By Glen Fairclough

Visit E.E. Smith High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina, today and you'll see students infected with football fever.

Golden Bulls players have pride—pride in what they do on the field and pride in a football program that has compiled a 27-13 record and one league cochampionship over the past four seasons. When they watch televised broadcasts of games involving local colleges (North Carolina and others), chances are that the roster will include one of the 16 former E.E. Smith players who have gone on to play college ball.

Over 100 hopefuls come out each fall to try out fora spot on the football team. Even junior high students, anxiously looking forward to the day when they will attend, are filled with excitement when they come to visit the weight room and other facilities the school has to offer. But it wasn’t always this way.

=" Rovell McMillan (No. 1) of E.E. Smith High School fends off a tackler. Many of the players can Bench Press 250 to 300 When Coach Dean Saffos was hired in 1984, he pounds, and the coach reports that his players Squat inherited a program that had won only seven or eight very well (he has two 700-pound Squatters), and they games over the previous few seasons. There wasn’t also do well on the Power Clean. much of a weight program in those days. “Our weight The strength and conditioning program has paid off program was—we have weights, you all go lift if you in the form of fewer injured players. “We've been real fortunate, knock on wood,” Coach Saffos said. “In the want,” Coach Saffos recalls.

What turned things around? years I’ve been here we've always done a “T believe that the change in our program can be minutes stretching, not just jacks and go. That helps, explained in three statements,” the coach said. “First, we have great discipline in our program all year—we monitor grades, attendence, and conduct.

“Second, we have strong work habits with no plus strength. Our All-Conference linebacker was lost for two games and our kicker broke his leg playing soccer. Oh, we've had a few pulls and strains, but we've been very fortunate to stay healthy.”

All of the athletes at E.E. Smith have benefitted from attitude problems. is the foundation of our program.” the improvements made since the BFS program was instituted. Coach Saffos shared two examples.

Shortly after Coach Saffos was hired, Dr. Greg Everette Norwood, a linebacker, also played basketball Shepard put on a BFS clinic at E.E. Smith High School. tor the Golden Bulls. Coach Saffos said that Everette had Coach Saffos said, “We had a small turnout and we were never been able to dunk the basketball, but as he learned to not as enthusiastic as we could have been. But I learned Squat better he was able to jump higher. One day he went enough about the BFS program to believe in it. It really up and jammed it, but the impact of his success didn’t sink impressed me, now we don’t do anything but. I have to in immediately.

He took a few steps before he realized credit the BFS program for our success.” what he’d done, then became ecstatic. Everette has gone on Before the clinic, the team was comprised of fewer to Savannah State, where he plays fullback. He holds the than 30 players. The coach recalls that three or four guys record for most carries in the North Carolina Shrine Bow] (44), breaking the mark held by Freddie Solomon. lift of 200 was a rarity.

Today, he enjoys watching the expressions on the “At the start of the 1985 season, we noticed a young faces of incoming sophomores when they see his players man who had a great potential. Steve Flowers was a lift. “It's something to watch their faces when they see sophomore. He had fair size, a lot of intensity, and fair someone lift 500 pounds—that’s five plates on each side speed. The big asset was his ability to deliver a blow, but of the bar. A 500-pound lift is not unusual around here he lacked commitment and would not come to all of our any more. They can’t believe it when I tell them that they'll be doing it themselves in a year.”

E.E. SMITH SUCCESS Continued from page 13 A change in attitude helped Steve Flowers (No. 61) develop into an All-Conference defensive player. practices. After counseling and repeated trips to Steve’s house, | asked him not to come back any more.

“Our season was a great success. We won our first five games and finished 8-2. We entered the playoffs for the first time in 15 years and finished second in our conference.

Football fever was once again a disease at E.E. Smith.

Bradenton, Florida. His football coach, Herb Tschappat, stated, “Reggie attended Upward Bound in Tampa “Steve came to see me in January 1986. He said, during his junior and senior years and during the ‘Coach, | made a mistake and [ want you to give me summers. Upward Bound is a voluntary educational another chance to play football for E.E. Smith. Coach, | program for ambitious and motivated black youths.” promise to work hard and lift weights. Whatever | have Reggie carries his 195 pounds on a 5-8 frame in powerful style. As a fullback in an option attack, he to do to play, I will do.’ “The rest is history. Steve worked very hard.

He went from no strength to a Bench Press of 345, a Dead Lift of 505, Power Clean of 265, and a Parallel Squat of 565. He also ran a 4.9 in the 40-yard dash. He started as our offensive right guard his junior year and defensive tackle his senior year. Steve made the All-Conference Defensive Team, was nominated for the North Carolina Shrine Bowl team, the North Carolina East-West Team, and he was our Defensive Player of the Year. Several colleges were interested in him. “Vision, change of attitude, maturity—call it what you want—Steve Flowers caught it. Young men like carried the ball 163 times for 1,083 vards—with no fumbles! That's almost 7 yards per carry!

Reggie led his team to a 10-2 Regional Champ football record and was honored as an All-Area running back.

Florida has recognized weightlifting as an ofÏcial high school activity sport. They have great participation. Reggie was the Florida State 198-pound champion and was named the Most Valuable Lifter. His Bench Press of and Jerk with 290 pounds for a 700-pound total. Roses to Reggie for his outstanding football and weightlifting achievements. All this while earning a 3.2 Steve Flowers are why we coach.” grade point average! We at BFS wish him the best.

THE nMER, CLEAN Fully Illustrated Booklet by Bruno Pauleletto Tennessee Strength Coach N.S.C.A. Coach of the Year.

From BFS Magazine — September/October 1988. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).