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Pitt-Carroll Trophy honors memory of fallen soldiers




Springfield football players accept the Pitt-Carroll Trophy after beating Greenbrier 49-13 last season.SUBMITTED

Springfield football players accept the Pitt-Carroll Trophy after beating Greenbrier 49-13 last season.SUBMITTED

Two former Robertson County high school football players made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War.

But thanks to the American Legion Post 45 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2120, their memory will not be forgotten. Greenbrier and Springfield have played for the Pitt-Carroll Trophy every year since 2013. The trophy was created by the VFW in honor of Dwight Carroll and William Pitt, who were both killed in action during the summer of 1968.

Carroll, a 1966 Springfield graduate, and Pitt, a 1966 Greenbrier graduate, were close friends and decided to join the Marines following their freshman year of college. They were joined by two other local friends – Jim Savley and Tom Cannady, both Greenbrier graduates.

“Three of us went to Greenbrier and one went to Springfield, but we were buddies,” said Savley. “We went to the same dances and double-dated together. The friendship was there regardless of the school.

“Now those two schools play each other every year. It’s a good opportunity to highlight these young men and what they gave.”

Four Robertson County friends celebrate their 1967 boot camp graduation at Parris Island in South Carolina. From left to right: Dwight Carroll, William Pitt, Tom Cannady and Jim Savley. Carroll and Pitt were both killed in Vietnam.SUBMITTED

Four Robertson County friends celebrate their 1967 boot camp graduation at Parris Island in South Carolina. From left to right: Dwight Carroll, William Pitt, Tom Cannady and Jim Savley. Carroll and Pitt were both killed in Vietnam.SUBMITTED

The quartet went to training in South Carolina on the buddy plan before going their separate ways. All four later fought in Vietnam, and Carroll, Pitt and Savley each earned a Purple Heart. Savley was wounded in the Battle of Khe Sanh but survived.

“We were hanging out together and decided we were all going to join the Marine Corps,” Savley said. “We knew we were going to Vietnam, because that’s what was happening at the time. We were patriotic guys, and we wanted to go and do what we could.”

Carroll was a talented running back for the Yellow Jackets and signed a scholarship to play at Mississippi State. He lost his life in May 1968 while trying to assist a group of Marines under heavy fire from the North Vietnamese army in Quang Nam. Tragically, he stepped on a landmine before reaching the group.

“Dwight was the real hero of the group,” Savley said. “His physical ability was really outstanding. And he was tough and courageous. He didn’t think twice. He got up and ran across the open ground to get to those other Marines.”

Dwight Carroll

Dwight Carroll

Pitt starred for Greenbrier and was a later a kick returner at Memphis State (now the University of Memphis). In August 1968, Pitt was gravely injured when a rocket struck his unit’s tent in a sandbag pit. He passed away several hours later on a hospital ship in Quang Tri.

Ironically, it was Pitt who first mentioned the idea of a memorial to honor Carroll’s legacy. After learning of his friend’s death, Pitt sent an emotional letter back to his family in Robertson County asking for something to be done to remember Carroll.

“That never really got started because William was killed (three months) later,” said Richard Lee, who went to school with Carroll and is a member of VFW Post 2120. “It worked out for us to recognize them both.”

Years passed before former Springfield football coach Randy Thomas got wind of the letter. He presented the idea of creating a trophy to the VFW and things started rolling from there. The schools were contacted, a name was decided, and money was raised by the 1966 classes from Greenbrier and Springfield to pay for the trophy to be made.

William Pitt

William Pitt

The Pitt-Carroll Trophy was first awarded to Greenbrier after the Bobcats defeated Springfield 54-27 in 2013. The Yellow Jackets have controlled the trophy for the last five years. It will be up for grabs again this Friday at 7 p.m. when Greenbrier travels to Springfield for the seventh Pitt-Carroll Trophy meeting.

“It’s a big deal for our youth to see what those guys were a part of,” Springfield coach Dustin Wilson said. “Win or lose, (the VFW and American Legion) will be there. It’s a pretty neat thing.”

It has been 51 years since Carroll and Pitt both lost their lives at age 19. But thanks to the trophy, today’s students can learn about the bravery shown by the two men, who Lee called “true heroes.”

“One of the great values of sports is that they bring people together,” said Savley. “We want to remind the young people at the schools (of what happened). This (was) the caliber of young men that came up through (Robertson County).”

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