Former Wildcat shares his passion for football and for Enterprise

Former standout Enterprise and Alabama defensive end and linebacker Granison Wagstaff was this week’s guest speaker at the Enterprise Quarterback Club meeting.

Wagstaff was an all-state linebacker at Enterprise, recording 115 tackles, 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and three recovered fumbles as a senior in 1994.

After graduating from Enterprise, Wagstaff earned a scholarship to play football at the University of Alabama for legendary coach Gene Stallings, and later Mike DuBose, before eventually becoming a football coach himself.

Wagstaff is currently a teacher at Dothan’s Honeysuckle Middle School and a linebacker coach for Dothan High.

Wagstaff said that it was the people of Enterprise and their enthusiasm for the game of football that instilled his passion for the game that he still carries today. He said he felt that passion for the first time as a sixth grader when his father took him to his first Enterprise football game, after their family moved to Enterprise from Mississippi.

“When I walked into that stadium and saw that band marching and the crowd yelling, it overwhelmed me with excitement,” Wagstaff excitedly recalled. “The biggest thing I remember about that night was the passion everyone had. That’s what separates Enterprise from a lot of programs around. The passion you all have for it.”

Wagstaff said that the people of Enterprise welcomed he and his family with open arms when they moved in.

“We moved here back in 1987 and I was a scared and nervous kid,” he said. “The city welcomed me and my family. It made the transition from Mississippi very easy.”

Wagstaff said that as a child reaching out to shake hands with the Enterprise players as they walked into the stadium was something that meant a lot to all of the children.

“Kids would fight to get to the fence and see the players walking by,” he said. “The players would walk by and shake our hands and that really meant something to us. We looked up to those guys and I was able to carry that passion with me.”

Wagstaff said that growing up he never thought about playing college football, that it wasn’t his No. 1 goal.

“To me, Enterprise was the big-time,” he said. “When I first got here I had no intention of playing college ball. My goal was to be a three-year starter at Enterprise High. That was my No. 1 goal.”

Former Dauphin Junior High coach and Quarterback Club member Marty Marler recalled seeing Wagstaff on the field for the first time.

“I was lucky enough to be coaching when he was coming up at Dauphin,” Marler recalled. “Three-to-four plays into our eighth grade scrimmage we called for a water break because Granison was hurting everybody. We tried him with the ninth graders and the same thing happened there.

“Our biggest issue we had was trying to figure out how to keep him from hurting everybody at practice.”

Despite being a standout linebacker in junior high, Wagstaff decided to audition for tight end when he moved up to varsity because EHS had lost a number of senior tight ends from the previous season.

Wagstaff said that when he stood up to join the tight ends in the first team meeting, former EHS coach Bill Bacon put a stop that quickly and sent him over with the defensive linemen.

“As a sophomore in my first game Gadsden blew us out,” Wagstaff remembered. “I thought I played alright but as the games carried on we started losing more. I remember one game, I gave up a touchdown when I got out of my lane.

“A couple of seniors came up to me – they didn’t care that I was a sophomore in my first year starting – they cussed me up and down and got on me because I wasn’t playing up to the standard that those seniors had set at Enterprise.

“That forced me to adjust my game and I ended up leading the team in sacks that year.”

Wagstaff said that moment resonated with him as a young player.

“That moment showed me that I had to improve on other aspects of the game and couldn’t just rely on my size,” Wagstaff said. “That let me know that it’s not just a game. It’s a game but it’s also serious.

“No, it’s not life or death but it’s serious. If you are going to go out there and put your time in then get something out of it. Don’t just play around.”

Wagstaff said that when he committed to play football for Stallings and Alabama, one of the first things Stallings mentioned was the tradition at Enterprise.

“Gene Stallings came walking into the room and I looked at him and said, ‘I think I’m coming here sir,’” Wagstaff recalled. “Coach Stallings said, ‘Great to have you, Enterprise has some great tradition down there.’

“When I got up there the first thing that would come up when I would say I’m from Enterprise is the football program and the band.”

Wagstaff said that now that he’s coaching, he tries to pass the passion that he learned about football from Enterprise on to his players.

“Now that I’m older and I work with kids now,” he said. “I try to pass on that passion that Enterprise instilled in me. I can remember times where it seemed like we were the home team on the road because everybody travelled with us.”

Wagstaff turned his attention to the current team and Enterprise supporters.

“I know everyone is struggling right now but you can’t lose that passion and you have to keep supporting these guys,” Wagstaff urged. “That’s what makes Enterprise special. You have some families here that have four or five generations of guys that played for Enterprise and even wear the same number.

“That’s something to hold on to and be proud of. Keep your passion, that’s going to carry you all through.”