Buddy Pough, No. 1: SC State coach appreciative, humble as he sets school wins record

The slow, daylong drizzle at Oliver Dawson Stadium couldn’t dampen the heavy gratitude of a head coach who surpassed his teacher in school wins Saturday.

With the remnants of Tropical Storm Nestor soaking South Carolina State’s 24-10 victory over Morgan State, Buddy Pough felt the overwhelming effects of collecting his 129th victory as head coach of the Bulldogs, surpassing his former coach, legendary Willie Jeffries.

“You don’t replace coach Jeffries,” he said. “Heck, all I did was win another game. But he’s always the coach emeritus around here. We all look up to him in a way that I don’t know if I’ll ever match up to.”

With this milestone Saturday, Pough was direct when asked at an impromptu press conference at midfield on whether the 129th win was more of a relief.

“Oh, you better betcha it is,” Pough said, adding later about the importance of people who went before him and work with him.

“These people did a lot to give me this opportunity to have success,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of great ADs, presidents, and all kinds of people who put this thing together. It ain’t me, it’s all those people in the stands and a lot more. I simply appreciate it and hope I can continue.”

As time expired, players and assistants gathered around a tearful Pough, in his 18th season as head coach of the Bulldogs (4-2, 2-1 MEAC). Players picked him up and carried him several yards from the sidelines before he told them to put him down so he could accept congratulations from Bears head coach Tyrone Wheatley — and just about everyone on the field: players, staff, mentors, family, camera crews and reporters alike.

From the game congratulations, Pough and his players made their way to the band section to hear them play the alma mater. Then he and the crowd moved toward a small stage set up on the 50-yard line, where Jeffries and university officials honored him with the game ball and a plaque.

“It just means a lot to have had all of the great relationships that I’ve had over these years, from high school all the way to college.” Pough said. “It’s just neat to see the whole thing come together. I’m just happy today that I finally got it behind me because I tell you, it’s been a long time coming. That last week was a long week.”

The record on Jeffries, a Union County native is long and storied. For starters, he is a member of seven halls of fame for SCSU Athletics, South Carolina Football, Black College Football, Kansas, South Carolina Athletic, Wichita State, and College Football.

Jeffries coached the Bulldogs from 1973-78 and again from 1989-2001, compiling 128 SCSU wins and six MEAC championships over that time. He retired from coaching in 2001 with a record of 179-132-6, including stints as head coach at Wichita State and Howard. When he took the job with the Shockers in 1979, he became the first African American coach at the head of a major university program.

Jeffries is still an active supporter of SCSU athletics as well as other organizations in Orangeburg County.

Pough, an Orangeburg-Wilkinson graduate, played for another notable South Carolina coach, Dick Sheridan. Sheridan won a state title with the Bruins and went on to build Furman into a Division I-AA power before moving on to coach North Carolina State.

Pough was an offensive lineman under Jeffries in the 1973-74 seasons, served as an assistant under Jeffries before coaching Keenan from 1989-1993 and Fairfield Central from 1994-1996. There, he led the Griffins to a 3A state championship in 1996.

Pough was a running backs coach at USC under coaches Brad Scott and Lou Holtz before succeeding Jeffries in 2002.

In a wet game Saturday morning, where the kickoff was moved to 10:30 a.m. to avoid the heavier rains from the storm, South Carolina State ground out 198 rushing yards against the Bears (1-6, 1-2). LaBron Morris carried the load with 125 rushes and a touchdown on 25 attempts.

The Bulldogs defense bent slightly, with Morgan State passing 25-for 46 with 267 yards, but defenders sacked quarterbacks DeAndre Harris and D.J. Gollatt seven times. The defense stopped the Bears cold on the ground, allowing five rushing yards.

“We still aren’t playing all that great in some places,” Pough said. “but at the same time we gutted it out, we made it happen.”

Freshman quarterback Corey Fields made his first start after Tyrece Nick was benched in a 42-38 loss to Florida A&M last week. Fields was 12-for-23 for 135 yards, with touchdown passes of 49 and 41 yards to Will Vereen and Shaq Davis.

“I was excited about seeing what he looked like in this kind of situation and I think I found my answers,” Pough said. “Some of it I’m good with, some of it I’m not good with, but at the same time, I’m happy that we won the game and I’m excited about getting the chance to simply move on.”

Oliver ‘Buddy’ Pough

129-73 (college)

As player

OL, Orangeburg-Wilkinson

OL, SCSU 1971-74

As assistant coach

Orangeburg-Wilkinson 1976-79

SCSU 1979-1988

USC 1997-2002

As head coach

Keenan 1989-93

Fairfield Central 1994-96

SCSU 2002 – present