It Takes a Village: The Volunteers and Staff Behind Woodruff's Athletic Tradition

The Woodruff Times, in a story published August 7, 2021 as the twelfth and final part of its "Moments That Changed Wolverine History" series, profiles the people who built Woodruff High School's athletic success away from the spotlight. Here is our summary.

Clyde "Ham" Werner became Woodruff's first recreation director in the early 1960s. He started youth football and basketball programs and took kids to college games, often paying their way in, and he worked alongside Coach Willie Varner until his death in 1984.

Betty Kelly and Dwayne Kelly built the first real athletic booster club in the 1970s. Betty led it for nearly a decade, raising money for uniforms, equipment and team travel.

Randy Grant became the varsity football statistician in 1979 when Varner asked him to take the job, charting games by hand. He took over fully in 1982, stepped away in 1996 and returned in 2006, and has kept the stats for 35 seasons, not counting 2020.

Dr. Guy Blakely opened a medical practice in Woodruff in 1963 and spent about 25 years treating players on the sideline. He is remembered for giving physicals at no charge.

Milton Smith became the public address announcer in 1968 after being asked on short notice to fill in, and has called games for 54 seasons. The press box at Varner Stadium, rebuilt in 2009 after a fire, carries his name.

John Gwinn, a journalist and publisher, served as the main media contact for Coach Varner. Mike Boyter was the team's videographer from 1971 to 1996 and helped record team history through interviews. Duane Thompson, a former Woodruff player who went on to play in college, came back to coach football and lead the track and field program for about 15 years.

The story also revisits Varner's career and the 1968 state championship game, and closes by arguing that the program's success rests on the many people who support it.

Read the full story, with photos and more detail, at The Woodruff Times using the link below.