[1] Ayers enlisted for service in the United States Army for World War II on July 10, 1943, at Fort McPherson in Atlanta.

He played for consequent teams the Andalusia Bulldogs, the Gastonia Cardinals, the Daytona Beach Islanders, and the Cordele Bees before taking a 3-year hiatus from 1939 to 1942.

He made his major league debut on April 17, 1947, as the team's number two starter, but lasted only three and two-thirds innings against the Phillies, giving up seven hits.

He pitched for the Havana Reds in the Cuban League in 1952 and led the team to the Caribbean Series crown in Panama that year.

After a slow start in 1953, the Oaks peddled Ayers to Wenatchee in the Western International League, but the 33-year-old refused to report and returned to his home in Newnan, Georgia.