Troy University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2023
Sacrifice. A term that often goes hand in hand with the military and the game of football. Sherrill Busby embodied what it meant to sacrifice, playing football for the Troy Trojans from 1937-39 and joining the military as a member of the Army Air Corps during World War II.
Busby joined the Trojans in 1937 and immediately made an impact, cementing his name in the history books for the program and in NCAA history. Primarily positioned as an end, the 198-pound player led the Trojans to an Alabama Intercollegiate Conference Championship in 1939. That season, Busby brought Troy to a 7-4, 4-0 AIC record. Then, in the title game against Jacksonville State, Busby propelled the Trojans to a 27-0 victory.
“I’ll tell you what; to become the first Trojan to play in the pros and to play for a team like the Brooklyn Dodgers is nothing short of incredible,” Troy supporter and Hall of Fame member Mike Amos said. “To block as many kicks as he did back in the day when they played a different brand of football is phenomenal. Despite not being able to watch him play, the stats show that he was real good. Add in his accomplishments outside of football; his induction is well-deserved.”  Â
Troy’s 1937 game against Memphis will forever be enshrined in the world of Troy and national football as the year Busby blocked the most kicks in a single game at four. The game opened with Memphis on offense, but the Trojans forced a punt. When the ball was snapped, Busby flew in to block the punt, which Troy recovered on the 22-yard line. Later in the second quarter, Busby blocked two punts, with the first regained by Memphis and the second scooped and almost scored.   Â
The game against Memphis was the beginning of a legacy for Busby that would carry him through his collegiate career. In his four-year collegiate career, Busby finished with 23 blocked kicks which stands as the most in a career for a Trojan.
The year 1939 would be Busby’s most memorable statistically as he became Troy’s first All-American after blocking 11 total kicks while being a force on the offensive end to lead Troy to the AIC title. In 1939, Busby won the game for Troy against Georgia Southern when he blocked the game-tying PAT.Â
The football career for Busby didn’t stop at Troy; becoming the first Trojan to join professional football after the Brooklyn Dodgers signed him to the team as an undrafted free agent in 1940. He wore the number 16 and competed in two games before hanging up his cleats to fight for freedom.
World War II threw a wrench in Busby’s professional football aspirations, but it allowed him to join the armed forces as a member of the Army Air Corps in 1941. Busby helped America fight all the way to 1945, when Japan and Germany surrendered, and he came home a well-decorated veteran.
Despite the idea of playing football being in the past for Busby, his legacy in the game still needed to be finished. At the conclusion of the war, Busby went home to Highland Home, and in 1955, he became the head football coach of the Highland Home Flying Squadron.Â
His mission was to complete a full rebuild of the school, and it was a slow process. He coached the program for five years, claiming 15 total wins, with eight coming in his final two years. But unfortunately, he didn’t have a chance to complete the rebuild as he tragically passed away after suffering a heart attack on June 7, 1960.
