Newberry High School, Newberry College, Whitmire Community School and Mid-Carolina High School head coaches and players at the October Newberry County Touchdown Club meeting.
Greg Hollis | ghollis@newberryobserver.com
Robert Smith introducing his good friend and guest speaker Bobby Bryant.
Greg Hollis | ghollis@newberryobserver.com
Bobby Bryant speaking at the October meeting for the Newberry County Touchdown Club.
Greg Hollis | ghollis@newberryobserver.com
NEWBERRY — The Newberry County Touchdown Club hosted their monthly meeting to honor the local student-athletes for the 2024 football season. The meeting took place on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at Central United Methodist Church.
The guest speaker was University of South Carolina legend and Minnesota Vikings legend Bobby Bryant. Bryant is from Macon, GA. He was a star defensive back in football and star pitcher for the baseball team during his time with the Gamecocks in the mid-1960s. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, but declined to pursue his football career.
In 1967, he started his legendary career with the Minnesota Vikings and played for 14 seasons. He is the all-time leader in interceptions with 57, including six in the playoffs which is also a Vikings’ record, and was inducted into the Vikings’ Ring of Honor in 2024. He is also a member of the Georgia Hall of Fame, South Carolina Hall of Fame, and Gamecocks Hall of Fame. Also, Bryant’s tremendous career includes four Super Bowl appearances, which are the only appearances in team history, as well as being a member of the Vikings’ 25th and 50th anniversary teams. He was named as one of the 50th best players in team history too.
During his appearance at the touchdown club meeting, Bryant spoke about his life, journey to the NFL, his time at South Carolina, special moments in the NFL and opened the floor for questions. He also took time to sign some autographs, take pictures and engage one-on-one with some of the student-athletes from Newberry County. Overall his message was about faith, football and family as he was accompanied by his wife Stephanie.
As for the current athletes, the four area high schools and Newberry College honored three players for each squad for their performance on the field in the month of September.
Players of the Month:
Mid-Carolina
AD Basnight- Offense
Jamarian Dewalt- Defense
Heyward Fellars- Special Teams
Newberry Academy
Javon Conway- Offense
Thomas McLean- Defense
Gabe Slight- Special Teams
Newberry High School
Kenton Caldwell- Offense
Defense- Jared Acosta
Daniel Teran- Special Teams
Whitmire
Kayshaun Schumpert- Offense
Sam Moore- Defense
Brian Steele- Special Teams
Newberry College
Cooper Trnavsky- Offense
Devron Williams- Defense
Bryce Earley- Special Teams
The next meeting will take place on Nov.11 at Central United Methodist Church.
Reach Greg Hollis @ 803-768-3117 or on X @TheNBOnews