SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Saturday, October 27, 2018, Wofford College will unveil a new gateway field entrance and officially name the field at Gibbs Stadium in honor of Coach Mike Ayers. The ceremony will take place at halftime of the football game against Mercer.
 
For three decades, Mike Ayers guided the Wofford College football team 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.
 
After 30 seasons as the leader of the Wofford football program, Mike Ayers announced his retirement on December 13, 2017. 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). He was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year five times and was the national coach of the year in 2003.
 
Ayers was the head coach of a Terrier team that was the epitome of success within the Southern Conference. He instilled his own intensity, character and pride into his teams. He also fostered the student-athlete model. Under Ayers' guidance, Wofford consistently topped the SoCon and ranked among the national leaders for all Division I members in its graduation rate of football players.
 
Register to join us for a lunch in Richardson Indoor Stadium prior to the unveiling of the naming of the playing surface at Gibbs Stadium to "Mike Ayers Field" on Saturday, October 27. Click here for more information and to register!
 
To make a special gift in tribute to Coach Ayers, contact Terri Lewitt, senior associate athletics director for advancement at 864-597-4096 or LewittTL@wofford.edu. Gifts to this initiative will be used to honor Coach Ayers through campus capital projects and the Mike Ayers Endowed Scholarship Fund.