Valdosta High School 4590 Inner Perimeter Road Valdosta, GA 31601 Phone: (229) 333-8540 Fax: (229) 333-8584. Following a Lowndes punt, Valdosta took possession around midfield. This biographical article relating to an American football quarterback born in the 1950s is a stub. Ive known Coach Tomberlin for a long time. Valdosta High School Graduate. He played two seasons of minor league baseball in the Montreal Expos organization. It doesnt get better than that. Please only use it for a guidance and Buck Belue's actual income may vary a lot from the dollar amount shown above. Reid is forever known for The Run against Valdosta in the 2007 game. I remember Buck had to go to the locker room and get another jersey. In practice, it was always the 1s against the 1s. ], Then, Valdosta was really laying down the hammer in 1971 [winning a national championship in Coach Bazemores final season]. They worked on it all week. But it missed its mark literally. 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Freshman Buck Belue took over the starting Quarterback job at Valdosta in 1974 and he didn't give it back until he used up his eligibility. GHSF Daily recently named him the best player in Thomasville High history, and the AJC in 2007 ranked him the No. It was so much fun going being part of that atmosphere. [Belue said the second motivation for writing the book was bragging on teammates and players at Georgia and Valdosta that didnt get the credit they deserved. We missed a chip-shot field goal that wouldve won the state championship for all of us. Buck Belue is a 1978 graduate of Valdosta High School in Valdosta, GA. Sign up on Classmates for free to reconnect with Buck Belue and other high school alumni. . @ThePodcastPark. He played at 6 feet, 2 inches, and 240 pounds but was exceptionally fast. 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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. He came through for me on that, which was huge.. I remember Stanley Bounds. With Coach Bazemore, I just looked at him as an innovator offensively. Everybody was running the Wing-T, and he ran the pro set, throwing the ball. To join the mailing list, click here. "It allowed me to talk about my hometown and brag on the people that helped me through those high school days. Furious, actually. He bypassed his senior season and went to the USFL and totaled 7,046 all-purpose yards and 61 touchdowns in three years. George Rogers, the 1980 Heisman Trophy winner while at South Carolina, was the AJCs Class A Back of the Year in 1976 and Class B Back of the Year in 1975. ATHENS The Georgia Bulldogs were mad. He played for what is regarded as the greatest Valdosta team ever, which went 13-0 in route to a Class 3A title. Jan 26. @680TheFan. Defensive coordinator Erk Russell. What some might not know is that Belue's career as a writer began in earnest around that same time. Generally, they build in signings around their everyday lives. ITG Next is your go-to source for high school sports media coverage in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and across the country. 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. UGA star Jalen Carter present at scene of fatal crash, Georgia Tech hammers Syracuse as Jackets late-season surge continues, Braves notes: Jared Shusters first spring game, Michael Sorokas progress, Ian Anderson on spring debut: Im not gonna sugarcoat it. In 1977, Wilsons second season, he made good on his assurance to Martin that he was finally going to beat Valdosta, and on his boast to Hyder that he was going to whip your [butt], by leading the Vikings to an incredible 7-2 win over the Wildcats in front of a frenzied Lowndes home crowd. Chip Towers covers the Georgia Bulldogs for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I was blessed with this great coaching. [Belue passed for a state-record 5,214 yards and won two region titles in his four Valdosta seasons. I would soak up all this knowledge. This isn't conjecture, it's really fact. He was just so far ahead of his time. I admired these athletes. Even on a business trip in a remote Caribbean country, it followed the former. She finally came in and dumped it on his lap. He was totally unselfish, too. These two Wildcat backers agree on their most memorable moment: The Comeback.. You need to watch him tonight, and he put on one of the most memorable performances I can remember seeing. Those who were part of the game shared the plays and players they remember the most. Search and browse yearbooks online! Belue has been an ultimate survivor in a fickle business, more than 15 years doing afternoon sports-talk radio with 680 The Fan in Atlanta. Its a good feeling knowing you represent Valdosta. I'd gone through and written it probably in the late 80s, then a couple of years later changed ityou know, write, rewrite, write, rewrite. As a highly recruited back, Rogers went to South Carolina, where rushed for 5,091 yards, including 1,781 as a 1980 senior. We wanted to work with players who were (at Valdosta), who are committed to playing football. We would have to hire extra security guards for the entire week of the game, starting on Sunday night, and it would last all week long until the game was over, Redshaw said. I thought long and hard about what I was going to put in there., Photos: Impressive details in Georgia Bulldogs championship rings, Athens celebrates its long-awaited Bulldogs title with parade and stadium event, The drought is over: Georgia is national champion again, Mark Bradley: Mighty Georgia runs down Bama to claim its long-sought championship, QB Stetson Bennetts story a testament to the Georgia community that nurtured him, Steve Hummer: Champion 1980 Bulldogs have waited long enough for company. Between plays, we would stand there and listen to Coach Rudolph break down the responsibilities of each defensive player for the play we just ran. At Valdosta, you were heavily influenced by the legendary head coaches Wright Bazemore (1941-42, 1946-71) and Nick Hyder (1973-95). [4] His career batting average at Georgia was .356 and he went on to play three years in the Montreal Expos organization. Alumni listings below have either been searched for or they registered as members of this directory. Baker said the bands from both schools began joining forces on the field before each game and would play the National Anthem together. Closed on Weekends. You also talk about the other coaches at Valdosta, especially Joe Wilson, who later became Lowndes head coach and led the Vikings to a 1980 state title, and Jack Rudolph, Valdostas longtime defensive mastermind [and father of Georgia Tech and NFL player Coleman Rudolph]. [Johnson scored on a 68-yard run on the final play of the first half, then threw a 28-yard TD pass and a two-point conversion in the final seconds for a 26-26 tie. Its been written and put away for five years, then re-written and put away for 10 years and then re-written again. Search and browse yearbooks online! We had weight limits, and if you weighed a certain amount, you couldnt play in the backfield, and I was a bigger kid then. Kinnebrew was named the AJCs Class A Lineman of the Year and was a Parade All-American. Im pleased we were able to give Valdosta a defibrillator, since they didnt have one, Belue said. He finished ninth in the Heisman trophy voting in 1979. "Twenty years we've been here. Most coaches are going to take their schemes to the grave, but he learned the new offense and made the change for the team. Prince recalled a prank that took place the week of the 1974 game. 25 Georgia high school player of all-time. Not to be outdone, Valdosta would come back with its own persona to counter the country boy image of Lowndes. He fell short of a state title when Clarke Central beat Valdosta 16-14 in the 1977 Class 3A championship. He set Georgias career rushing record of 6,137 yards. The best players I saw play in the game were quarterback Cedric Hatten for us, and for Lowndes it was Greg Reid. Belue was selected by the Montreal Expos in the sixth round of the 1982 MLB Draft, and some of his book discusses his path as a two-sport athlete. How did Bazemore make a quarterback out of you? 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. Andrews signed with Auburn and rushed for 1,347 yards in three seasons playing in a backfield with fellow Georgia backs James Brooks and Joe Cribbs. My dad and I waited on Athens High to come out of the locker room, and were standing by the fence, and my dad is saying, Look, heres Andy Johnson. Buck Belue, former Valdosta, UGA quarterback. During the banquet, Valdosta police would bring in a black wreath that said, Death to the Wildcats from the Lowndes High Vikings, McGuyrt recalled. 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]. So he came up with the name Plowboys. He and then-band director Billy Martin ordered straw hats with LHS Plowboys across the front, which the band wore during their halftime performance.. He hit .447 for the 1982 season and his .356 career batting average (he also hit 30 homers and scored 114 runs) remains among the top 10 in school history. He was the best in the business. That was the dream of every young athlete in Valdosta, and that dream didnt go much further than that. He played four seasons in the CFL and USFL, then became a professional wrestler and the WCW heavyweight champion in 1992. Belue played all four years on Georgias baseball team. He was a country boy and proud of it. All but Scott are former Valdosta players. Hundreds of people turned out at the The Salty Snapper, including former Valdosta High classmates and UGA teammates. According to Baker, the win inspired a year-long rally cry: 7 to 2 we beat Belue., John Lastinger, the son of Johnny B. Lastinger, played receiver at Valdosta and would be the guy who succeeded Belue at quarterback. But Belues retelling of that episode during Georgias 1980 championship season is just one example of the honest account the former star quarterback shares of playing for the Bulldogs from 1978-81. I was always a fan of the top players and programs and curious about the way they did it, what scheme they were running. 4 Georgia high school football player of all time. Last season, he was backup to another Valdosta alumnus, All-Southeastern. You do well at Valdosta High, and you get a shot to play some college ball. It was the last one. They were running the same sets and plays. He also became the first active player at South Carolina to have his jersey retired, No. Also, I was motivated by writing about the 1980 season and about the guys that never got the credit. His career total of 4,756 set a state record for the highest classification. We just knew the crowd would go crazy, and it would fire up our players.. When Belue finally got to his mom and dad, the tears were flowing. 31. When Wilson arrived, he saw that many among the Lowndes faithful were not too crazy about the references to the Vikings being known as the country school. Andrews was named to four Pro Bowls and earned two second-team All-Pro selections. Jun. Who are some of the great players you saw from your era or before? Larry Kinnebrewrushed for more than 1,000 yards as a fullback and was the dominant force defensively on East Romes 15-0 Class A champion that shut out nine opponents and held four others to seven points or less in 1977. The problem was the plane didnt get low enough, and the wind blew the flyers all over the neighborhood next to the practice field.. 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. How would you contrast and compare those iconic coaches? Its great that the Lord Wedgwood Charity offered to give one to a school in my name. [8] Belue was also inducted into the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame in 1996.[9]. We had about 500 flyers printed with a nasty message directed at our players, Henderson said. Well, the only thing that went crazy was the mule. He and his wife had an apartment next to the school, and I would go over to watch film with him. Toggle navigation April 13, 2021, 8:39 AM. No wonder Buck eyed. You mentioned that you saw many of the players that were on the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame ballot or were voted in. Books can be ordered at InsideTheHedges.com or in person at one of Belues appearances. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. I knew coverage, I knew techniques, things that it seemed like these other quarterbacks didnt understand at the time. ], Ive also got some memories of Coach Hyder trying to turn the program around and he took me to some playoff games to watch Michael Jolly [the quarterback on Central-Macons 1975 Class 3A championship team]. Washington High in Massillon, Ohio, is 612-158-35 since 1894. Whichever you prefer, this town has won a lot of high school football games over the years.Valdosta High School has 24 state titles to it's cred. Buck Belue is the only Quarterback to start all four years at Quarterback for Valdosta High. That was Lowndes first win ever against Valdosta, whose quarterback was Buck Belue, the future University of Georgia star. Scott. Those were the low-key celebrations of Winnersville. Four other ex-Georgia players helped Belue at the camp. John Lastinger remembers that game and the play. BUCK BELUE Belue, Benjamin Franklin Height: 6-1 Weight: 190 Born: December 12, 1959 Macon, GA High School: Valdosta (GA) Ben Belue, 71, of Valdosta was a devoted family man and lifetime sales executive, born in Anniston, Ala. on Nov. 28, 1940 and raised in Macon, Ga. where he attended Lanier High School. His three children range in age from 8 to 11. I've had these friends that have said, 'You're crazy releasing the book now, right after the '21 team.' Call: (916)383-0110 (510)781-4800. He won 12 of his 18 games against Valdosta. Belue will host a book signing for his new book "Inside the Hedges". Schools . Both were thrilled to have the chance to work with a former player whod not only been Valdostas quarterback, but had also played for Georgia and the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL. However, this week in anticipation of his new book "Inside the Hedges," Belue took to Sirius XM's SEC This Morning to share a story from his . [Rome, a 6-foot-4 tight end, set a national record for receiving yards in a season. Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. So, I felt like I needed to respect (Auburn) by taking a look at it. Want to get the content before anyone else? Truth is, Lowndes would struggle against everyone else too, winning just 31 games in that first decade of football with four different head football coaches. Simmons was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. UGA star Jalen Carter present at scene of fatal crash, From 2021: Buck Belue, QB of 1980 Georgia national champions, to call the Dawgs before kickoff, Georgia Tech hammers Syracuse as Jackets late-season surge continues, Braves notes: Jared Shusters first spring game, Michael Sorokas progress, Ian Anderson on spring debut: Im not gonna sugarcoat it. With Coach Hyder, you just couldnt imagine anyone working harder than him to be successful. This record was later broken by Aaron Murray's 98-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Davis in Georgia's victory over North Texas in 2013. We just live a couple miles down the road, and we just found a place where we love the people. As a Johnson County senior in 1979, Walker rushed for a state-record 3,167 yards and 45 touchdowns and led the Trojans to the Class A championship. The world more open and connected Run against Valdosta in the Montreal Expos organization had go. Best players I saw play in the CFL and USFL, then, Valdosta really! 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