| W. S. Claiborne | |
| Birth Date: | 11 December 1872 |
| Birth Place: | Geddis, Amherst County, Virginia |
| Death Place: | Florida, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 0 |
| Weight Lb: | 190 |
| School: | Sewanee Tigers |
| Pastschools: |
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| Currentposition: | Guard |
| Class: | Graduate |
| Major: | Theology |
| Highlights: |
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William Stirling "Wild Bill" Claiborne (December 11, 1879 - January 7, 1933) was a college football player and Episcopal archdeacon of Sewanee and East Tennessee. Before he was archdeacon, he was rector of Otey Memorial parish.[1] [2]
Claiborne attended Roanoke College from 1891 to 1897.
Claiborne was a prominent guard for the Sewanee Tigers of, a small Episcopal school in the mountains of Tennessee. He played on the 1899 "Iron Men" who won five road games in six days and all by shutout,[3] selected All-Southern.[4] Claiborne was blind in one eye, and used his discolored eye for purposes of intimidation on the field.[5] [6] A documentary film about the team and Claiborne's role was released in 2022 called "Unrivaled: Sewanee 1899." At Sewanee Claiborne studied theology and was ordained priest in 1901.
He was a member of the Missionary Society.[3] He was called the "apostle of the mountain folk" for his work among Tennessee mountain people.[3] He founded the St. Andrew's School for Mountain Boys, refounded St. Mary's School, founded the DuBose Memorial Training School,[7] and established Emerald-Hogston Hospital.[3] Claiborne wrote a book titled Roy in the Mountains.[3] [8] [9]
One description of his service in the ministry reads "eleven years ago he went into the mountains of East Tennessee and rolled up his sleeves. They are still up."[10]