Fourth in a five-part series

By Roy Mitchell, Cherokee County Herald

Fifty years after he last laced up his cleats for Cherokee County High School, the legend of Sam Fife lives on.

Those who knew him might spin fantastic tales of how Fife trained with tree stumps, lifted weights in the middle of the night, or dragged four and five defenders across the goal line.

Incredibly, much of that lore is true.

Fife will be inducted into the Cherokee County Sports Hall of Fame Saturday at 6 p.m. at Richard Lindsey Arena on the campus of Gadsden State Cherokee in Centre. Other members comprising the Class of 2026 are Cherokee County High School’s Harry Richardson, Cedar Bluff’s Tyrone Moore, Cherokee County High School’s Lauren Millsaps Coursey, and Spring Garden’s Ricky Austin.

In the spring of 1974, Fife was a skinny sophomore reserve tailback. Two years later he’d not only won the starter’s job, Fife had been named All-State, Back of the Year, and All-American. He signed to play college football with Georgia.

Before Fife became a household name at running back, he made his mark on the Warrior defense at nose guard.

“He was in the backfield every play,” said 1973 teammate Danny Singleton. “Sam was truly a havoc-wreaker, even as a sophomore, and he couldn’t have weighed 155 pounds. He was double-teamed every single play because of his quickness. Sam wasn’t the strong man that he became as a junior and senior. He was rail-thin, but he was jet quick.”

While Fife was an integral to the team’s success, the sophomore had been overshadowed by several other talented players. Before the 1974 season the coaching staff pondered how best to utilize him.

“Even in spring training, Sam was good but not great,” said assistant coach Randall McCord. “I had planned to play fellow classmate David Vaughn at tailback. Coach Bobby Joe Johnson thought Fife might back up David.”

Then came the summer of ‘74.

The legend of Sam Fife began in a field with unearthed tree stumps.

“The future tailback located one of the largest root balls and tied shoulder straps around it,” said McCord. “His daily regimentation consisted of running in the summer heat while pulling a big stump around the fields.”

The Monday after Independence Day, Cherokee County began its football conditioning. While some struggled, Fife stood out.

“That first workout, Sammy outdistanced all his teammates,” said McCord. “On the 2,640-yard gut run he lapped the field. We knew then he would be our tailback.”

As the season began, Fife’s teammates noticed the change.

“He was in such good condition,” said Tim Hill. “You could tell by the way his clothes fit him that he was an unbelievably strong person. He had muscles coming out of everywhere.”

In his first three games as an offensive starter Fife tallied 629 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, leading the Warriors to easy victories. Wellborn’s coach, Johnny Ingram, called Fife the “best high school player I’ve ever seen.”

Fife was more than just his sum total of speed and strength.

“There was something within Sam,” said Hill. “His drive was stronger than any athlete I’ve ever known, and I spent years playing at Alabama. No one was driven like Sam…He was a different kind of dude.”

Despite the accolades, Sam remained a quiet guy.

“He was very humble and kind,” said Debbie Curry, a classmate of Fife’s at CCHS. “I’d always tell him what a good game he played, and he’d just drop his head. He’s just that kind of guy.”

Fife’s humbleness carried the respect of his teammates.

“Sam was like a playing coach,” said Hill. “He was tough, and he expected the guys who were playing with him to be tough, too. Sam didn’t have to say a word. He led with his example…He carried more weight than Coach Johnson, I think, as far as keeping the players straight, and them working their butts off.”

To add to his legend, Fife recorded a 65-yard interception return from his nose guard position in the final regular-season game to seal the win and secure the Warriors a Class 3A Region-12 title. By the end of the year, Fife had rushed for 1,736 yards and 22 touchdowns. As a junior, he was named All-State and the Class 3A Back of the Year.

People still beam about the legend of Sam Fife.

“He was just a force,” said Curry. “I watched him go across the goal line carrying four and five defenders.”

“He was a legend,” said Singleton. “People talked about him for years and years and years.”

“He was a horse,” said his brother, Vinson Fife. “You couldn’t stop him.”

“One time I came home [from California], and I didn’t even recognize Sam at the airport,” said his sister, Yvonne Leverette. “He looked like Tarzan. He had big arms, big muscles, and there was no fat. He was just solid.”

The injury bug hit Cherokee County during Fife’s senior year, plunging the Warriors to a 4-5 record. Despite missing two games with a sprained wrist, he still ran for 1,126 yards.

After being named All-American by “Coach & Athlete Magazine” Fife signed with Georgia, choosing the Bulldogs over the University of Tennessee. He became the second-leading rusher on the freshman team, gaining over 100 yards against Georgia Tech, Auburn, and Florida. Then he was converted to linebacker.

“Ray Donaldson was the only one that came close to stopping him at Georgia,” Vinson Fife said. “Donaldson ended up playing the center in the NFL.”

Later in life, Fife became a Baptist preacher.

“He loved the people so much,” said Leverette. “That’s the kind of person he was, visiting the sick, going to the nursing home, it was nothing for him. It was just a part of his ministry.”

In 2017, Fife was involved in a serious car wreck on his way to a Bible study. He never recovered, passing away on April 9, 2018 at age 60. He was laid to rest at Mount Olive Church Cemetery.

“He was just as fine a man as anybody ever wanted to see,” said Curry. “Even at the time of the accident, his arms were as big around as my waist.”