No one knows who Robert Driggers is. If you were to ask someone about that name people in Walterboro/Colleton County will probably look at you with a bewildered expression. However, if you ask about Coach, everyone knows who you’re talking about. You either had him in class or played sports for him, or your child had him in class or played sports for him; maybe even both. Coach said he wasn’t going to put his name on his tombstone. He said he was just going to put Coach on it so everyone would know it was him.
Coach Driggers is home grown in Round O in Colleton County, South Carolina. He played football here when the high school was Walterboro High School Wildcats. His head coach back then liked to have a big fullback in the backfield so his senior year he started at fullback. He was then switched to the offensive line due to injuries and then back to fullback when there were injuries in that position. After high school, Coach attended The Citadel on scholarship and played center for The Citadel Bulldogs.
Coach started working for the Colleton County School District in 1975 and saw a lot of changes during his time there. He started out coaching JV Football. He continued working there coaching football until 2010. He was there the last year the school was the Walterboro Wildcats, the first year they were the Walterboro Bulldogs, and the first year they were the Colleton County Cougars. In total, he coached football for 36 years, between 10-12 years of softball, and 5 years of JV Basketball. He did it all. Pick a sport, any sport, and he’s probably coached it at the high school.
Coach wanted to play football, and he did. The natural progression was to coach, and he did that as well. When asked what he liked most about coaching he said the excitement of the game and working with the young children. He touched a lot of lives coaching; lives he won’t ever know he touched, but they will remember Coach.
For the last 10-12 years Coach has been associated with the Sheriff’s Office. He started out in dispatch but quickly came to the realization that wasn’t the job for him, and credits the dispatchers calling them angels for all they do. He then worked as a bailiff at the courthouse for 10 years then went back to the Sheriff’s office and worked a part time job there. Coach was also able to work the Murdaugh trial which was an experience. He complimented how smoothly things went during the trial and praised everyone for doing a good job.
Coach has his own preferences when it comes to football. He roots for The Citadel, naturally, but when it comes to the larger schools, he’s a Clemson fan. Coach still wears his Dad’s Clemson watch, and he fixes it any time it stops running no matter the cost. As for the other team in South Carolina, well he doesn’t talk about them.
On a more personal note, Coach has been married to his lovely wife Sherry 43 years, has three daughters (yes, they played sports), and grandchildren. Mrs. Sherry jokes that no one knows her name either. She’s Coach’s wife.
When asked what he would do if money was no object, Coach said he wouldn’t change anything he’s doing right now. He loves his wife and he praised her for standing by him through his recent illness. He likes living in Colleton County. He likes living in Round O. He is content with life.
Coach does have a life outside coaching now. He likes to fish and has even done some shrimping (he discovered it would be cheaper to just buy shrimp from the store). He also enjoys doing some hunting.
What he really loves though are his horses. His horses are a huge motivation for getting his knee back in shape so he can be around them again. He likes to talk to them, rub their necks and scratch their ears. One of them comes up to him, puts their head on his shoulder, and gives him a hug. One of his horses is getting up in years, and Coach says that when she goes another one will magically appear in her place.
Coach roughly estimated that approximately 10,000 students have passed through his classroom while he was with the school district. That is not counting the kids he coached he didn’t have in class. It would be virtually impossible to put a number on the lives he has touched. One of his former “kids” offered to build a ramp for Coach on his own time and expense when he heard Coach needed one. Another “kid” stopped to help him repair a drain line after he saw Coach on the ground fixing it himself. Coach may not ever know the extent of his influence, but the people he has taught, coached, or interacted with will feel his influence throughout their lives.
