Bill Farrell

Farrell started at Jacksonville High School before graduating in 1943. He played football at Jacksonville State and served as captain of the then Eagle Owls football team in 1946 before graduating in the spring of 1947.

His first coaching job was at Ohatchee. The school had not played football the previous eight years and his first team was 0-7-2. By 1951, Farrell’s final Ohatchee team was 8-0-2 and Calhoun County champions. Piedmont came calling.

Farrell coached eight seasons at Piedmont from 1952 through 1959, failing to achieve a winning record only once. His Piedmont teams were 54-20-1 overall. Farrell’s final two Piedmont teams were 9-1-0. The 1958 Bulldogs defeated Wellborn 26-6 in the Turkey Bowl to avenge their only regular season loss. In the 1959 Turkey Bowl, the Bulldogs again emerged as champions. Piedmont downed Alexandria 25-14 and once again avenged its only regular season defeat.

From Piedmont, Farrell spent 10 years as a principal and in other administrative capacities. He returned to coaching at Anniston in 1971. Farrell coached back-to-back undefeated regular seasons in 1973 and 1974. He left Anniston after the 1978 football season and then returned in 1986. When he retired midway through the 1987 season, his overall career record was 134-63-7.

written by Joe Estep