Local News

Eddy, Earley named to Parkersburg High School Football Hall of Fame

PARKERSBURG -- Bill Earley and Jeff Eddy have been named to the Parkersburg High School Football Hall of Fame and will be enshrined tonight at Stadium Field before the PHS football game versus Marietta High School.

Earley, the oldest of the three all-state Earley brothers, and Eddy, the older cousin of two all-state Eddy family members, will be the latest to be inducted in pre-game ceremonies at 7 o'clock.

Earley was the leading rusher on the 1938 undefeated state championship PHS football team that is regarded as one of the finest squads in school history, said the PHS hall of fame committee. The 170-pound halfback rushed for 979 yards and 11 touchdowns on a team that gained 3,358 yards on the ground and averaged over seven yards per rushing attempt.

For his efforts Earley was one of two Big Reds on the 11-man all-state team (Walter "Piggy" Barnes was the captain) and was selected for the North-South All-Star Classic.

In 1940 Bill Earley's younger brother Fred helped lead Parkersburg to the state championship and in 1950 youngest brother Jim carried PHS to another title while capturing the Kennedy Award as the top player in West Virginia, the hall of fame committee said.

Bill Earley went on to become a four-year letterman at Notre Dame and was elected team captain. He served as a navigator and bombardier in the Army Air Corps during World War II (European Theatre), receiving a Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart.

After the war he returned to Parkersburg to help coach his alma mater before the Fighting Irish called him back to Notre Dame. He served as backfield and assistant head coach to Frank Leahy from 1946-1954. During that time Notre Dame enjoyed five undefeated seasons, two national championships and crowned two Heisman Trophy winners, according to a press release.

Earley then turned to the pro ranks as head coach of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. In 1957 he, wife Louise and their seven children returned to South Bend for a job outside of football. He continued to scout for Notre Dame until his death in 1975.

As a two-year starting quarterback for the Parkersburg Big Reds in 1979 and 1980, Jeff Eddy helped his team compile a 19-5 overall record and advance to the state semifinals both years only to lose close games to the eventual state champion.

Eddy was recognized as first-team all-state safety as a senior.

As a junior the 6-foot-3 quarterback passed for 367 yards with three touchdowns while rushing for 520 yards and three more scores. As a senior he scored three touchdowns.

Eddy was all-county in football and basketball for three years at Jackson Junior High and was a three-year varsity letterman in football and basketball at PHS. He went on to play football at West Virginia University, earning a letter in 1984 and graduated from the School of Pharmacy in 1988.

His cousin Danny made all-state defensive back in 1984 and was inducted into the PHS Football Hall of Fame in 2014.