By Betsy Finklea
Two men with Dillon ties are among eight members of the SC State 1981 NFL Draft Class who will be honored on Saturday, July 19 on the campus of SC State University in Orangeburg.
Charlie Brown, who is an assistant coach with the Dillon High School football team, and John Alford, a native of Dillon and the first Dillon High School player to be drafted to the NFL, will be among the honorees.
SC State had eight players who went to the NFL in 1981. Five were drafted and three were free agents. Combined, they played 38 seasons in the NFL. A South Carolina House Resolution in their honor states that combined “these outstanding Bulldogs played in an impressive four Super Bowls, three NFC Championships, three AFC Championships, and two Pro Bowls, and their record was the best in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), as well as for all historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU). Further, the SCSU 1981 NFL draft class remains, to this day, number one, rising above all other MEAC colleges or universities, according to the numbers, participation, and accomplishments in this draft class, since the MEAC Conference was formed to play, and compete in, football in 1970.”
Charlie Brown said he thought having all of the talent that they had in that class “all boils down to recruiting.” He played for Coach Willie Jeffries and Coach Bill Davis. He said at that time all of the coaches recruited. They recruited in Florida and Georgia, where there was lots of great talent, North Carolina, Washington, and of course, South Carolina.
The eight players in this class included Charlie Brown – Wide receiver, John’s Island, S.C. (8th round, Washington Redskins); John Alford – Defensive tackle, Dillon, S.C. (12th round, Miami Dolphins); Robert Geathers Sr. – Defensive tackle, Georgetown, S.C. (3rd round, Buffalo Bills); Edwin Bailey – Offensive guard, Savannah, Ga. (5th round, Seattle Seahawks; William Judson – Defensive back, Atlanta, Ga. (8th round, Miami Dolphins); Angelo King – Linebacker, Columbia, S.C. (free agent, Dallas Cowboys); Leroy Robinson – Offensive tackle, Wadmalaw Island, S.C. (free agent, Philadelphia Eagles); and Chris Ragland – Running back, Indianapolis, Indiana (free agent, Washington Redskins).
Brown said the S.C. State Team was the first team in the State of South Carolina to win a National Championship in football, and they did it back-to-back. The team has four NFL Hall of Famers.
Brown said for 44 years this class has been the best in the FCS Division 1 AA and the best in the NFC. The class is part of the rich history of S.C. State Football.
Brown wanted to see the entire class inducted into the MEAC Hall of Fame, the South Carolina Hall of Fame, and the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.
Brown pushed for recognition for this class and spoke to Rep. Wendell Gilliard, who had a resolution passed on the House Floor. This resolution will be presented at the program on Saturday. Brown hopes that this recognition of this team’s accomplishments can serve to motivate and inspire the next generation.
Brown played at S.C. State from 1976-1980. He was drafted in the eighth round in 1981 by the Washington Redskins but was injured so he actually started playing in 1982. He played in back-to-back Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl 17, and two Pro Bowls in 1983 and 1984.
Brown still holds the Washington Redskins Rookie record for touchdowns, and this was in a season when only 9 games were played due to the fact that 1982 was a strike year. Sixteen games are played now yet the record has not been broken.
Brown was the first Washington Redskins Pro Bowl receiver in 1983 since Charlie Taylor in 1975. Brown said he is the only wide receiver in NFL history to play in Back-To-Back Super Bowls and Pro Bowl in his first two NFL seasons.
After four years as a Washington Redskin, Brown played for three years in Atlanta. He then spent one year as the AFC Pro Coordinator of Scouting.
Brown has numerous accomplishments including: College-2 times All MEAC, 3 times Black National Champions, Division 1AA Best Game in 1980 with 11 receptions, 280 yards, and two touchdowns. His college career average yards per catch was 28.6. He was a Black College All-Star Game Alternate and had four MEAC championships. He is a member of the S.C. State University Athletic Hall of Fame, the South Carolina State 1976 Team Hall of Famer, South Carolina State Health and Physical Education Hall of Famer, the South Carolina State University All Centennial Team, the St. John’s High School Athletic Hall of Fame, the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, the MEAC Hall of Fame, and the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame. He was All Pro, the Readers Digest NFC Rookie of the Year, and the NFL All Rookie Team.
After the NFL, he started teaching and coaching in Georgia. Eventually, he ended up in Florence, where he ran a formal wear store and met his lovely wife, Tonya.
These days, Brown is an assistant coach with the Dillon High School football team. He says the Dillon team has a great deal of talent, and he praised Coach Kevin Roller for the great job he does with the team. He is really proud of Za Robertson, who caught his attention when he was in the eighth grade. He said Za is a fast learner who wants to be good, but Brown encourages him to strive to be great.
His advice to kids who want to play college ball is to have a good head on your shoulders, never forget where you came from, education is number one, keep God in your life, take football like it is a serious business with no days off, have a great attitude, be self-disciplined, and don’t be outworked. He said to remember the five P’s—”Poor Preparation Prevents Poor Participation.”
For those kids who make it and who want to play in the pros, Brown said the same rules apply, but to expect the game to be much faster, be able to make decisions at the snap of a finer, and you can’t be afraid of anybody. He said you have to want to be great and work for it and set goals.
Brown said he too came out of South Carolina, and he wasn’t the biggest guy on the team at 5’9” and 150 lbs. He said some people thought he was the “water boy,” but it was his hard work, skills, and toughness that set him apart. He said football is a lot of hard work, luck, and one has to love the weight room. “Football is about seconds and inches,” Brown said.
John Alford, a Dillon native, will also be honored on Saturday. Alford came out of Dillon in 1977 and played under Coach Paul Chapman, but it was a young coach named Ray Rogers, who is now the Dillon District Four Superintendent, who first recognized his talent and had an impact on his life. He said when he was in sixth grade Ray Rogers was a position coach. He said Rogers told him that if would keep his grades up, he could play pro ball one day. He said Rogers saw that potential in him back then at an early age, but his mother didn’t want him to play. He told his mother what Rogers had told him. She let him play, but told him he better make the pros or she would “whip his tail.” He recalled Coach Faulkenberry and Coach Daniels as others who had an impact on him. Alford said he is the first player at Dillon High School to be drafted into the NFL. He has never been recognized by the school for this accomplishment, but it would mean a great deal to him. At SC State, he was named the 1980 Defensive Player of the Year. He led the SC State team in tackles in 1980. He was an All MEAC first team honoree. He was also chosen for the Black College All-Star team. Alford also was a member of the wrestling team at SC State. He was drafted in the 12th round by the Miami Dolphins. In 1982, he went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then went to the USFL to the Philadelphia Stars.
Alford is in the SC State Athletic Hall of Fame and is a member of the university’s Centennial football team and was inducted into the MEAC Hall of Fame. After football, he had a successful career with UPS. He currently lives in West Columbia.
Alford said this recognition on Saturday will be a great moment for a record that has never been broken since in HCBU schools. It has taken 44 years for this team to receive recognition.
Among the others who will be recognized are:
–Robert Geathers, Sr., a defensive tackle, who was drafted in the third round by the Buffalo Bills. He was All MEAC, a black college All-American Honorable Mention, a three-time Black National Champions, and four MEAC Championships. He was inducted into the SC State University Hall of Fame, the SC State University All Centennial Team, SC State 1976 Team Hall of Fame. He was on the Buffalo Bills team for two years and had a career-ending injury. He has three sons who played in the NFL at the same time: Robert Geathers, Jr. of the Cincinnati Bengals, Clifton Geathers of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Kwame Geathers of the San Diego Chargers.
–Edwin Bailey, an offensive guard, drafted in the fifth round by the Seattle Seahawks. He was three times All MEAC, a two times Black National Champion, a two times Black College All-American, an AFCA 1-AA All American, and three MEAC Championships. He is a member of the SC State University Athletic Hall of Fame, the South Carolina State University All Centennial Team, SC Athletic Hall of Fame, Tompkins High School Hall of Fame, Savannah Hall of Fame, Georgia Hall of Fame, and MEAC Hall of Fame. He had an 11-year career in the NFL, played in the AFC Championship in 1983, and started 120 of the 130 games he played in the NFL.
–William Judson, cornerback, drafted in the eighth round by the Miami Dolphins. He was 3 times ALL MEAC, a Black College All-American, a two-time Black National Champion, and 3 MEAC Championships. He had a 10-year career in the NFL with nine years with the Miami Dolphins and one year with the Detroit Lions. He had 19 Super Bowl appearances. He was voted the Miami Dolphins Best Defensive Back four times, started 103 consecutive games, had 24 career interceptions (two that were returned for touchdowns), and was voted the Miami Dolphins Top 100 Players of All-Time.
–Angelo King, linebacker, free agent Dallas Cowboys, He was 3 times All MEAC, 2 time Black National Champions, SBN Black College All-American, AP Honorable Mention Little All-American, Black College All-Star Game, and three MEAC Championships. He is a member of the SC State All Centennial Team, and was inducted into the SC State Athletic Hall of Fame. He had a seven year career-three with the Dallas Cowboys and four with the Detroit Lions, and played in the 1982 NFC Championship Game.
–Leroy Robinson, Offensive Tackle, Free Agent Philadelphia Eagles. His college accomplishments include 3 times All MEAC, 3 times Black National Champions, Black College All-American Honorable Mention, and 3 MEAC Championships. He is in the SC State University Athletic Hall of Fame, SC State University All Centennial Team, and SC State 1976 Team Hall of Fame. He was on the Philadelphia Eagle (Injured Reserve Roster 1982), on the USFL Washington Federals in 1983-1984, and the Oklahoma Outlaws (Injured Reserve Roster 1985).
–Chris Ragland, running back, free agent 1981 Washington Redskins. His college accomplishments include 2 times All MEAC, 3 times Black National Champions, Sheraton Black College All-Star Game, SBN Black College All-American, four MEAC Championships, SCSU Presidential Award (All-Around Athlete), South Carolina All State College Football Team, and set a new single season rushing record of 1,394 in 1979. His NFL accomplishments include free agent 1981 Washington Redskins, Free Agent Tryout 1982 Denver Broncos, and Free Agent Tryout 1982 Cincinnati Bengals.
