Wolverine History: The 1975 Football Team That Started a Dynasty
A Woodruff Times history piece looks back at the 1975 Wolverines, who came back to beat Bamberg-Ehrhardt 21-14 for the first of seven state football titles between 1975 and 1984.
The Woodruff Times piece "The Cornerstone of a Dynasty," published December 1, 2021, looks back at the 1975 Woodruff football team. Here is our summary.
By 1975 coach Willie Varner had already won state titles in 1956, 1957 and 1965, and his teams had lost state finals in 1963, 1968 and 1972. After a 6-6 season in 1974 that ended with a 12-0 playoff loss to Chapin, sophomores Frankie Walker and Keith Littlefield vowed to bring the program back to the top.
The 1975 team started 2-2 after close losses to Clinton and Newberry, then won out to finish 8-2 and take the region. In the playoffs Woodruff beat Chesnee, Ware Shoals and Fort Mill, 21-16 in the semifinal, to reach the final against Bamberg-Ehrhardt. Trailing 14-7 with under seven minutes left, Varner turned to Walker, who rallied the offense. Bruce Hayes caught the go-ahead touchdown pass, the only reception of his season, and Woodruff won 21-14.
The article presents that title as the first of seven state championships the program won between 1975 and 1984, and notes that the stadium was renamed W.L. Varner Stadium in May 1975. Walker, Littlefield and Keith Garrett were later inducted into the Woodruff Football Hall of Fame.
Read the full piece at The Woodruff Times through the source link.