Football | 4/24/2025 1:36:10 PM
A REFLECTION ON THE 1981 SC STATE NFL CLASS; 5 Draft Selections, 3 Free Agents
Story by William Hamilton, S.C. State Athletic Communications
The 2025 National Football League (NFL) draft begins tonight. NFL brass will gather at historic Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, to select many of the league’s future players.
What will be the fate of players from Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)? If the last few years of the NFL draft is any barometer, it will not be good. In fact, it may border on dismal players at the nation’s HBCUs.
In a recent post discussing the NFL draft and its relationship with players from HBCUs, the statistics point a disappointing picture. Except for 2021, at least one HBCU player has been drafted every year for the last 10 seasons. That is as good as the news gets for HBCU players, although several others have gained roster spots on teams via free agency.
No HBCU players were drafted in two of the last five years – 2021 and 2024 -- and only twenty-four (24) players overall have had their names called by NFL teams on draft day the last decade.
Upon reflection, it did not use to be that way. In fact, SC State, which has had the second-most players (four) drafted by NFL teams the last decade behind Tennessee State (five), had a remarkable stat line in 1981, sending eight players to the NFL – five draftees and three via free agency.
Over the years, the number of rounds of the NFL draft, has been shortened and other dynamics have come into play as well, but what the SC State Bulldogs achieved that May, forty-four (44) years ago, remains a “Point of Pride” for the University, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and perhaps all HBCUs.
For SC State, the achievement ranks right up there with having four Pro Football Hall of Famers, having had numerous players to play in the Super Bowl, including five occasions where the Bulldogs were represented on both teams; and head coach emeritus and alumnus Willie Jeffries stepping into history when he became the first African American to become head coach of a major university (Wichita State, 1979).
Bulldog players making up the 1981 historic class that sent eight players to the league, spent a combined 38 years on NFL rosters, while racking up some impressive achievements, including appearances in four Super Bowls, three National Football Conference (NFC) Championships and American Football Conference (AFC) Championships each, and two Pro Bowls. There were other accolades as well for the historic Bulldog NFL Class.
Seven of the eight players in the class are in the South Carolina State University Athletic Hall of Fame, three are in the MEAC Hall of Fame, two are in the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame and one is in the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame.
THE 1981 NFL CLASS
DT Robert Geathers, Sr. (Georgetown, SC), 3rd Round Pick, Buffalo Bills
OG Edwin Bailey (Savannah, GA), 5th Round Pick, Seattle Seahawks
WR Charlie Brown (John’s Island, SC), 8th Round, Washington Redskins
DB William Judson (Atlanta, GA), 8th Round, Miami Dolphins
DT John Alford (Dillon, SC), 12th Round, Miami Dolphins
LB Angelo King (Columbia, SC), Free Agent, Dallas Cowboys
OT Leroy Robinson (Wadmalaw Island, SC), Free Agent, Philadelphia Eagles
RB Chris Ragland (Indianapolis, IN), Free Agent, Washington Redskins
A few of them recently reflected on that 1981 moment and most are advocating for their place in South Carolina State athletic lore, sharing their feelings.
Edwin Bailey is among the most notable players in the class. The Savannah, GA native enjoyed an illustrious 11-year career with the Seattle Seahawks, which included starting 120 of 130 games. The former Bulldog All-American had this to say.
“It remains, today, a great feeling to be among a group of SC State football players that set a standard as being the largest group from the school to enter the NFL,” Bailey said recently. “I feel extremely fortunate to have played in a program that provided me with a wonderful experience and nurturing.”
“I arrived on the campus in the final days of the careers of great players like Harry Carson and Donnie Shell (two of SCSU’s Pro Football Hall of Famers), and Mickey Sims. I found a culture that included a president (the late Dr. Maceo Nance, Jr.) that walked the campus and mingled with the students. I found coaches like Willie Jeffries, Bill Davis and (Robert) Jet Johnson, who embraced me as I had just lost my father.”
Charlie Brown, who enjoyed a seven-year NFL career, mostly with the then-Washington Redskins (now Commanders) and included two Super Bowl appearances, has been among the players advocating for recognition of the achievement of he and his 1981 fellow NFLers.
“It was historic,” Brown said recently of the achievement. “Being a part of that 1981 draft class is incredibly special. The pride we have in our school is very meaningful. I am honored to have been among the group of players that set the pace in 1981 for sending players to the NFL from SC State. That class, including five that were drafted, remains Number 1 all-time at the school, in the MEAC and maybe in all HBCUs.”
“The pride and passion that we enjoyed that year remains with us today, something we can share with our families and friends” continued Brown. “It has been 44 years since our accomplishment, and it is great to be finally getting the recognition and honor such an achievement deserves. It is such a great feeling knowing that you are in a place of history.”
The greatness of this team has been debated. During the SC State Football Centennial (1907-2007) celebrated in 2007, football players returning to the campus championed their standout teams, and rightfully so.
The 1975 team, anchored by Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Harry Carson, was only 8-2-1, but gave up a still NCAA-record 29 points on defense, was in the discussion. Voices from that team, however, were drowned out by supporters of Bailey, Brown and the 1980 team that sent those eight players to the NFL.
The 1982 team that lost its first two games of the season, including a setback to then defending NCAA 1-AA champion Eastern Kentucky, rebounded to earn a berth in the I-AA playoffs where it handcuffed SoCon power Furman with a 17-0 first-round loss, has its supporters as the best team ever also.
So does the 1981 squad that finished 10-3 and notched victories against the top HBCUs in the country – Florida A&M, Grambling, and Tennessee State -- and went on to earn the school its first trip to the I-AA playoffs.
When players on the 1994 team that was 10-2 and defeated Grambling and legendary Eddie Robinson in the Heritage Bowl behind the iconic play of QB Marvin Marshall (the little magician), heralded running back Michael Hicks, wide receiver Freddie Solomon, and a great defense anchored by future Super Bowler Chartric Darby, shout out their choice, they will get flax from the 9-3 1997 Heritage Bowl team, as well as Coach Buddy Pough’s 2004 (MEAC Co-Champion) and 2005 squads which produced 9-2 marks and were dominant in the MEAC. And Pough’s 2008 and 2009 teams that made it to the FCS playoffs. What about the 2021 Celebration Bowl winning team? The record was just 7-5 but it included a sweep of MEAC competition and a huge 31-10 win over Jackson State and Coach Deion “Prime” Sanders.
The debate will continue, for sure, but one thing that is not debatable is what the 1981 team did. It sent eight players to the NFL, a school record, and a proud moment for SC State.
“Being a part of our historic draft class is a memory that I’ll never forget,” said William Judson, who had a 10-year NFL career, all but one with the Miami Dolphins. “It was one of the most exciting days of my life. We were a team that had loads of talent on both offense and defense. The anticipation (waiting for the draft) was nerve-racking, but I thought all of us were well-prepared for the NFL, despite not being a first-round pick or the fact that we were from a small HBCU. I expected to make the team.”
Indeed, the SC State feat in 1981 was remarkable and memorable, not only for Judson and his teammates who achieved the feat, but also for former Bulldog players, coaches, alums, and supporters who are proud of the school’s football legacy. In time, I am sure this team will take its place among the many other SC State teams that occupy a place in the school’s prestigious hall of fame and be listed among the MEAC’s shining moments in its great history.
The last SC State player to be drafted was defensive back DeCobie Durant, picked by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round (142 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft. Will the SC State pipeline to the NFL continue this weekend, or will it go the way that most drafts of HBCU have gone in recent years. No matter what, what happened 44 years ago remains memorable for the Bulldogs, whose top prospect this year is linebacker Aaron Smith, an All-American performer for SC State during his career. Let us hope his name is called by an NFL team.