James F. Byrnes High School is located in Duncan, South Carolina. The James F. Byrnes Freshman Academy is situated at the former location of D. R. Hill Middle School.
History
James F. Byrnes High School was built in 1955 at a cost of $1,000,000. The school was named after James F. Byrnes, the most distinguished South Carolinian of his time. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, was a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Director of War Mobilization during World War II, U.S. Secretary of State under President Harry Truman and completed his political career as Governor of South Carolina 1951–1955. When the school was built there were 21 teachers and 500 students in grades 9–12. Perry Bernard Irby graduated in 1966, becoming the school's first African-American graduate. In 1969, the school officially integrated, moving all the African-American students from Florence Chapel School to Byrnes. In 2007, the ninth grade moved to a separate facility.
Mascot
The mascot for Byrnes High School has been the Rebel since 1955. The school received national media attention in 1991 for sporting events featuring displays of a Confederate soldier as the Rebel mascot while the school's band played "Dixie" and students waved Confederate flags. Students were suspended for wearing clothing sporting Confederate flags in school and some parents filed a federal lawsuit. Following the Charleston church massacre in 2015, there were renewed calls to remove the Rebels name.
Extracurricular activities
Athletics
The Rebels have won a total of forty-two state championships in all sports.
Football
The Byrnes High School football team has won 11 state championships in football, including four under Bobby Bentley. The Rebel football team competes on Nixon Field, located behind J. F. Byrnes High School. The field is named in honor of D. M. Nixon. Mr. Nixon was a former superintendent of District Five Schools and served from 1956 until his retirement in 1965. In 2008 the Rebels began the season as the number one team in the country according to the USA Today newspaper and held that spot until a regular season loss dropped them in the polls. They regrouped and won their ninth state championship to finish that season. In 2009, Byrnes began the season as the No. 2 ranked team in the nation according to MaxPreps.com. Also in 2009, the Rebels played the defending national champions, St. Thomas Aquinas High School of Fort Lauderdale, FL on October 2, 2009. St. Thomas Aquinas defeated Byrnes by a score of 42–34. Byrnes won their 11th state title in 2011. Marksmanship Introduced in 2016, Colonel Rhea Dobson started Marksmanship at Byrnes for AFJROTC.
