National Football Foundation

It was just three years ago, in 1995, that Bradley Faircloth's name graced these pages when he was honored as one of four outstanding National Football Foundation Chapter leaders.

He's back again this year as recipient of the Foundation's Outstanding Football Official Award for 1998. This award honors an outstanding official who has demonstrated sportsmanship, integrity, character and contribution to the sport of football.

Faircloth has done that and more. He is a 25-year veteran of college football officiating and 17 of those seasons were spent working for the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 1983, Faircloth was named supervisor of football officials for the ACC, a position he still holds along with the added title and responsibilities of assistant commissioner.

He was one of the conference's premiere officials while still holding a full-time job in business. He was vice president/treasurer for the J.D. Wilkin Architectural Firm and also worked for Bessemer Improvement Company, a Greensboro real estate company. In 1983 Faircloth was asked by then commissioner Bob James to take over the supervisor post from the legendary Norvell Neve who had retired. A year later, Faircloth was invited to come aboard full-time and was also requested to add the tasks of assistant commissioner to his responsibilities. College football is his passion and he was not about to turn down the offer to join the ACC on a full time basis.

Faircloth cut a wide swath as a football official, working over 200 games including a number of major Bowl games, such as Sun Bowl, Blue Bonnet Bowl, Liberty Bowl, the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game, the Shrine Bowl and the NAIA Championship Game. 
Reflecting on the time when Faircloth put his cleats in mothballs and turned to full-time supervising, his friend and officiating colleague Major General Joe E. Shosid, USAF (Ret.) says: "The ACC's loss of their premier umpire, when he could have continued working for many years, was offset because of his ability as the Conference's supervisor. Taking a conference long noted as a 'basketball conference', Bradley put his own innovative stamp on the ACC's football program whose staff is now widely accepted as the most successful in the country."

Faircloth is innovative. He spends countless hours reviewing game video tape. He created special post-season clinics throughout the six-state ACC where conference officials could review their performances. He introduced a spring clinic where officials could study new rules and delve into interpretations. His pre-season clinics became so successful that ACC schools bid to host them. Even coaches want to attend. He assigned ACC officials to team scrimmages to help both teams and coaches as well as officials themselves.

His creativity when it comes to officiating hasn't stopped at the shores of the Atlantic. Faircloth has taken his ideas to Europe. Major General Shosid describes these European forays: "For over 15 years, Bradley was the focal point of Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe football clinics, benefiting our personnel in morale, welfare and recreation areas. He not only volunteered to participate in these difficult travel and time-consuming multi-country sessions, he also made it possible for other ACC officials to participate. Every clinic was given superior ratings from the HQ USAF and all clinic participants."

Faircloth was also asked by NCAA president Gene Corrigan to become the organization's chief financial officer in addition to his Atlantic Coast Conference duties. The NCAA work includes the fiscal management of more than $60,000,000 in annual revenues and a continuing five-year advance planning program.

Other community service activities also attract Faircloth's interest. He is involved in such charitable organizations as the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and the YMCA, among others. He has also served as president of the Greensboro Lions Club and first vice president of the Greensboro Jaycees.

A graduate of Duke, Faircloth lettered three years as a guard and tackle for the Blue Devils.