Jeffries paved the way

COACH WILLIE JEFFRIES

UNION, South Carolina  — Willie Jeffries is more than a legend, he’s a trailblazer, a role model and a pioneer who set the stage for many black men in the sports world. During a time when segregation was the law of the land, the former Union County resident broke down the racial barriers. He accepted a position at Wichita State University in 1979, becoming the first African-American head football coach to lead a NCAA Division I school.

Although it was a new concept for a black man to call shots, Jeffries said he had no trouble earning the respect of his peers and players.

“Most people in the world will treat you in accordance with the way you present yourself,” Jeffries said during an interview with the Union Daily Times in 2010. “When we went to play in Kansas, the people treated us royally. Those were great people. There were times in Kansas when there weren’t any black people at all, but when we went in to recruit they were very respectful and cordial.”

During his first collegiate head coaching assignment in 1973, Jeffries turned a floundering South Carolina State program around, going 50-13-4 in six seasons, before leaving for Wichita State. Five years after making his historic trek at Wichita State, Jeffries returned to the MEAC in 1984 as Head Coach at Howard University. After five years, Jeffries made his way back to South Carolina State, his alma mater, for a second tenure in 1989. In 2001, he retired from coaching after 29 years as the winningest coach in the school’s history.

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