Wild Bill Claiborne


William Stirling "Wild Bill" Claiborne was a college football player and Episcopal archdeacon of Sewanee and East Tennessee. Before he was archdeacon, he was rector of Otey.

College football

Claiborne attended Roanoke College from 1893 to 1895. Claiborne was a prominent guard for the Sewanee Tigers of, a small Episcopal school in the mountains of Tennessee. He played on the 1899 "Iron Men" who won five road games in six days and all by shutout, selected All-Southern. Claiborne was blind in one eye, and used his discolored eye for purposes of intimidation on the field. At Sewanee Claiborne studied theology and was ordained priest in 1901.

Religious work

He was a member of the Missionary Society. He was called the "apostle of the mountain folk" for his work among Tennessee mountain people. He founded the St. Andrew's School for Mountain Boys, refounded St. Mary's School, founded the DuBose Memorial Training School, and established Emerald-Hogston Hospital. Claiborne wrote a book titled Roy in the Mountains.
One description of his service in the ministry reads "eleven years ago he went into the mountains of East Tennessee and rolled up his sleeves. They are still up."