There were speakers and letters from all over to honor the renaming of the fields outside and gymnasium after the schools legendary coaches. Whether it was Richard Hawkins, coach Walter “Rock” Greene or a letter from congressman Tom Perriello, representative of the fifth district in Virginia, the message was clear – the legend of the Mighty Burley Bears cannot and will not be forgotten.
“You know I was joking when I said it up on stage,” said Richard Hawkins who quarterbacked Burley to its notorious perfect and unscored upon season in 1956. “They ought to do a movie about Burley. These teams were that good.”
The school may have popped up in 1951, but by the time it closed as a high school in 1967, the Bears had a staunch reputation, particularly in football as one the best teams – if not the best – in the state. And if you ask any of the Burley bunch, they’ll all tell you it was because of their coaches. Robert Smith, Clarence Jones, A.P. Moore and Greene each spent their own time at the helm for the Bears, and to make sure that they’re dedication is permanently etched in the school’s history, both the field and gymnasium at Burley will now carry their names.
“I can’t describe how it feels,” said Burley Varsity Club President Jimmy Hollins, who played for the Bears in the 60’s. “It’s like walking on cloud nine. These men meant so much to this community.”
Hollins is hardly alone. After each coach was honored by a former player, a letter from Perriello was read which expressed gratitude specifically to the Burley Varsity Club for the organization’s work to preserve the memory of the days when the building on Rose Hill was a high school, while also recognizing the amazing accomplishments the coaches and players made in a time of segregation and adversity.
Greene, who was in attendance, spoke fondly of his time as a coach at the school. Family members of the other three coaches spoke on their behalf and all whom noted how honored the men would have been had they been around to have seen the event.
In a little under a year, the Varsity Club has managed to raise the necessary funds to purchase a trophy case, fill it with memorabilia ranging from trophies to lettered jackets and sweaters and now rename some of the facilities at the school with the school board’s permission. And they’re not done.
“We’ve got a number of things that we want to do coming up,” Hollins said. “We’re going to try and expand the trophy case because we’ve got more donated items.”
Though the Burley graduates have been able to help restore some of their own memories, all who spoke were also adamant about helping the current crop of students at the school. The members of the Varsity Club are regulars in the hallways and are in the midst of trying to organize a unique event for the school.
