Athletics
Hall of Fame & History
2024 Hall of Fame Inductees

1977 Football Team

The 1977 varsity football team had a standout season, finishing with an impressive 9-1 record and outscoring their opponents 203-82. The team’s notable victory came against the Woodberry Forest Tigers in a snowy Hummel Bowl, breaking a 24-game, three-year winning streak with a score of 14-9. This win was particularly significant as Episcopal had not beaten the Tigers since 1970.

Assistant coach Bud Cox ’71 praised head coach Ed Rice for his leadership and vision, which he believed was crucial in transforming the team into a powerhouse. “Without Ed as their leader, this group of extraordinarily gifted football players/athletes would most likely not have developed into the eventual powerhouse they did,” Cox wrote in his nomination letter. “His vision for them, a consistently fierce and persistent combination of force and field identification, came from careful and thoughtful preparation.” The meticulous preparation and strategic planning started in the spring of 1977 and continued through the summer and early practices.

Over 10 players continued their football careers in college, including Lee Shaffer III ’78, who earned a spot in the Episcopal’s Hall of Fame in 1998, Brooks Barwick III ’79, and Jeff Pierce ’78, who starred at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Quintie Smith V ’79 played at Princeton, and Martin Cornelson ’79 competed at North Carolina State University. Under Rice’s leadership, the team dominated throughout the season, with their only loss being a close 14-18 game against St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School. The 1977 EHS football team’s dominance is a remarkable example of athletic excellence and strategic coaching, an infinite source of pride for the School during that time.

The 1977 team was renowned for its fierceness and intensity, as noted by various articles and coaches who described them as the hardest-hitting team they had ever seen. “Led by Hall of Fame inductee Lee Shaffer ’78 and several other outstanding players, the ’77 team embraced the intensity and ferocity described by observers,” assistant coach Jim Farrar Jr. ’70 said. “This identity, combined with the athleticism and skills of the team members, made the ’77 team a very formidable opponent and helped fuel its 9-1 record.”

Coaching Staff
William Ruffin Cox III '71, assistant coach
James DuBois Farrar Jr. '70, assistant coach
Edward Adams Rice, head coach

Members
Frank Bradley Gray Jr. '78*
Samuel Archer Green Jr. '78*
Alexander Jennette Johnston '78*
Oscar Nelson III '79
Richard J. Perry Jr. '79
Isaac Mayo Read III '80
Harry Smith Redmon III '79
James M. Rice III '80
James Edward Walsh III '78
Martin Simon Paul Wright '80
Jon Beard Ammons '79
Harry J. Archer III '78
Milton A. Barber IV '78
Hugh Brooks Barwick III '79
W. David Broadwell '78
Edward Laurance Brown '79
James Felix Clardy Jr. '78
William Owen Cooper '79
Martin Shaw Cornelson '79
Charles Stillwell Craighill '79
John Stewart Lucas Fleming '80
Hargrave A. Garrison Jr. '78
Frank Brown Holding Jr. '79
David Jervey Ingle '80
James Devereux Joslin '80
John Frederick Langhammer '78
David Poole Largey Jr. '78
George Welch Liles Jr. '78
Marshall Brent Lister '79
Gordon DuBose Lowman '79
Dr. John Bohannon Mason '79
Bailey W. Patrick '79
Dr. Robert Archer Pierce II '78
Eric Cooper Rowland '79
Jack Benton Salt Jr. '78
B. Daniel Sapp Jr. '79*
John Milton Sayler Jr. '79
Lee Philip Shaffer III '78
George William King Smith '80
Isaac Noyes Smith V '79
Presley A. L. Smith '80
C. J. Steuart Thomas III '79
James Barrett Wellford '80
William Murray Wilshire III '80
Charles McKimmon Winston Jr. '78
Joseph Redmond Woodside '78

*deceased
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