After 30 seasons as the leader of the Wofford football program, Mike Ayers announced his retirement on December 13, 2017. For three decades, Ayers guided the Terriers from the NAIA and NCAA Division II ranks to Division I and the Southern Conference. Along the way, the team made appearances in the Division II Playoffs in 1990 and 1991, the Division I FCS Playoffs in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2017, and claimed Southern Conference titles in 2003, 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2017.
The story of Mike Ayers as head coach at Wofford began in 1988. A program that had a proud history, with bowl game appearances and wins over Southeastern Conference teams on its resume, had fallen on hard times. The 1987 team had gone 1-10, been shutout twice and scored just 87 points in 11 games while surrendering more than 26 points per game.
Enter Mike Ayers. The young, energetic coach had built East Tennessee State into a Southern Conference contender and had knocked off Atlantic Coast Conference opponent North Carolina State in 1987. Over milkshakes at the Biltmore Dairy Bar in Asheville, N.C., Wofford Athletic Director Danny Morrison and President Joe Lesesne discussed the opportunity with Ayers. A few days later, he was introduced as head coach.
Ayers’ impact on the Terriers was immediate. He transformed that 1-10 Wofford team into a .500 squad in 1988 and then led the Terriers to an NCAA Division II playoff berth in 1990.
In his 30 seasons, Ayers was the head coach of a Terrier team that, over the last decade, was the epitome of success within the Southern Conference. Since the start of the 2003 season, Wofford posted a 69-37 mark in league play, a winning percentage of .650.
He instilled his own intensity, character and pride into his teams. In the past eleven seasons, the team reached the FCS Playoffs eight times. Wofford players have been named as SoCon Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year and taken the Jacobs Blocking Trophy home twice as well.
Ayers was the longest-serving head coach of any sport in school history at 30 years. Gene Alexander coached Terrier basketball for 19 seasons from 1958-77. At the time of his retirement, Ayers was fourth among active FCS head coaches in wins with 218 in his career, 207 of which were earned at Wofford. He led coaches in the state of South Carolina in longevity and victories. In the Southern Conference, he is third all-time in victories and seasons, behind only Jerry Moore (Appalachian State) and Wallace Wade (Alabama, Duke).
PERSONAL
Ayers played prep football at Glen Este High School in Cincinnati, later earning a football scholarship to Georgetown College (Ky.), where he was a three-time All-District 24 selection at linebacker while also starting at offensive tackle. He earned all-district honors as a catcher on the baseball team in addition to competing in gymnastics and wrestling.
A black belt in karate and an accomplished fisherman and sketch artist, Ayers has a variety of off-field interests and has always been involved in charitable events. He is a much sought-after speaker for athletic groups and charitable events.
He completed his B.A. degree in 1974 and received his M.A. degree from Georgetown as well in 1976. He has been inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at both Glen Este and Georgetown.
Michael Ayers was born May 26, 1948 in Georgetown, Kentucky. Ayers and his wife, Julie, were married on June 26, 1976. They have two daughters, Katie and Courtney, and a son, Travis. Courtney and her husband, Piotr Kalinowski, have a son, Max, and daughter Madison Grace. Katie and her husband Micah Gauntner have two daughters, Amelia Rose and Avery. Travis and his wife, Sarah, have a son, Ezra Dowling.
