Most successful football coaches have special gifts that they utilize to their advantage. Some coaches are outstanding defensive coaches, some great play callers. Wayne Trawick could always coach. Proof of that are his 298 victories. But his special gift was his ability to build a team of players, coaches and supporters into one family with a special camaraderie and spirit second to none.
He was always a head coach. For 43 years. First at Cottonwood, then Dale County. He has an extremely successful tenure at Andalusia in the late 60’s and early 70’s going 32-13-5. When he arrived at Phenix City for what was to be a 25 year adventure, he started molding the foundation of one of the top programs in the state. Wayne had one of the great football minds of his generation and his teams were always strategically sound. His Wing-T offense was the scourge of many a defensive coordinator as he won 186 games at Central High school alone. And what great players. He had the special touch of inspiring a young man to achieve at a high level. 54 of his players played at the collegiate level and 7 have gone into professional football.
Wayne Trawick had a gift for making players feel special and he could do the same with coaches. They enjoyed working with him. Seven of his assistant coaches stayed with him 14 years or longer. Two of his former assistants became college coaches and one is presently a professional coach. And in 1993 he achieved the ultimate, inspiring Central High School to its first and only 6A State Championship.
When he lost, he said it was his fault. When he won, credit was always given to the players and those working along beside him. He treated all with respect. He always had time for younger coaches whether talking about the buck sweep or how to handle a difficult player. He had this great positive attitude that made others want to be around him. For years he was the #1 coach that everybody wanted to see and talk to at the yearly coaching clinics. When I was a young coach I would see him at a clinic and he would always compliment me on what a good job I was doing. Summer of 1995-Ala-Miss head coach – that was Wayne Trawick.
As you can probably guess he has been inducted in the Alabama High school Coaches Hall of Fame. The local awards are too numerous to mention. His former assistant now the head coach at Central Ron Nelson describes Wayne best…he simply uses the term “Legend. “ NOW TIME DOES NOT PERMIT US TO TELL ALL THE WAYNE TRAWICK STORIES. When the ALFCA started its legend series and started bringing some of its greatest coach back to our convention the first name to come up was Wayne Trawick. AND IF THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ALFCA-HE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST GUY IN THE DOOR.
Today Wayne your peers honor you not only for your greatness as a coach but for your influence on other coaches. For how you taught all of us the importance of building relationships in this great game. And most of all for reminding us that we should have a little fun along the way.
THE ALABAMA FOOTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION ARE PROUD TO BESTOW ITS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD ON COACH WAYNE TRAWICK.
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