More Than a Coach

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by Michael Edens

I am not much on writing articles but I will try to articulate why Coach Ayers was so important in shaping the lives of teaching boys to become great men.

First the facts: (taken from an article published by the Spartanburg Herald Newspaper on December 13^th, 2017).

• “Wofford this year won its fifth Southern Conference championship since 2003 and made an eighth FCS postseason appearance, ending a 10-3 campaign Saturday in the Elite Eight against North Dakota State.  Ayers, 69, has more wins than any other football coach in Southern Conference history. Earlier this season, he surpassed the 200-victory mark at Wofford and he finished with 218, including three years at East Tennessee State. He was head coach for the longest period of time in any sport at Wofford, far surpassing the 19 seasons by Gene Alexander with the basketball team (1958-77).
• In 2003, when the Terriers won 12 straight games to reach the national semifinals, Ayers received the Eddie Robinson Award as NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) coach of the year. He was Southern Conference coach of the year five times (2000, 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2010).

Image from Wofford Athletics

• Ayers was second on the active list for FCS victories and also second in tenure, behind only Jimmye Laycock, who just finished his 38th season at William & Mary. Ayers is third on the all-time wins list, behind Laycock and Roy Kidd, who had 225 wins at Eastern Kentucky from 1978-2002. With a victory earlier this season at home against Chattanooga, Ayers passed longtime (1989-2012) coach and good friend Jerry Moore of Appalachian State (215 wins) to become the all-time leader in the Southern Conference.
• Ayers, a native of Georgetown, Ky., was a two-way starter at linebacker (all-district) and offensive tackle at Georgetown College, where he also played baseball as a catcher and competed in wrestling and gymnastics. He served in the Marines and then began his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater in 1974. He joined the staff at Newberry in 1976, Richmond in 1979 and Wofford in 1980. Ayers went to ETSU in1983, was named head coach two years later and then returned to take over the Wofford program in 1988.
• Ayers inherited a team that was 1-10 the previous year and had scored just 87 points all season. Wofford won half its games in Ayers’ first campaign and made the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1990. The Terriers moved up to Division I and joined the Southern Conference in 1997.”

Image from Wofford Athletics

Now, the part that you can’t get from a newspaper or bio.

In 1994, Coach Ayers took a chance on a slow fullback from an independent school in Columba, SC (Hammond School) and offered me a scholarship to play for him at Wofford.  I humbly accepted the offer and it forever changed me. He taught me how to accept challenges and adversity head on and to never ever quit.  He demanded your very best on the field and in the classroom.  Although most professors at Wofford allowed three unexcused absences from class, he allowed zero.  He made every player sit in the first two rows of class and you were expected to participate in class discussions.  After all, you were there to get an education.  We were made to report all tests or exams prior to taking them and then report your grade once you received it back.  He held everyone accountable but most importantly he held himself accountable to his players, assistant coaches, and the school.

One of the things I so appreciate about Coach Ayers, is that once you have graduated from Wofford, he is not done with you.  We have kept up since my graduation in 1998 and still do to this day.  He truly loves his players and his players love him back. A few years back, one of our former teammates was killed in a car wreck.  Coach Ayers came to the funeral and gave the eulogy.  It was very tough on him and it showed with his emotions.  He 100% cares and loves his players.

I could go on and on but I guess what I am trying to say is, it’s not just the incredible accomplishments on this man’s resume above, but the man he is off the field that makes him so special.

Michael is a proud Terrier who played for the legendary Mike Ayers. Few are as passionate about Wofford football as Michael, which he hopes to show in his submission.