Carl "Red" Boyd/Notes
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In the prep football landscape that once thrived at Toccoa High School, there was Carl Willard “Red” Boyd and then there was everybody else. Yet, football was the last thing on people’s minds when he died suddenly in the summer of 1965. For the ex-Marine, who passed away at age 43, accomplished far more as an educator, a molder of young men and a community activist than he did as a gladiator on the gridiron. “People seldom realize what a person means to them and to their community until this person has passed away,” then-current Purple Hurricane football player Dan Minish wrote in his heart-on-his-sleeve tribute in The Toccoa Record entitled, ‘All of Toccoa Will Miss Coach Boyd.’ “Such is the case of ‘Red’ Boyd, head coach and athletic director of Toccoa High School for the past 17 years. Not only will the people of Toccoa mourn the loss of Coach Boyd, but former players and friends from all over the country will indeed mourn his passing.” Even as a teenager, Minish realized it wasn’t the victories that mattered so much; it was just being around Boyd that was the most important thing. “Coach Boyd dealt with over 2,000 boys and girls in football baseball, boy’s and girl’s basketball, and golf,” he observed. “Being a player on one of Coach’s teams was an experience they will never forget. He was more than just a coach, he was a great friend to all who knew him. He loved young people and cared about the kinds of lives they were making for themselves. “Being a member of the Discipline Committee for the past several years, he went to bat for many boys to get them out of trouble and give them a second chance.” Boyd, for instance, accompanied a local troop of Boy Scouts on a canoe trip to Canada. He also served as a chaperone on the senior trip. He and his wife also found time to be managers of the municipal swimming pool and the youth center. Three weeks after his death, the City of Toccoa went to the unusual length of approving a formal resolution to honor Boyd. It read in part: “Whereas, Coach Carl Willard Boyd has proved an invaluable asset to the City of Toccoa and the people of this community during the sixteen years he has lived here, and … “Whereas, he has trained many young people for service to this community by influencing the molding of said young people’s character, and … “Whereas, he has been a valuable teacher and member of the faculty of Toccoa City Schools, and… “Whereas, he will be missed not only for his athletic prowess but also for his sense of community pride and dedicated loyalty to the City of Toccoa, and … “Whereas, the objective of this Commission is to better our town and community and Coach Carl William Boyd’s influence helped to achieve this objective, and … “Therefore, be it resolved by the city commission of Toccoa, Georgia, that it acknowledges with pride its immeasurable indebtedness to Coach Carl Willard Boyd for his many community services, and … “Be it further resolved that because of his lasting influence on the character of the youth of our community that the commission acknowledges its respect for this beloved man by making this tribute a part of the city’s records and that this be read in the minutes of the meeting.” One would never glean that Boyd was once a multi-sport athlete for his hometown high school in Dalton or that he would play a key role in one of the University of Georgia’s biggest-ever bowl victories in its formative years. Segue back to 1942. World War II had wrought substantial changes on the homefront, but it seemed business as usual in the college football trenches, although many able-bodied men of college age had been drafted or had enlisted. Defending champion Minnesota seemed poised for another solid season. Ohio State, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame seemed ready to challenge for a national title. And the University of Georgia Bulldogs, despite the protestations of head coach Wallace Butts, looked like they would field one of the classiest units in the South. Halfback Frankie Sinkwich, the 1941 Heisman Trophy winner, was returning for his senior year. His understudy, Charley Trippi, was a sophomore but he showed signs of having the same gifts as his mentor. The line, from end to end, was relatively raw but stout, and Georgia proved it was for real by reeling off victories against Kentucky, Jacksonville, Furman and Ole Miss to begin the season. Things were falling into place, but Boyd found himself in a battle with Bulldog Williams for the starting slot at right tackle and the jury switched back and forth as to which player could best advance the Bulldogs’ title aspirations. Boyd seemed to have the inside track against Tulane in the Bulldogs’ fifth game of the season, reported the Red and Black, the University of Georgia’s campus newspaper. Yet, Boyd remained an unheralded lineman for the Bulldogs … until the first day of the following year. The Georgia Bulldogs rolled up nine straight victories — and a No. 1 rating — before they fell 27-13 to Auburn. They righted the ship with an overpowering victory over Georgia Tech in their season finale, and they were the overwhelming favorites to defeat UCLA. in the Rose Bowl. Head coach Jeff Cravath, whose University of Southern California team had played both Oho State and UCLA, told the Associated Press: “This one figures to be Georgia all the way. If (UCLA coach) Babe Horrell can come up with a winner he deserves to be called the miracle coach of the year. I am not trying to alibi for him. I know his material pretty well, but I also have seen Georgia work. There is no question but that Wally Butts has the better material and the records show he has made the most of it. I’d like to see UCLA win. but I pick Georgia, unhesitatingly.” Things changed dramatically on the eve of the game, however. Butts announced Sinkwich suffered a new ankle injury less than a week earlier in a signal drill. Butts said Sinkwich’s injury was so painful that his star would see only limited duty. United Press Sports Editor Leo H. Petersen wrote, “With Sinkwich out of the contest, the loss of the steadying influence he has over his teammates may mean more than the loss of his brilliant passing and running.” As it turns out, he was right. The Bulldogs, who whipped Texas Christian University 40-26 in the 1942 Orange Bowl, with Sinkwich throwing three touchdown passes and running for another score, would need the type of clutch play that their senior standout usually provided. Enter Red Boyd. Even with Sinkwich on the sideline for most of the game, the Georgia Bulldogs dominated the proceedings, amassing 25 first downs to U.C.L.A’s five. They consistently penetrated into Bruins’ territory. Butts’ predilection for going for a touchdown when in close rather than settling for three points kept the game deadlocked at 0-0. On the first play of the fourth quarter. with UCLA pinned deep in its own territory, Bpb Waterfied dropped back into punt formation. But before he could launch the ball downfield, Boyd burst through the Bruins’ line of scrimmage to snuff the attempt. The ball rolled out of the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 lead for the Bulldogs, who added a short scoring run by Sinkwich later for a 9-0 victory. It’s possible that Butts or a member of his staff saw a chink in the Bruins’ formation or a hitch in Waterfield’s kicking style. For a fatal special-teams blunder two years later would cost the Bruins a victory when the University of California Golden Bears Roger Harding blocked Waterfield’s punt and then scooped it up to run 24 yards for the only points of the game. There are heart-breaking losses and unlikely comebacks, ill-advised passes and inopportune fumbles, and last-minute touchdowns and game-winning field goals, that form the backbone of lore for every university’s football program. Few, however, have been shrouded in as much initial confusion as the facts surrounding that blocked punt. Credit for the block, depending upon which game account one read the following day, centered on three Bulldogs. Here is Associated Press Writer’ Russell Newland’s account: “The score that broke the deadlock came on the first play of the last quarter. Bob Waterfield, UCLA quarterback, dropped back to punt from his end zone. Two Georgians were in there to stop the kick. The ball bounded out of bounds and the Bulldogs were on their way to victory.” Associated Press writer Frank Frawley. described what happened after Sinkwich fumbled at UCLA’s four and the Bruins recovered the ball as the third quarter ended. “Georgia was not be denied, however. George Poschner and Red Boyd charged through on the next play and bounded into a punt that had just left Quarterback Bob Waterfield’s toe. The ball skidded out of the field for an automatic safety and two might big points.” His fellow scribe at the Associated Press, Austin Bealmear, also attributed Poschner and Boyd with the blocked punt. Petersen saw things differently. “Bobby Waterfield, a star in defeat, tried to kick out of danger, but two 200-pound tackles, Gene Ellenson and Red Boyd, crashed through to block the punt. The ball rolled out of the end zone for an automatic safety on the first play of the last quarter.” In another version of his story, Petersen identified Boyd as the sole blocker. ISS sports writer Edward W. Cochrane saw the safety this way: “The turning point came as the fourth quarter opened. Waterfield went into his end zone to punt and ‘Red’ Boyd blocked the punt, the ball going back for a safety.” Another Associated Press account of the game, which didn’t feature a byline, gave Boyd sole credit and quoted him as saying it was the biggest highlight of his career. Finally, we have this. Boyd’s teammate Leo Costa, who kicked the extra point for UGA’s final margin of victory in the 1943 Rose Bowl, recalled nearly 65 years later in an interview that it was indeed Boyd who blocked the punt. To add insult to injury, the Red and Black a few months later published UCLA’s all-opponents team for 1942. Van Davis, Charles Trippi, and George Poschner and Gene Ellenson, the two phantom blockers,s were named to represent Georgia. Boyd was nowhere to be found on the list. Boyd probably didn’t feel slighted in the least. He was a man who would be the last to revel in an award for an individual accomplishment. He was about his team, his teammates and later, the players under his tutelage. Six months after his brush with fame in the Rose Bowl, Boyd was preparing for another kind of war. He, along with his llinemate, Garland (Bulldog) Williams applied for entrance into the Marine Corps. They were not immediately accepted at first due to “technical difficulties” but they were judged fit for duty later on, the Red and Black reported.. Two other Bulldogs, Alfred Anderson and Carl Grate, were turned down because they couldn’t pass the physical examination. Hollywood-handsome Sinkwich, “Georgia’s Pride and Joy,” was sworn in at Macon in mid-June. Boyd served in the Pacific during World War II. He contracted a stomach ailment and upon his return, weighed at least 20 pounds lighter than he last suited up for a football game, according to the April 5, 1946 issue of the Red and Black. Boyd gave a glimpse of what he brought to the playing field upon his return. Red and Black staff writer Edwin Pope noted Boyd’s presence was making a huge difference in the Bulldogs’ baseball team’s fortunes with his return at catcher. “He proved the deciding factor in the Bulldogs’ two victories over Furman. He is an able hitter and his experience as a backstop leaves nothing to be desired,” wrote Pope. Boyd, following graduation from UGa, took a post as head football coach for Winder High School in 1947. In his fourth game on the sidelines, tragedy struck when 16-year-old Ernest Davis died from a ruptured intestine after a few plays had been run against Elbert County. According to the United Press, Davis returned to the bench, but begged Boyd to be allowed to re-enter the game. insisting that he felt fine. “Davis finished the game doing a good job at his right end position to which he had been elevated for the first time,” according to the newspaper account. Boyd said Davis, a 140-pounder, had shown such improvement as a substitute during Winder’s first three games, that he deserved the first-string berth. “He worked hard and had lots of spirit,” Boyd said. “We didn’t know he was hurt at all. He just wanted to get back in the game.” Davis complained to his parents of intense pain Saturday morning. His parents rushed to him an Athens hospital where he died following surgery that night. Boyd needed a change in surroundings and when an opening surfaced at Toccoa High School the following year, Boyd leapt at it. The Purple Hurricane already had an established football program in place. They had captured a pair of “mythical” state championships in the 1920’s and produced several players who went on to distinguished careers for the University of Georgia and for other college football programs. The Purple Hurricane finished 7-2 in 1947 under head coach Arthur “Scooter” Yancey, and they didn’t miss a beat under Boyd, who led the 1948 football Purple Hurricane to a 10-1-1 record, the first of nine winning seasons. Their season ended in the playoffs against Athens High, which just happened to have several players who moved to UGA following their preop careers. It seemed that Boyd’s teams were always undersized. But the Purple Hurricane held the edge in pluck and execution, and Boyd wouldn’t be afraid to throw in a “Statue of Liberty” play or some other form of razzle-dazzle, like a triple reverse, to gain the upper hand. Future Olympic gold-medal winner Paul Anderson was a member of the 1949 team. On more than occasion, Boyd used Anderson, who “only” weighed 220 pounds or so at that time, in short yardage situations near the opponent’s goal line, a la William “Refrigerator” Perry. Through the years, the wins kept piling up, and so, too, did the number of talented players who excelled for the Purple Hurricane … Walter White … Garfield Cobb … John Rush Herndon … Billy Myers ... John Couch … Brent McAloney … Eugene Turman … George Wood … Donald Evans And with each passing season, Boyd and the Purple Hurricane captured the heart of the Purple Hurricane faithful and wove themselves into the fabric of the community. “All of Toccoa is justly proud of the fine playing each member of the Purple Hurricanes is doing on the football field these Friday nights. And it seems that more and more people are going out to the games to support the home team,” Supt. W.M. Barnett Jr astutely observed. Amid all the heated struggles with crosstown rival Stephens County during his tenure, not to mention the pitched battles with schools from adjacent counties, Boyd’s final season proves the measure of how much he could get out of his players. The Purple Hurricane finished the 1964 season with a flourish, beating East Fannin and Jefferson by a combined score ot 52-0. But, while Toccoa was shutting down the Dragons, Washington-Wilkes was knocking off Morgan County which meant the Purple Hurricane and Morgan County had tied for the region lead and must play one another to determine the region’s playoff representative. The Purple Hurricanes paid dearly for the victory against Jefferson . Edison Shiflet ruptured a blood vessel in his shoulder and was declared unavailable. Wayne Kesler’s knee injury affected his mobility and he was expected to confine his efforts to passing. There were other players with assorted injuries, but they weren’t expected to miss the game, reported The Toccoa Record. In the third quarter, the Bulldogs were forced to punt from deep in their own territory. The snap went awry, the punter bobbled the ball and that’s all the time Homer Coker needed to breach the Morgan County line, like his coach 21 years earlier, and drop the punter in his tracks. Kesler came through with a short scoring pass to give Toccoa a 6-0 lead. However, the Bulldogs responded with a 13-play, 81-yard drive for the tying score. The last bit of it wasn’t easy as the Purple Hurricane defense stiffened twice at the half-foot line but Morgan County finally bulled into the end zone. And the game ended in a 6-all stalemate. In case the game was tied in regulation, there would be no overtime. A special set of conditions prevailed: The team with the most total yards of offense from the line of scrimmage would receive one point. Another point would be awarded for the team with the most first downs. A final point would be given to the team which penetrated their foes’ 20-yard the most number of times. Toccoa pulled out an 8-7 victory by amassing the most total yardage (153-148) and most penetrations (2-1), but the Purple Hurricance only amassed the extra points in the final three minutes, courtesy of a miscalculation by the Bulldogs captain. The Purple Hurricanes lost six yards on a Statue of Liberty play, but they committed a clipping penalty on the play. Morgan County opted for the penalty which erased the rushing yardage that was lost on the play. Toccoa sealed the victory when Morgan County, getting the ball back, drove into Toccoa territory but was stopped for short yardage, forcing them to relinquish the ball which preserves Toccoa’s advantage. It turns out they used up all their luck in the subregion game. Against Lovett at Gainesville, the Purple Hurricanes fell valiantly, 8-2. Of his 9-3 squad, Boyd remarked, “They may not be the greatest athletic team I’ve ever had but as far as cooperation, spirit and attitude, they’re the finest I have every coached.” Cooperation, spirit and attitude were qualities their coach possessed in abundance, along with leadership and concern that make him hard to forget more than 50 years later.