Latest: Gallery: Buck Belue book signing at Coach's Corner The Vikings ran onto the field with their new Plowboys jerseys, and the home crowd went nuts. They were very different. Prince recalled a prank that took place the week of the 1974 game. What do you get when you combine the winningest high school football program in the country with one of the most consistently winning football programs in the state over the last three decades? Belue was kidded about Valdosta falling to Clarke Central in the 1977 Class 4A state finals. The runner-up was Herschel Walker, then a sophomore. 38. Told of the passage about his Auburn flirtations, Dooley laughed and said he doesnt begrudge Belue for including it. Tevin Tisdale in the 2018 game, said MacPherson. I admired these athletes. Hyder became head coach your freshman year. There was a golf tournament involving fans and coaches from both teams. The quarterback thing happened late for me, and it was Wright Bazemore that told the middle school coach to move me to quarterback, so I owe much of my football success to Coach Bazemore for having the insight to get me over to that position. Rogers was among three Georgians named to the 1976 Coach & Athlete All-America team. There were a lot of guys who had a huge impact to the success of those teams.]. For him it simply was a passion project that needed to be done. Belue quarterbacked the Bulldogs to a 12-0 record in 1980, culminating with a 17-10 win over Notre Dame Jan. 1, 1981 in the Sugar Bowl. Bazemore watched you play in youth ball and suggested to the coaches that they move you to quarterback. Schools . Belue was atUniversities Forever in Cumming on Saturdayto promote his book,'Inside the Hedges: The Quarterback's Journey to the 1980 National Championship,' a project that was decades in the making. I had other friends there, too, just like they did that day in that room. The Valdosta Wildcats have been playing football since 1913, and with over 900 wins, 24 state championships, six national championships, and a bunch of region titles, they remain the winningest high school football team in the country. He finished ninth in the Heisman trophy voting in 1979. Hyder, a devout Christian, brought fans and players from both teams together for an FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) banquet on Thursday night prior to the big game, allowing the two sides to fellowship over dinner. He came in from West Rome with the idea of running the wishbone like he was doing in Rome, and I was coming over for spring football as an eighth grader, and it wasnt a couple of months later we were back for preseason practice, and he was totally shifted to the Bazemore offense, as we called it. As a highly recruited back, Rogers went to South Carolina, where rushed for 5,091 yards, including 1,781 as a 1980 senior. Wildcat quarterback Shelby Wilkes leads the Cats on a three-play drive, highlighted by a 47-yard screen pass to Charlie Albritton that took the ball to the Vikings 6-yard line. SPONSORED BY: Buck Belue - 1980 National Championship QB A couple of the mules handlers were able to catch the mule and bring him back to the field house. We were in position to win the national championship and he is about to jump to our rival? Valdosta, Georgia is called Title Town, USA because they have won more high school football games and titles than anyone else. The best player that I played with was our quarterback, Kareem Wilson, in 1995, Henderson recalled. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Wilson had fulfilled his first promise to Martin: A winning season in his first try, something Lowndes had never before experienced. Search and browse yearbooks online! He had everybody running the same offense so that by time you got to middle school and high school, you didnt have to learn any of it. In 2004, the Falcons retired his jersey No. Its an oral history that will never die in fact, it just keeps growing, year after year, down there in Winnersville. Following a Lowndes punt, Valdosta took possession around midfield. Im pleased we were able to give Valdosta a defibrillator, since they didnt have one, Belue said. Prince said thats when Joe Wilson decided he would accept an invitation to go over and meet with Martin. At Valdosta, you were heavily influenced by the legendary head coaches Wright Bazemore (1941-42, 1946-71) and Nick Hyder (1973-95). He was the quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980, when the team went 12-0, and, after beating Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, was named the consensus national champion. The following year, he put up a career-best 714 rushing yards. We got the ball with about three or four minutes left inside our own 10 and drove down to the 1-yard line with like two seconds left. In September 2020, the show was recast as Buck and Hut, pairing Belue with fellow former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Hutson Mason after Kincade was laid off by the station. He shared time with Jeff Pyburn a. At Valdosta, you were heavily influenced by the legendary head coaches Wright Bazemore (1941-42, 1946-71) and Nick Hyder (1973-95). Buck Belue Social Network Timeline 2007 He is also the only quarterback to start all four years for the Valdosta Wildcats where he was inducted as a member of the Valdosta High School Hall of Fame in 2007. - photo by David Roberts, Forsyth County man accused of influencing stock prices with false financial information, Forsyth County man arrested on child porn, molestation charges, Police warn Forsyth County residents not to fall victim to these scams, Forsyth County announces leaders for three departments, Heres when the Cumming City Center will have its first spring market, This local chiropractor is moving to the Cumming City Center, Local real estate group moving to new office at the Cumming City Center, Man surprises his girlfriend with a diamond ring at the Cumming City Center just in time for Christmas, This popular Roswell restaurant is opening a second location at the Cumming City Center, This celebrity chef helped local Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise $10,000, Heres how the city of Cumming celebrated Community Arbor Day, South Forsyth grad earns prestigious Saxby Chambliss Fellowship, Here are the 8 students chosen for this years Good Citizen Awards, Basketball: South Forsyth girls downed by No. It was just playing for the Wildcats. Then, Prince said, prior to the 1979 game, Lowndes was warming up in their traditional crimson jerseys. Lastinger decided he wanted to make the annual football game more of a community-wide event and celebration, so beginning with the 1981 Valdosta vs. Lowndes game, he called it The Winnersville Classic. What had been just a game between the two local schools would become a week-long celebration involving the community, fans, players, and coaches, and the game would never be the same again. Hes a very good coach, Belue said. The Valdosta High class of '78 alumni are listed below. Id be interested to know how hell react, though.. Stan Rome was a dominant two-sport athlete who still holds the state record for most receiving yards in a career (4,477) despite playing in a run-dominated era. GO CATS! It got to be a normal thing to see fans pulling over off of Ashley Street and Patterson Street and getting out of their cars to fight, Redshaw said. Georgia captured its first national championship since that fabled season in January with a 33-18 win against Alabama in the title game. He recalled how Valdosta supporters would take the opportunity in front of a full house of fans from both sides to get the Cats fired up just one more time. He was drafted by the Chiefs of the NFL and the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. . Belue threw for 299 yards in his career, completing 37 of 68 passes with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Doug Henderson, whose sons Ashley, Justin, and Doug all played at Valdosta, recalled a prank in the mid-90s that was designed to fire up the Wildcat players. Ive known Coach Tomberlin for a long time. I was friends with Coach Wilsons son, Jody, so I got some behind-the-scenes access to practice and going to the games and seeing the locker room. That still sort of haunts me even today., 7. 1. Buck Belue's QB Camp Recap Gallery Registration is open to all high-school-age Quarterbacks, however Buck will only be inviting the best 30 QBs and 20 Wide Receivers to participate. Belue said he flirted with shopping his book to outside publishers, but opted instead to publish it himself. Created by Ellen Kennerly Made with Squarespace, 2022 Georgia High School Football Daily. During the banquet, Valdosta police would bring in a black wreath that said, Death to the Wildcats from the Lowndes High Vikings, McGuyrt recalled. 31. When he knocked off the third one a state championship, which Lowndes won in 1980 Johnny B. Lastinger was prompted to concede this was more than just a game it was a community event. Buck goes shopping with his daughter at the Braves Store in SunTrust Park.It is obvious they are not on the same page when it comes to jersey shopping.. What are your thoughts on making the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame? That was just heart-breaking. Call: (916)383-0110 (510)781-4800. Their entire sideline of players and coaches tried to climb the wall to get into the stands, and some just took off running towards the opposite end of the stadium.. Hundreds of people turned out at the The Salty Snapper, including former Valdosta High classmates and UGA teammates. It was not very good, Georgias home finale ends with a thud vs. Florida, Atlanta Uniteds Franco Ibarra settling into his natural role, GHSA basketball state tournament: Quarterfinals updates from Tuesday, Class 5A girls basketball: Kell 68, Bradwell Institute 54, Timber frame office building at Ponce City Market Atlanta starts to rise, Supreme Court hearing on student loan forgiveness: What it means for Georgians. Host of Buck's Beat podcast. To join the mailing list, click here. "I got to work last year on it, before the football season started," Belue said. He was the quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980, when the team went 12-0, and, after beating Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, was named the consensus national champion. A defibrillator is a device used to treat a person who has suddenly gone into cardiac arrest, and possibly save their life. Published: Apr 25, 2022, 10:44 AM. The problem was the plane didnt get low enough, and the wind blew the flyers all over the neighborhood next to the practice field.. The talented running back rushed 21 times for 414 yards and 6 TDs, leading Lowndes to a 71-35 victory. Copyright 2023 M & S Media Group LLC. FCN staff. "So most days, at the end of the day, I would just jot down some notes from the day. She finally came in and dumped it on his lap. Valdosta is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2021 had a population of 149,590. Belue is widely considered one of the best quarterbacks in Valdosta history. How would you contrast and compare those iconic coaches? Seeing Andy Johnson in 1969 was one of my first recollections of high school football [at the 1969 Class 3A championship game between Athens and Valdosta at Cleveland Field]. For twenty years, he co-hosted Buck and Kincade mostly during mid-days with John Kincade. 2 in the state in Buck's senior season. Brooks rushed for 1,816 yards as a senior, 1,852 yards as a junior and 1,088 as a sophomore. Brooks finished with 7,962 rushing yards and 3,621 receiving yards in his NFL career and was named to the Bengals 40th Anniversary team in 2007. As for the Dooley thing, Belue makes no apologies. The best players I saw play in the game were quarterback Cedric Hatten for us, and for Lowndes it was Greg Reid. With Coach Hyder, you just couldnt imagine anyone working harder than him to be successful. He also told them they have the talent to be a great football team, and said he was excited about the upcoming season, the first under new coach Rick Tomberlin. Mark Lemke joins me. It turned out it was a bad snap from the center and threw off the timing. Our maintenance folks earned their pay that week.. ], Then, Valdosta was really laying down the hammer in 1971 [winning a national championship in Coach Bazemores final season]. Three, Ill win a state championship, which youve never won. Joe Wilson accomplished all three within three years.. I remember in the 1981 game, quarterback John Bond took off down the Lowndes sideline and ran for an 80-yard touchdown, Baker said. 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