Every so often something escapes me when I do daily reviews of newspapers, online news sites, and funeral homes when checking local obituaries. Such was the case back in December.

 

In the middle of the month, on the Amos-Carvelli Funeral Home Web site, it was there. The obituary was for Edward Lee “Ed” Goff. It mentioned briefly that he played football for Bridgeport High School and later Fairmont State College.

 

It was not until a month later my friend Buddy Randolph contacted me and asked me if I knew “Eddie Goff passed away.” Buddy explained to me a little bit about Eddie’s past and, after our discussion ended, I decided to see what I could find.

 

Considering Goff graduated in, I believe, 1964, finding information was not going to be a phone call away. What I did find out was that this man – a giant of a man – deserved to have a mention of his at the age of 76.

 

Before we talk about why, perhaps a few thoughts from those who remember him. Randolph, a BHS alum himself who was a freshman when Goff was a senior, recalls him well.

 

“He probably weighed about 235 and, understand I’m not good guessing height or weight, could have been anywhere between 6’3 and 6’5,” said Randolph, a 1967 graduate still living in the same house he grew up in. “It was all natural. He was big.”

 

Randolph is not the only one who remembers Goff. Phil Nicewarner, a BHS alum with a football pedigree, was really young when Goff was creating havoc on what today is Wayne Jamison Field.

 

“I was probably about six years old and remember seeing him. Most of the stuff I remember is what my dad (the late Philip “Sonny” Nicewarner) and Wayne would say when talking about players,” said Nicewarner. “At that age, he was the bigger person I had ever seen up close; it was like seeing Andre the Giant He was just so big.

 

“The other thing that I remember about him, from playing around the field with my dad being there, was he was a gentle giant,” he continued. “He was very reserved too, and today, this might be the kid that would be the bully. Nothing was further from the case with Eddie. He was just a nice person.”

 

Being big does not necessarily mean you are going to be good at football. Goff was big and good.

 

In the history of Bridgeport football, there have been plenty of all-state players. There are, however, only a handful of linemen to ever earn first-team honors twice. Goff is one of those individuals.

 

While Randolph remembers him as a tackle, he is listed in 1962 and in 1963 as a first team selection as a guard. It would not happen again for nearly three decades at BHS.

 

In fact, 27 years later, Andy Grogg began the process of turning the trick by being named to the Class AA All State first team in 1989 as an offensive lineman. In 1990, he earned the same honor on the defensive line.

 

Although it was hard to get confirmation back in 2013, when Mackenzie Holmes was called up at the start of the season to get significant playing time as a freshman, those who followed the sport could not immediately recall the last time it happened. The consensus by most – going back decades to the beginning of the 1960s – was once again Eddie Goff.

 

Goff ended up playing on Bridgeport’s first-ever undefeated team as a junior. The 1962 squad went 10-0-0. And thanks to a profoundly serious miscarriage of sports justice, BHS finished third in the rankings at a time when only two schools played for a championship.

 

“My cousin was a manager on the team so I would hang around a lot and he was one heckuva nice guy. He was a pretty quiet guy, but he would talk to anyone,” said Randolph.

 

According to Randolph, he talked to college football coaches. Randolph said Goff had interest from coaches at Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, and West Virginia University. He said, and the obituary confirmed it, that he ended up playing at Fairmont State for a while and believed that happened after a short stint in Morgantown but was not sure.

 

Nicewarner said if Goff wanted to, with his size, he would have played anywhere.

 

“Despite being so big, I think most would describe as not being mean at all. If he were mean I honestly don’t think anyone could have done anything to stop him at any level,” said Nicewarner. “He came from an era where you didn’t have weight training and he was that big. I had heard he ended up at Fairmont State, but never knew it for sure.”

 

The obituary, as noted, confirmed that Goff did play there. For how long is unknown. What is known, at least from Randolph, is that he was still a nice guy while in school in Marion County.

 

“I talked to him on campus (at Fairmont) a few times once I got there and I got to know him better later on. I actually taught his son while substituting at Liberty High School,” said Randolph. “Our granddaughters also played soccer together and we would talk when we saw one another.”

 

Long before they were sitting in stands watching their grandchildren, Randolph was watching his friend play. He also recalled Eddie Goff’s senior season, which was good, but not perfect. The team went 8-2 with losses to Notre Dame and Philip Barbour. Still, Randolph said Goff is probably the best he has witnessed.

 

“I really haven’t watched football since 1985, but prior to that he was the best lineman I’ve ever seen. I understand that I was watching it though the eyes of an 8^th grader, but to me it was either him or Barry Myers,” said Randolph. “Barry was younger than me, so I guess you have to take that into consideration as to how I saw things, but they were both incredible.”

 

Now you know. One of the best to ever represent Bridgeport High School, passed away last month, on Dec. 14, 2023. Eddie Goff was 76 at the time of his passing, a father, a grandfather, a handyman, and a lover of dogs. If you read his obituary HERE, you will learn more about him.

 

The family did a beautiful job of describing his life pretty much away from the football field. I hope I did a fair job of describing his time on it.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Assistant Coach Wayne Jamison, Butch Cleghorn, Eddie Goff, and Coach Randy Thornton. Photo below is the undefeated 1962 team.