Citadel to Retire Former Football Player John Small's Jersey
10/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 1, 2003
Charleston, SC - John Small a member of the class of 1970, a consensus All-America linebacker who starred on Citadel football teams from 1967-69, will have his jersey retired during halftime of The Citadel's Homecoming game against Wofford on November 1.
Small's No. 66 will be the fifth jersey ever retired by the school, and joins Brian Ruff '77 (No. 51), Stump Mitchell '80 (No. 35), Jack Douglas '92 (No. 14) and Lester Smith '92 (No. 15) as the only Bulldogs in any sport to have their jerseys retired.
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Born in the South Pacific Islands and later raised in Augusta, Ga., Small, who graduated from Richmond Academy, selected The Citadel over Tennessee and Georgia because of the "real closeness between the members of the football team." Standing 6-4 and playing at 225 pounds, he was the defensive anchor for Red Parker-coached teams that won 17 games in three seasons.
As a sophomore on the 1967 team, Small earned first team all-Southern Conference and all-state recognition. He spent a bulk of the '68 campaign battling injuries.
After his senior season, Small was named to nearly every major first team All-America team in 1969, including The Sporting News, Time Magazine and the Newspaper Enterprise Association while attaining all-league and all-state accolades. He was named to the East-West Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl, and served as a co-captain for both squads. Small was picked for the College All-Star Team that played against the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs in 1970, and later that year, he was the No. 1 overall draft choice by the NFL's Atlanta Falcons in 1970 (and later played with the Detroit Lions).
"John brought as much recognition to The Citadel as any athlete did in history during his athletic career as a Bulldog," Robinson added. "John was a great leader not only on the football field but in the barracks as a member of the Corps of Cadets."
Small was including in the inaugural class of The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977, and was enshrined in the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988. Ten years later, he was selected to the first team defense for the Southern Conference's 75th Anniversary Football Team (1998).
He continues to live in Augusta.
