Shining Example: Byron Wade battles back from cancer to lead Glen Oaks
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
BATON ROUGE – Glen Oaks football hasn’t had a taste of postseason play in 17 years. The Panthers have endured 15 consecutive losing seasons and 19 in the past 20 years.
That meant very little to Byron Wade, who knows all about perseverance, rallying against considerable odds and living to talk about it. Fourteen months after a prostate cancer diagnosis, the 41-year-old Wade’s not only made a full recovery from his October surgery to remove his prostate, but he’s also resumed his passion for impacting young men.
When Glen Oaks principal Eric Randall first contacted Wade, a player he coached at Southern Lab, he expressed total support for Wade’s recovery and broached the subject of becoming Glen Oaks’ new football coach.
“I felt like I had to beat it,” Wade said of cancer. “I wondered how many days I had left on earth. I hadn’t gone to my first follow-up visit when coach Randall called. After what I went recently went through, I didn’t know if I would ever coach again. To know that I’m right back in this prime position to lead a school, to lead an organization, to lead a community, it lets me know that this is my purpose.”
The coaching genes have pumped through Wade’s blood, first witnessing the feats of his father, Ronald, a renowned local football, basketball, and baseball coach for 30 years.
A non-profit organization for youth sports, headed by Ronald Wade, provided the perfect backdrop for Byron to be a part of. By the time he was old enough to walk, Byron saw his father, a social worker, spend countless hours picking up players for practice, coaching them in games, and impacting their lives.
It was no surprise when Byron’s collegiate playing career at Southern came to a close; he pivoted toward something that had made such an indelible mark on his own life.
Over a 14-year span, Byron Wade served as an assistant coach and was reunited with Randall for three years as the offensive coordinator at Baker High.
Wade first became a head coach for five years at Belaire, moved to Istrouma to join the staff of head coach Sid Edwards, who later stepped down after winning the mayor-president’s position in East Baton Rouge Parish.
First, there was the initial disappointment of being passed over for Edwards’ job, only to be superseded by the news that cancer had invaded his body in the prime of his life.
“We prayed for his surgery, for his family, and everything worked out,” said Randall, now in his fourth year as the school’s principal. “A year or so later, we have a vacancy, and I turned to him immediately. I thought he may be on the path to becoming an assistant principal; I didn’t know if we could have him. As the man upstairs would have it, it was a marriage. He’s cancer-free now, and that’s the most beautiful thing in the world.”
Randall’s spent 29 ½ years in the role of a principal/administrator and is accustomed to affecting change.
Glen Oaks has made sufficient moves academically, moving from a letter grade of F to C.
Randall, a 1992 graduate of Glen Oaks and former Hall of Fame quarterback at Southern, is seeking a similar upgrade in his football program. The last time the Panthers played in a playoff game, they were in Class 4A and lost to Haughton, 20-15, in the opening round of the 2009 postseason.
It concluded a 7-4 season, the school’s best record since a 5-5 mark in 2004.
Randall followed his playing career with a coaching career where he was the head coach at Southern Lab, Scotlandville, and two different stints at Baker. With Wade as his offensive coordinator between 2017-19, the Buffaloes made three straight trips to the playoffs, advancing to the state quarterfinals against McDonogh #35.
“I think that’s going to be a good fit,” Randall said of Wade. “He knows what I want; I know what he wants. He knows what the kids need on both sides of the spectrum. What I was looking for was a coach that could coach and understood the academic process.
“I wanted it to be a community decision, and we showed a united front,” Randall said. “After the meeting (to introduce Wade), someone said, ‘ That was the kind of talk, the kind of speech, the kind of attention to detail that you needed to hear on the first day. He had some non-negotiables. Everyone was impressed with his talk. After that, it’s been team building, checking up on kids in the classroom, summer school for the ones that needed to catch up. I’m watching every step.”
Randall’s high school career was one that helped set the table for what became of Glen Oaks’ program under Nolan Gill, who passed away last week from dementia.
He said there were some trying times before Gill’s influence took root with a group of players – all-state wide receiver Landry Williams (now head coach at Madison Prep Academy) and standouts Gabe and Heishma Northern, and Donell Baker.
Randall experienced the program’s growth under Gill and assistant coaches such as Michael Roach and Brian Ensminger, crediting the way they struck a chord with players.
“They wrapped their arms around kids,” Randall said. “It showed them what this could do for them if we got the academics straightened out and associating themselves with the right kind of people.
“Coach Gill would come by your classroom, and that was enough to see that he supported the teachers, supported kids without the foolishness,” Randall said. “I saw some of those characteristics in Coach Wade. I knew he had experience at Belaire. He was an integral part of our success at Baker. He could relate to the kids and understood all of the aspects of it.”
Wade was a 10-year-old when he first heard the term cancer and the way it barged its way into his family’s life.
Stephanie Wade, his mother, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 39, and young Byron became exposed to vocabulary words associated with the illness during routine doctor’s visits.
There was a ray of hope amongst the family when Stephanie’s cancer had gone into remission, only to return 16 years later, spread through much of her body, and claim her life. She was 60.
Wade, a former athlete still in peak condition, was 40 with two young boys, Byron Jr. and Jaxon, and the promise of a full life ahead.
There were no symptoms, no red flags that lifted an eyebrow until Wade completed an annual visit to his physician for bloodwork.
“I’m in shape; I still worked out,” he said. “I still put the cleats on and ran around with the kids and demonstrated (drills) in practice.”
Wade went through a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test that screens for an enlarged prostate, inflammation, or cancer of the prostate.
The result showed Wade had elevated PSA levels but didn’t mean he had cancer. He talked it over with his physician, who recommended visiting a urologist who didn’t find any lumps.
A biopsy, though, was recommended and revealed cancer on June 11, 2025.
Wade opted for a second opinion at the famed M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, talked with additional experts in the field of urology and other medical professionals who felt, because of his age and outstanding physical shape, removal of the prostate was the prudent move.
Because the cancer was contained to just the prostate area, grueling radiation and chemotherapy treatments wouldn’t be necessary.
“It never spread to present a risk,” Wade said. “People think, ‘What are the odds of it coming back?’ I’d talked to men in their 70s that had the same procedure and thought that was the best decision for me.”
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in American men (trailing only lung cancer) and 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with it during their lifetime. The organization optimistically reports that 2.9 million men live after surgery.
“I knew by removing it, I would be down for a span of time, but that I would make a full recovery, and it would be like it never happened,” Wade said. “The surgery was scheduled in December, and I was sitting there, and you’re not in the right state of mind when you have cancer, so I moved it up to October.”
A week before Thanksgiving, Wade began to experience a sense of normalcy. A phone call from Randall followed, getting the ball rolling toward a solution to Glen Oaks’ decades-long struggles in football, also providing a lift for Wade, whose coaching future was murky.
Wade said there had been interest from four schools in the area with head coaching vacancies, but it was the conversation with Randall that rekindled his spirit to coach against because of the amount of respect he’s had for Glen Oaks’ principal.
“The surgery was the hardest part mentally and physically,” he said. “I really wasn’t interested in getting back into coaching, but because Eric’s the principal, it was an opportunity I would never pass up. To have a leader that understands, that’s been in the trenches with you and had also been my high school head coach. It was perfectly aligned.
“I had to start prioritizing what mattered,” he said. “However long Dad’s going to be here, I’ve got to make sure every day is impactful, and I’m not overexposing myself and spreading myself thin.”
Randall was always a fan of Wade’s ability to build teams, the positive, upbeat way he conducted himself around players he pushed to become better men, respectful of authority, and become a credit to their families and society.
“When I coached him, he was undersized but made up for it with his heart and intelligence,” Randall said of Wade. “He wasn’t a Marcus Spears (who starred at LSU and with the Dallas Cowboys), but Byron was a vocal leader. He had a lot of energy, was fiery all of the time.
“He shared with me what he was going through, which meant a lot to me to even think that he thought of me,” Randall said. “You always wonder if you’re making an impact on someone, if you’re appreciated by the things you do. I tell people all the time that I’m not the smartest, but I’m smart enough to know how to get out of the way and let people do things, and Byron Wade was one of them.”
The four-month process of regaining control of his life provided its share of challenges, Wade said.
With the Glen Oaks’ spring semester underway, Wade was on campus, building a football program he would lead in the fall.
“Everything was more of a mental strain,” he said. “You don’t know what’s on the other side of what you’re going through. You lean on your faith. I’m a faith-based guy. I believe in God. I’ve been resilient and have been able to overcome many obstacles in my life. I felt this could be worse.
“I have an opportunity,” he said. “It’s about how much I’m willing to take on whatever challenges. I have a resilient state of mind. It goes back to that I may not be the exact same, but I’ll be here to live and impact my sons. If someone would have told me last year that I would be the head coach at any school, I would have said no.”
From his initial introductory meeting with the team, parents and community leaders, Randall believes Wade has been a home run hire.
The Panthers’ roster numbers have increased along with the players’ accountability on and off the field.
“It’s a great fit,” Randall said. “It’s a collective effort of what it should look like, what it should be. We’ve had a coach-player relationship, and then it went to a colleague relationship. He’s my real friend.”
Wade said he didn’t believe he was necessarily suited for coaching.
“I didn’t feel like I was cut out for it,” he said, completing his undergraduate degree in mass communication.
His dad’s example, though, loomed large, and upon graduation from Southern in 2009, Wade approached then-Capitol High coach Chad Germany for a break into coaching.
Wade grew up an avid fan of Capitol High because of the influence of his father and some of his uncles, who were graduates of the school and had played for LHSAA Hall of Fame coach Roman Bates (225 wins in 35 years).
Wade was a defensive backs coach for one season with the Lions, and when Germany left for Southern, he coached defensive backs for a season at False River Academy.
That was followed by a move to Belaire High, where Wade coached defensive backs for head coach Keith Woods for three seasons. With the arrival of his first son, Wade opted to focus on fatherhood and taught at Park Forest School, where, after the departure of its head coach, he became the head coach and led Park Forest to an undefeated season and middle school championship in 2015.
The association of Randall and Wade worked for three years at Baker when Wade got his break in 2020 with the first head coaching position at Belaire that lasted for seasons. He then joined Edwards’ staff at Istrouma, where the job responsibilities grew in nature once Edwards campaigned to become mayor-president.
“Sid Edwards didn’t know he was going to win and become mayor,” Wade said. “We didn’t know he was going to run. I was brought there to succeed him. The year he won, I was pretty much running the show in his absence for the campaign.”
When Istrouma chose Brian Glover as its next head coach, Wade took the decision in stride until months later, when he was stunned by his cancer diagnosis.
“I wasn’t hired for whatever reason and have no ill will,” Wade said. “I took that year off (from coaching). I also want to become a principal (Wade has a master’s in education from Southern) and became the dean of students at (Melrose) elementary school.”
Wade took over in the lead role of Glen Oaks’ football program in March.
If there was anything Wade gained from Edwards’ playbook on how to build a program, it was how to develop pride and enthusiasm in what was being constructed.
Edwards promoted Istrouma’s zip code – 70805 – which became prominently displayed on anything associated with the program.
Wade’s adopted a similar method, displaying the Glen Oaks community’s zip code – 70811/7082 – to give players something tangible to play for beyond themselves. It also stimulated supporters to take ownership of the team, which has led to taking on a relationship that’s deeper than the school’s red, white, and black colors.
“People could see what was going on,” he said.
Something else that enticed Wade about taking over at Glen Oaks came after redistricting District 6-3A, where the Panthers would be matched with Baker, Belaire, Istrouma and Mentorship Academy. Gone, at least for two years, were juggernauts Parkview Baptist, Madison Prep, University High and West Feliciana – schools with state championships to their credit.
“Now, there’s nobody I walk into a stadium against and pretty much predict what the outcome is going to be,” Wade said. “I was enthused about that, but the district’s advantageous for all schools.”
Instead of bypassing the window for spring football and moving those practices to the start of fall practice in late July, Glen Oaks conducted a modified version of spring, complete with a spring game.
An earlier matchup with East Feliciana was scrapped in order to face Southern Lab, something Wade believes was more beneficial mentally for his team.
“That was a turning point for me,” he said. “Southern Lab competes for state championships every two or three years. I knew they would present a challenge for us. We had seven days of spring practice. We couldn’t teach all that we wanted to teach. I wanted to know who was going to show up.
“After the game, I asked the guys if we survived, was everybody still living?” he said. “However bad or good it was perceived, the goal was to survive. We left with self-respect and took that into the offseason. We looked at the mistakes on film. What our strengths and weaknesses were and what we had to target to improve.”
With a background for putting together solid offenses together, Wade couldn’t help but notice the potential his team would have for big plays. His power spread approach could take advantage of the Panthers’ speed on the perimeter and the ability to turn short passes into long gains.
Sophomore quarterback Jyrus Reado will be a first-year starter but was a consistent performer in the summer, exhibiting sharp leadership skills and play-making ability. Junior running back Carderious Jackson has game-breaking talent and is someone Reado will look to target.
“We have to get it to those playmakers in open space,” Wade said.
The Panthers also have two-way standout, sophomore wide receiver/cornerback Melvin Tickles, who has already received a scholarship offer from Georgia State, and senior running back/linebacker Trevion Whitehead, who is looking to bounce back after a torn Achilles in 2025.
“Kids don’t care what you know until they know that you care,” said Wade, who purchased new game uniforms to further motivate his team. “That was my primary focus. I needed to show the kids that were already here. I wanted them to understand that I loved them. We wanted them to reciprocate what this staff is willing to do for them by doing what’s expected. That’s something we’re still building towards.”
Team-building moments, such as spending time away from the field together, and a trip to Blue Bayou Water Park for a photo shoot, have deepened the connection between players.
Wade’s coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Devan Shropshire and defensive coordinator Sean Beauchamp, a former head coach at the school, have worked to reinforce those bonds throughout the preseason. The team got its first test in a home scrimmage against J.S. Clark on Aug. 20 and will return to action in a jamboree against Capitol at Southern’s Mumford Stadium on Aug. 28 at approximately 8:30 p.m.
The Panthers host Tara in their season opener Sept. 4 at 7 o’clock.
“It’s going to be an emotional time for me,” Wade said. “The first time I have the opportunity to hear the band, and smell the grass, to be on a Friday Night Lights atmosphere, it’s going to be emotional for me. We cannot make any excuses to not overcome obstacles in our way.”