Wake Forest Athletics
Congratulations, Coach Faircloth! Legendary Demon Deacon Bill Faircloth Selected to Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame
8/26/2022 12:00:00 PM | Football
Bill Faircloth (’64; P ’89, P’90, P’93; GP’19, GP‘22, GP‘23, GP24) retired on March 1, 2017 as assistant athletic director for football, ending a remarkable streak in Wake Forest football.
2017 Wake Forest Magazine Profile on Bill Faircloth
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Bill Faircloth, who dedicated his career to Wake Forest Athletics and helping student-athletes grow and develop on and off the field, has been selected to the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame and will be inducted at the upcoming ceremony on Oct. 21, 2021.
In addition to the special honor, Faircloth was named the 2021 American Football Coaches Association's Outstanding Achievement Award recipient last year. The AFCA Board of Trustees created the Outstanding Achievement Award in order to recognize AFCA members, past and present, who have achieved outstanding success while coaching football.
Faircloth, who was an AFCA 35-year member and long-time athletic administrator and coach, was Wake Forest's Gene Hooks Lifetime Achievement Award recipient in 2012.
Faircloth was a three-year letter winner at Wake Forest as an offensive lineman from 1961-63. He was team captain in his senior year and earned Academic All-ACC honors. Faircloth earned his master's degree from Alabama in 1965.
Bill Faircloth, known affectionately to Wake Forest players for decades as "Big Daddy," has been directly affiliated with Demon Deacon football since 1960.
Faircloth hit a milestone in 2012 when he attended his 400th consecutive Wake Forest football game on Nov. 3 when the Demon Deacons took on Boston College.
In April 2004, the foyer of the Mark C. Pruitt Football Center was dedicated as the "Faircloth Foyer" in honor of Faircloth's dedication and long-time service to the Wake Forest football program and University as a whole. Additionally, the coaches locker room inside Bridger Field House at Truist Field is named in his honor.
Faircloth also coached previously at Catawba College from 1966-75, including three years as head coach (1973-75), and was an assistant at Duke in 1976 and 1977.
Faircloth worked under head coaches John Mackovic and Al Groh in his five seasons as an assistant. He helped the Demon Deacons earn a spot in the Tangerine Bowl in 1979 after going 8-4 that season. It was Wake Forest's first bowl game in 30 years. In 1983, Faircloth moved away from coaching and became assistant athletic director for football, a position he would hold for 38 years.
Faircloth and his wife, Becky, have three sons -- all Wake Forest graduates -- Scott and wife Tricia, Woody, and Barry and wife Beth. They also are the proud grandparents of Rhett, Stowe, Grace, Mary Scott, Mac, Catherine, Spencer, Sophia, Olivia, Luna and great grandchildren Boone and Thatch.
Quotes from Bill Faircloth's Nomination Submission by Jody Puckett ('70):
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Head Football Coach Dave Clawson, 2014-Present:
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"Coach Faircloth is a Wake Forest living legend. Having played, coached and worked here over the past five decades, he understands this community and our football program better than anyone. He is truly loved by all our former players and there is no one more deserving of this honor than Bill Faircloth."
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Head Football Coach Jim Grobe, 2001-2013:
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"Bill Faircloth is Wake Forest A lifetime love of the Demon Deacons is exemplified by his long-standing dedication and devotion to the University. His service to Wake Forest began as a student athlete on the football team and morphed into an amazing career in the athletic department as a coach and administrator. Coach Fair opened the offices in the morning and made sure they were safely closed up at night as he was regularly the last one to head home each day. Coach Fair had one of the most incredible work ethics of anyone I have known. He was always on call to help out in any situation day and night. The student athletes relied on 'Big Daddy' whenever a need arose and he regularly delivered the love and care that so many sought and needed away from home. Our staff at Wake Forest could not have functioned at the level needed to compete without the support, knowledge, and direction from Coach Fair. Bill Faircloth is without question one of the finest people I have known. His honesty, character, and integrity were traits admired by all. His heartfelt affection for Wake Forest and its people motivated everyone around him to be their very best. Our players on the football team never wanted to let Big Daddy down. They loved him because of his toughness when they were going in the wrong direction and his dogged determination to help them with the path forward. He inspired everyone around him to be better.I can't think of anyone more deserving of induction into the Wake Forest Hall of Fame than Bill Faircloth. He is the epitome of what everyone should strive to become in their service to Wake Forest. Big Daddy is the best."
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Head Football Coach Jim Caldwell, 1993-2000:
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"When I first came to Wake Forest in 1993 my first order of business was to identify and assign job responsibilities related to the football program. I discovered that Bill Faircloth was doing the job of 5 men in most programs. But he was also doing them excellently. Bill was a beloved figure by players, coaches and staff members for decades. He had a profound impact on the entire campus community. His tireless work ethic, loyalty, professionalism and love for Wake Forest was demonstrated in a Hall of Fame manner every single day."
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Head Football Coach Al Groth, 1981-1986:
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"Two of the most highly respected and professionally administered Halls of Fame are the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown,· New York, and the Pro. Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. There are currently 362 Hall of Famers who have been presented the Gold Jacket, and have had their busts placed in the fabled Bronze Bust Gallery at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. These esteemed pro football veterans came from three categories: players, coaches, and contributors to the game. Bill Faircloth has excelled in all three roles during his hallowed years at Wake Forest; Bill has been an outstanding player, a valued position coach on John Mackovic's staff, and my staff at Wake Forest, and, for over thirty (30) years as a mentor and confidante to thousands of players, dispensing valued football and life lessons. When the position of assistant to the head coach was first created in the mid-1980's, I saw Bill as the perfect man for the job. He is a Demon Deacon_through and through, and a uniquely qualified and valuable asset to the Wake Forest community. For the benefit of all parties, Bill and Becky needed to be at Wake Forest permanently, not bouncing around on the coaching carousel. Bill was initially reluctant to leave the field, but once he said "yes", he was "all in, all the time" and fully committed to the opportunity to impact every player and coach who came to Wake Forest. A legion of former players will say that their lasting connection to Wake Forest runs through Coach Fair. Three-star players in baseball are those unique players who can hit, field, and throw at a high level, and in basketball, three-star players are those who excel at shooting, defense, and rebounding to an all-star level. Bill Faircloth has been a three-star Demon Deacon for over fifty years; how many current members of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame can say that? Bill Faircloth is a Wake Forest Hall of Farner, if there ever was one."
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