Barry Corbin as Whitey Durham
Brian "Whitey" Durham of
One Tree Hill is played by Barry Corbin. A long time coach of the team Ravens of Tree Hill High, Whitey is considered a father figure to most of his players, whom he considers as his own children. He never had kids of his own, as his wife died during an operation. He is close to two of his players, Lucas Scott and Jake Jagielski. Lucas' father, Dan Scott, was also one of his previous players. He is also friends with Dan's brother, Keith.
In season 1, Whitey was recruiting for his team because several players were suspended for drunk driving. Keith introduced Lucas to Whitey, who saw how good Lucas was at playing, and thus recruited him into the team. That year, the team never lost a game, and Whitey was counting on a championship. However, he had to leave the team temporarily because he was to go through an eye operation. He left the team to a scheming Dan Scott, who let a harmed Lucas to play, thus leading the Ravens to lose the game and the championship as well.
Season 2 showed more of the fatherly side of Whitey, despite the end of the basketball season. He was still there for his players, and served as a role model for them. In season 3, Whitey tried to patch things up between Nathan, Haley and Lucas since the three had a conflict which began in the previous season. Moreover, he refused to let the players practice in the school court as punishment for not doing their best at the start of the season. He also helped Lucas and Karen move on from the tragic murder of Keith.
In season 4, Whitey was forced to recruit Skills Taylor into the team as Lucas played the same trick Keith played on him to get Whitey to recruit Lucas. The Ravens consequently won the championship, a victory that overcame the past defeat that lingered with Whitey in the last 19 years. He also became a collegiate coach so that Nathan could get a college basketball scholarship.
(Photo courtesy of The CW)