News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
As Florida and UT rekindle their rivalry Saturday, there are Upper Cumberland ties on the Florida sidelines.
The parents of Gators Head Coach Billy Napier met at Tennessee Tech. Napier was also born at Cookeville Regional Medical Center.
While most football fans will be tuning in Saturday as the Tennessee Vols face the Florida Gators. Celina’s Thomas Weaver and Danial Strong will be at the game since they are first cousins with Coach Napier.
“Uncle Bill is kind of the anchor of it all,” Weaver said. “Legendary player here at Celina High School for years. Also played at Tennessee Tech, and he coached here at Celina starting out.”
Weaver said after coaching at Celina, Bill moved to Georgia with his family and eventually coached his son Billy Napier in high school football. From there, Billy Napier went on to play college ball in South Carolina at Furman University. His coaching career begin shortly after in 2004.
Weaver said Bill was a father figure to not only his son but to all the nephews. Weaver said anytime you see Coach Napier in press conferences today, he can see how Bill was the foundation.
“Uncle Bill was the picture of what a football player and honestly what a man should be,” Weaver said. “In a lot of ways, I idolized him. He just had a huge impact on not only us, but so may people throughout his life. You hear Billy talk about him quite a bit. In the face of adversity, Uncle Bill shined. he battled ALS and died from it. During that whole time, he made the most of it.”
Strong said the Napier name in Celina can be traced back to the 1940’s when their grandfather Billy Napier meet his wife Edwina Hargrove at Celina High School. Strong said they had five children one of which being Bill Napier.
“They just enjoyed a good life here in Celina,” Strong said. “Of course, Uncle Bill was a good football player at Celina High School. He met his wife Pam there at Tennessee Tech. She has ties to the Sparta community.”
When asked who they will cheer for on Saturday, Strong said the Gators. Weaver said even though they have followed the Vols all their lives, blood runs thicker than water.
