Whitey Rawl

Whitey Rawl
Biographical details
Born(1904-12-09)December 9, 1904
Lexington County, South Carolina
DiedAugust 12, 1980(1980-08-12) (aged 75)
Orangeburg County, South Carolina
Playing career
1925–1927Furman
Position(s)Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1932–1933South Carolina (assistant)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
SIAA (as player, 1927)
Awards
Furman Athletics Hall of Fame

Fred Brooker "Whitey" Rawl (December 9, 1904 – August 12, 1980) was a college football player and coach. He also played basketball, baseball and track. He was a prominent quarterback for coach Billy Laval's Furman Purple Hurricane of Furman University,[1] called the "siege gun" of the Furman backfield;[2] leading Furman to a 23–5–1 record over his tenure. The 1927 team won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association and was the only team to defeat NC State.[3] In a defeat over The Citadel, Rawl ran 56 yards for the game's only touchdown.[4] He also starred in a victory over Mercer.[5] Rawl was later a backfield coach under Laval for the South Carolina Gamecocks.[6]

Rawl told The Columbia Record in 1961 that opponents thought "Laval was either cheating or crazy... Nobody ever seemed to figure out which, but we beat 'em."[7] Rawl was inducted into the Furman Athletics Hall of Fame in 1982.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Writer Recalls Golden Moments". The Sumter Daily Item. September 1, 1966.
  2. ^ "Furman Trims Miami Eleven". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. January 3, 1928.
  3. ^ "Backfield Quartet Purple Hurricane Furman University". The Index-Journal. October 30, 1927. p. 6. Retrieved September 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ Fuzzy Woodruff (1928). A History of Southern Football, 1890-1928. p. 186.
  5. ^ Robert E. Wilder (2011). Gridiron Glory Days: Football at Mercer, 1892-1942. ISBN 9780881462678.
  6. ^ "The Gamecock - University of South Carolina". sc-newspapers.sc.edu. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
  7. ^ Morris: Laval knew how to win, no matter the sport, The State, November 15, 2009.
  8. ^ "Furman". Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.