsity basketball coach at Summerville High School, a team known as The Green Wave.
Summerville is located in the inner city of Charleston. There were a lot of racial issues there, and Mulkey, a White man, addressed those issues head-on. He pushed for racial awareness, was a diversity advocate, and encouraged his students and players to realize their potential, including finishing high school and attending college.
In June 2007, tragedy struck. Mulkey and eight colleagues entered a burning furniture store. The fire, which spread quickly, trapped the firefighters, and all nine firefighters perished in the deadliest firefighting situation since 9/11.
But tragedy isn’t the only storyline associated with this story.
The players dedicated the next season to Coach Mulkey. Their goal? Win the South Carolina State Basketball Championship, which they did in Coach Mulkey’s honor.
You can watch a documentary film about this story. The Green Wave is available on Crackle and AppleTV.
