[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 133 (Thursday, November 18, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2034]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO COACH WILLIE JEFFRIES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 17, 2004

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
trailblazer, an athletic legend and a dear friend--Coach Willie 
Jeffries. Coach Jeffries has dedicated much of his extraordinary career 
to my alma mater, South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South 
Carolina. But his impact has been felt far beyond that campus.
  Coach Jeffries is a man of humble beginnings. He was born in Union, 
South Carolina. His widowed mother raised him in a two-room house in 
this segregated Southern town. Earning money by working various jobs at 
the local white-only country club, he got to see how the other side 
lived.
  He graduated from South Carolina State University with a Bachelor's 
degree in civil engineering and a Master's degree in guidance and 
counseling. Having played football and baseball for the historically 
black college, Coach Jeffries secured coaching jobs at segregated high 
schools in Lancaster and Gaffney, South Carolina. After compiling a 
six-year 65-7-2 record with three consecutive state AAA championships, 
North Carolina A&T came calling with an assistant coach's job, which 
started Coach Jeffries in college coaching. He was next lured to 
Pittsburgh as an assistant coach. There he tasted coaching against big-
time college football schools such as Florida State, UCLA and West 
Virginia.
  But when his alma mater sought him out, the 36-year-old Coach 
Jeffries jumped at the chance to come home and lead his beloved 
Bulldogs. In six seasons as his alma mater's head coach, he compiled a 
50-13-4 record and became a hot prospect for other head coaching 
positions. It was an offer from Wichita State in Kansas that enticed 
Coach Jeffries to leave S.C. State. It was historic. Coach Jeffries 
became the first African American to serve as the head football coach 
of a predominantly white university. At Wichita State, he led a team 
that had lost 14 of its last 15 seasons to an 8-3 season after four 
years of rebuilding. After five years, he left the program, which later 
folded, and became the head coach for Howard University, where he spent 
another five years.
  In 1989, another tug from S.C. State brought Coach Jeffries back to 
the place where his love of football began. He coached another 13 
years, before retiring following the 2001 season to become the Director 
of Athletic Fund Raising for the Bulldogs. During his 29-year coaching 
career, Coach Jeffries amassed a 179-132-6 record. This tremendous 
record included six Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) 
championships, two national titles, several post-season appearances, 
and numerous coaching awards. He holds the title for the most wins of 
any S.C. State coach and the most MEAC victories.

  Coach Jeffries has been inducted into the South Carolina State 
University Athletic Hall of Fame, the South Carolina Athletic Hall of 
Fame and the MEAC Hall of Fame. He has been honored with South 
Carolina's Order of the Silver Crescent, the state's highest award for 
community service. He has received the Black Coaches' Association with 
a lifetime achievement award and is enshrined in the Palmetto State's 
Black Hall of Fame. Since 2002, he has served on the NCAA Football 
Rules Committee.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in commending 
Coach Willie Jeffries for his extraordinary contributions and courage. 
His is a legendary football coach that has touched many lives on and 
off the playing field. He is an inspiration to young people who aspire 
to rise above their current circumstances and even break barriers. This 
humble man from humble beginnings is a role model, a resilient leader, 
and a renowned motivator. In short, Coach Willie Jeffries is a national 
treasure.

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