Lynyrd Skynyrd Namesake Dies At Age 77

Leonard Skinner -- the real-life gym teacher who inspired a bunch of Southern rockers to name themselves Lynyrd Skynyrd -- has died. The "Florida Times-Union" reports that Skinner died in his sleep early Monday at a nursing home in Jacksonville, Florida. He was 77 years-old. A basketball coach and gym teacher at Jacksonville's Robert E. Lee High School, Skinner was known in the 1960s to send students to the principal's office if their hair touched their collars. Some of those students went on to name their band after Skinner. In later years, Skinner became friends with Lynyrd Skynyrd's band members. The group even introduced him to fans at a concert when they toured through Jacksonville.