Catching Up with East Alabama Legend
Cleburne County Tiger Bobby Swafford
obby Swafford is one of the all-time
greats in Cleburne County football history.
Swafford was a star for CCHS from
1963-65 under Coaches Phil Rutherford
and Wayne Keahey. He played multiple
positions including tight end, split end,
defensive end, and linebacker, but says
defensive end was his best position.
Swafford continued his playing career at
the University of Alabama under Coach
Paul “Bear” Bryant from 1966-69. He was
later a high school coach including four
years at his alma mater in Heflin and
other stops at Ranburne, Haralson County,
GA, and Paulding County, GA. He also
coached one season on the college level at
West Georgia. Pigskin Roundup caught up
with this East Alabama legend over the
summer.
Pigskin Roundup: What are some of
your memories from playing at Heflin?
Bobby Swafford: We were undefeated
my junior year. That was special. My
senior year we beat a good Jacksonville
team at Jacksonville 6-0. I caught the
88 | 2015 Pigskin Roundup the Magazine
game winning touchdown pass. Our
quarterback Stan Payne told me, “Go to
the goal post.” I did and the ball was right
there for the touchdown. My senior year
we won at Alexandria 13-7 and they had
5 or 6 tries inside the two yard line to
score and we stopped them each time to
preserve the win.
Pigskin Roundup: How about
memories of your playing days at
Alabama under Coach Bryant?
Bo bby Swafford: Of course my
sophomore year in Tuscaloosa was the
1966 undefeated team that was one of the
greatest in Alabama history. My best game
was a game at Tennessee in Knoxville
where I caught 6 or 7 passes.
Pigskin Roundup: What was the best
team you played against during your time
at CCHS?
Bobby Swafford: My senior year we
opened with Oxford. We had to play them
at Anniston because the crowd was so big.
They beat us 12-6 and that was the only
game we lost that season.
Pigskin Roundup: Which was the
toughest high school player you went up
against?
Bobby Swafford: I would say Phil
Ray from Piedmont. He was an All-State
lineman and he was hard to block!
Pigskin Roundup: Who is the best high
school player you have ever seen down
through the years?
Bobby Swafford: Charles Wood who
played here at Cleburne County. He was
a great running back and went on to play
at Auburn. He would play anywhere. You
put him at any position.
Pigskin Roundup: You spent 14 years
coaching. What do you think was your
greatest coaching achievement?
Bobby Swafford: When I was coaching
at Cleburne County, we beat Oxford two
years in a row. That is something that no
one else has done at Heflin.