Oliver Woodard

Oliver Woodard played football at Morgan County High School before graduating in 1945. Woodard spent a year at Auburn before transferring to Jacksonville State University. He played football for the Gamecocks. His first coaching job came in 1949 when he became the head coach at Winston County High School where he remained for five successful seasons. The year before he arrived the team had lost every game and only scored twice all season. Woodard turned things around quickly. His 1953 team won the Class A State Championship as voted on by the Birmingham News. He also coached basketball at Winston County. In 1954 Woodard took over the football and basketball coaching duties at Handley High School, in Roanoke, for three season. His 1955 team finished the season with a 9-1 record an won a State Championship for District 3 as awarded by the Birmingham News. Woodard then moved to Athens High School for two years in 1957-58 where his teams combined for a 17-3 record. In the fall of 1959 Coach Woodard accepted the head football coaching job at Cullman High School and immediately his Bearcats won. The 1962 team went 10-0 and won another State Championship for their coach. The Birmingham News and the Post Herald named the Bearcats State Champions. His first four teams finished 35-4-1. After fifteen seasons at the helm in Cullman, Coach Woodard would retire as the head coach after the 1973 season. Coach Woodard consistently fielded winning football teams at Cullman during his career. His teams won a mythical state title and he was named Class 4A football Coach of the Year in 1962 by the Birmingham Post Herald. His 1972 team was the Class 3A runner-up, losing to Colbert County 41-14 in the title game. Woodards record at Cullman was 106-40-6. Coach Woodard retired from coaching but remained in education, teaching for another twelve years. He compiled a career football record of 177-65-8 in 25 seasons as a head coach. He is a Member of Winston County Sports Hall of Fame. Woodard was inducted into the Alabama High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1998. Coach Woodard passed away May 8, 2010 in Cullman at the age of 82.