By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter

bnimmons@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — Pickens has always been home for Harold Alexander.

One of the most successful players in the history of Pickens High School football, and a stalwart in the local banking community, Alexander built a reputation as one of the best of his trade in his decade and a half working outside of Pickens.

Now, after his appointment as senior vice president of Pickens Savings and Loan, Alexander is ready to make his mark in the community that built him.

“I was born and raised here in Pickens,” Alexander said. “I went through Pickens Elementary, Pickens Junior High and Pickens High School. My roots are planted here and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Pickens High School is where things really started to take off for Alexander. A wide receiver for most of his career at PHS, Alexander’s fate changed during the third week of his senior year, when legendary Pickens coach Bill Isaacs held an open competition to find a punter.

“After practice one day, Coach Isaacs asked if there was anybody who could punt,” Alexander said. “Nobody really raised their hand, so he decided the next day to hold a little five-minute tryout. I knew how to kick a football from playing backyard football, and since I was already out there at receiver, I decided to give it a shot. Fortunately for me I was the only one to show up for the tryout and won the job.”

Alexander found his footing as a punter for the Blue Flame and used that success to earn a bid to the Shrine Bowl during his senior season. Following the season, he received offers from Appalachian State, Presbyterian and Wofford to continue his playing career on the collegiate level. Alexander picked App State, as the school promised to allow him to solely focus on punting, whereas the other schools wanted him to play another position in addition to his punting duties. The move proved wise

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