It didn’t take much prodding for former Clemson football great Donnell Woolford to become an ambassador for natural grass athletic fields. All he needed to relive was his one season as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1997, when the organization played on the unforgiving AstroTurf surface at Three Rivers Stadium.
“That was cement,” Woolford says. “My knees are shaking now that you made that comment about it.”
Woolford’s knees settled quick enough for him to resume enjoying the Carolinas GCSA Conference and Show, where he spent two days inside the Myrtle Beach Convention Center signing autographs and chatting with attendees while promoting PremierPRO, a hybrid Bermudagrass used on golf courses, athletic fields and home lawns.
A relationship with Riverside Turf director of business development Brian Walker led Woolford to a booth at a trade show designed for golf course superintendents. A 10-year NFL career, where he estimated more than half of his games were played on artificial surfaces, is enough reason for him to support the natural grass movement.
“I played on it for 20 years, (artificial) turf and real grass,” says Woolford, a cornerback who started 123 NFL games. “I think in this day and time things are a lot different. I played 10 years in the NFL. I think I would have played 20 had all the fields been grass. It’s safer than what we played on, with the technology and stuff they have now it’s so advanced. It makes it better.”
Woolford, fortunately, played on one of the best natural surfaces during his college career. A two-time All-American at Clemson, Woolford dominated opponents on the highly manicured Bermudagrass surface at Tiger Stadium. “That was nice and pretty,” he says.
Clemson went 28-6-2 during Woolford’s final three seasons playing at Death Valley. He picked an ideal time to start visiting industry trade shows, as Clemson’s current team is 10-0 and holds the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings. Orange shirts and ties were a common sight on the Carolinas GCSA show floor. On trade show’s opening night, Woolford brought along a recognizable friend who happens to live in Myrtle Beach: former heavyweight champion James “Bonecrusher” Smith.
Woolford, a Charlotte resident, enthusiastically discusses his Clemson career, but he’s also passionate about making football safer for current players. He’s hoping future generations of athletes can avoid the surfaces that painfully interrupted the careers of his teammates. Eight of the 10 best current playing surfaces in the NFL, according to a Sports Illustrated report, feature Bermudagrass playing surfaces. Woolford sees no reason why the natural grass movement can’t extend to the college and youth levels.
“When you grow up playing in the background, you are always playing on grass,” he says. “Some of the surfaces we then played on were cement. They weren’t turf. I hated turf. I’m a big natural grass football player, and I’m glad they are getting back to it and making it safer for the guys.”
Guy Cipriano is GCI’s assistant editor.
