Catching Up with an East Alabama Legend…
Etowah’s
Wyman
Townsel
W
by Jon Holder
yman Townsel is one of
the greatest players and
coaches in Etowah High
School and Etowah County history.
In his playing days at Etowah he led
the Blue Devils to the 1950 state
championship as selected by The
Birmingham News, and played
on Etowah teams that compiled
a 20-0 record in his junior and
senior seasons. Townsel was a First
Team All-State, All-Southern, and
All-American selection. He signed
originally with Georgia Tech and
then transferred to Louisville. Coach
Townsel spent the majority of his
coaching career in Florida before
returning as Head Coach at Etowah
in 1987. The Devils went 47-12 in
his five seasons at the helm, and
he led Etowah to their first ever
playoff victory, first region title,
and first eleven win season. He is
a member of the Etowah County
Sports Hall of Fame, The All-Sports
Hall of Fame in West Florida, and the
Choctawhatchee High School Hall of
Fame. Pigskin Roundup caught up
with this East Alabama Legend over
the summer.
Pigskin Roundup: Tell us about
your playing days at Etowah.
Wyman Townsel: I never played in a
64 | 2017 Pigskin Roundup the Magazine
losing ballgame at
Etowah. I believe
we went 26 games
without a loss. My
senior year I had
21 touchdowns,
which was an Etowah record at that
time. I loved the game of football. I loved
practice, I loved the contact, and I loved
my teammates.
Pigskin Roundup: Describe winning
a state championship.
Wyman Townsel: In that 1950 season
we went to play at Tuscaloosa High School
and they were ranked #1 and we beat
them. They did not have playoffs then and
we were named state champions after that
game. I had three touchdowns that night.
It was such a big game that the Etowah
fans chartered a train to go to Tuscaloosa!
It was a thrill. That is why you played the
game-to win a state championship.
Wyman Townsel: I signed originally
with Georgia Tech, but after enrolling that
first summer I realized that I really wasn’t
prepared for a school like that. I had only
taken one math class in high school and
I could tell that summer the handwriting
was on the wall that Tech was not the place
for me.
I came home to get a job at either
Goodyear or the steel plant. Louisville
sent a coach down here to talk to me
about playing up there, so I transferred
to Louisville. I played there from 1951-
53 with Jonny Unitas. I then entered the
service and played two years of service ball
at Fort Rucker.
Pigskin Roundup: Talk about the
All-American honor. Pigskin Roundup: How did you get
into coaching and to the state of
Florida?
Wyman Townsel: I was named a
Wigwam Wisemen All-American in
1950. I didn’t really know much about
it. We didn’t take the paper and it wasn’t
publicized much back in those days. The
big thing I was proud of was not losing a
game for Coach Jim Glover. I loved Coach
Glover. Wyman Townsel: I had moved home
after the service and completed my degree
at Jacksonville State. The state of Florida
had a teacher shortage at the time and
were recruiting teachers and advertised at
JSU. I liked to bass fish, so I accepted an
assistant’s job at Jefferson County High
School in Monticello, Florida.
Pigskin Roundup: How about your
college career? From there I moved to Tallahassee Leon
and then to Gainesville High School. My