The surviving source
The contemporary page supplies the names and details used in this chapter. The season and game history keep the retained final and any source differences beside it.
A return, not an introduction
The hiring story identifies Williams as a 1979 Greenbrier graduate. He had already spent ten seasons on the Bobcat staff before coaching the previous five at Springfield.
He replaced Scott Smith after a 4–7 season and described the move as a return home. The continuity mattered: this was a head-coaching change led by someone who already knew the program from the inside.
Four wins in five games
After a 1–3 start, Greenbrier beat Livingston Academy, DeKalb County, Page and Montgomery Central in a five-game span.
Mayo and Dill supplied the documented rushing core. The Howard first round ended 27–13 under the official TSSAA record, despite a conflicting 14–26 school-list line.
Four first-round trips before the first win
Williams's first four teams went 19–25 and reached the playoffs every year. That persistence connected the Smith years to the 2002 team that finally advanced.