Science Hill High School

Harry "Red" Caughron

Harry "Red" Caughron 1942

Harry "Red" Caughron was an excellent football player, perhaps an even better coach and certainly a greater human being.

Caughron started at left tackle as a sophomore and junior on Plowboy Farmer's 1939-40 teams, which went 20-1-1 while outscoring opponents 485-46. Caughron was a captain in football, basketball and track.

Caughron went on to become a two-time AP Honorable Mention All-American at William & Mary, though his freshman and sophomore seasons were gapped by three years in the military. Caughron reached Germany for combat in October of '43, and was on the front from December until the end of the war.

"We found the average German family to be wonderful," Caughron said.

"(Adolf) Hitler just poisoned a lot of the right minds."

The harrowing experiences apparently only emboldened Caughron's mind. He returned to W&M to complete and excellent career.

After serving in World War II, Caughron was an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American tackle at William & Mary in 1947 and '48. He was lauded for his performance in W&M's defeat of Oklahoma State in the Delta Bowl in Memphis on Jan. 1, 1949.

In 1967 they founded the Woodberry Forest Sports Camp, which entertains 132 boys ages 10-13 each summer.

More than $400,000 was raised for the Red and Cathy Caughron Athletic Endowment during their final year at the school.

Caughron coached at Woodberry Forest (Va.) from 1960-90. He became the AD in 1961. Before that, he'd started a football program at Alexandria's Hammond High School, where he went 28-10-2.

Former players portray a man who is humble to a fault.

The softspoken Caughron was 217-56-7 and won 15 league titles during 30 years as football coach at Woodberry Forest, and is in the Virginia Hall of Fame. He was the Virgina Prep League Coach of the Year eight times.