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Friday night lights in Rural Georgia just means more

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Comments

  • MeR3htidMeR3htid Posts: 2,525 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    To Mac Dawg 15: If y'all handled Washington County like that y'all had to at leastv .b kinda special

  • scooterdawgscooterdawg Posts: 3,066 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    @MeR3htid said:
    I went to a Lovett game in 1984 when they had Knox Culpepper who started at Georgia n the late 80s. He was a man among boys on the High School level. But don't get me wrong Friday Night Lights is a big deal all over Georgia, it just means more in those rural areas because it's the only game in town.

    Yeah. I’ve heard of Knox but he was before my time. When I was there the big deal was George Lombard, one of many supposedly can’t miss Braves prospects that never panned out. He was a few years older than me. He played both baseball and football and supposedly had an offer from the Dawgs but chose to play baseball.

  • MeR3htidMeR3htid Posts: 2,525 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Yeah Lombard was a good one. But Knox Culpepper stood out to me because that's all my (brother who was a regular on all special teams and backup corner/ safety for North Fulton High School) talked about all week leading up to the game. It was so cold that night at Grady Stadium in Atlanta that my mother refused to let me and my younger sister go inside the stadium so we watched sitting in our car near the South End zone. Didn't take long to hear Knox Culpeppers name over the loudspeaker as he scored the 1st touchdown of the game in the 1st quarter and Lovett went on to prevail relatively comfortably. I say that because we had about 3 legitimate D-1 prospects of our own and it was technically a home game for us. Rod Stephens ( Linebacker at GA Tech in the mid 80s and also started about 5 yrs collectively in the NFL with the Seahawks and Redskins before knee issues shortened his career) WAS OUR MIDDLE LINEBACKER as a Sophomore. Seniors Flanker/ Tailback Dwayne Gatlin and Senior Offensive lineman Lawrence Jackson were also highly sought after prospects AND there were a few others but I've already taken up too much of your time. But yeah Culpepper was a beast and 1 of my favorites.

  • donmdonm Posts: 10,241 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    @scooterdawg said:

    @MeR3htid said:
    I went to a Lovett game in 1984 when they had Knox Culpepper who started at Georgia n the late 80s. He was a man among boys on the High School level. But don't get me wrong Friday Night Lights is a big deal all over Georgia, it just means more in those rural areas because it's the only game in town.

    Yeah. I’ve heard of Knox but he was before my time. When I was there the big deal was George Lombard, one of many supposedly can’t miss Braves prospects that never panned out. He was a few years older than me. He played both baseball and football and supposedly had an offer from the Dawgs but chose to play baseball.

    Isn’t he coaching in the majors now?

  • scooterdawgscooterdawg Posts: 3,066 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    I’m not sure. I lost track of him after he never got more than a cup of coffee with the Braves.

  • scooterdawgscooterdawg Posts: 3,066 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Yup. First base coach for the dodgers according to Wikipedia.

  • donmdonm Posts: 10,241 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    @scooterdawg said:
    Yup. First base coach for the dodgers according to Wikipedia.

    So he ended up doing ok. Good deal.

  • MeR3htidMeR3htid Posts: 2,525 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    George Lombard, yeah I think so although I don't know who he's with. I think he and Chipper we're teammates in the minors. In fact I'm pretty sure they were but of course I could b wrong.

  • BoroDawgBoroDawg Posts: 1,667 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited September 2018

    I grew up during the Buzz Busby/Steve Pennington era at Statesboro High. From 2000-2005 they played for 5 state championships, winning 2. SEC players included Jimtavius Walker, Jeremy Mincey, Josh Thompson, Alex Dekle, Justin Houston, Jon Knox, and Deangelo Tyson. David Cone went to Michigan to play QB also, but Rich Rod took over in his second season and he never was able to play. They had some incredible teams during that period. That 05 defense was one of the best ever in GHSA. Six starters from that D played D1, three for UGA, and two NFLers

  • scooterdawgscooterdawg Posts: 3,066 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    I didn’t know that Culpepper had the UGA single game tackle record. Pretty impressive.

  • MeR3htidMeR3htid Posts: 2,525 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Oh yeah If I looked on to that field and didn't c Knox out there... Yeah, that wasn't a good feeling you know cause he patrolled the middle of the field like the "JUNKYARD DAWG version of Dick Butkus. He steadied our defense, made EVERY tackle and is to me BY EVERY DEFINITION A DMG. I didn't follow his career after he graduated from Georgia but I'll always respect him for the way he 1) Carried himself between the hedges and 2) the record breaking production as u mentioned.

  • MeR3htidMeR3htid Posts: 2,525 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
  • AnotherDawgAnotherDawg Posts: 6,762 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Friday Night Lights is a magical thing in all four corners of this state. I guess Alabama, Florida and Texas may disagree, but I doubt there's a better football state in the country than ours, and frankly I'm not sure the rural/urban distinction is significant. From personal experience, South Georgia football is awesome- Valdosta, Lowndes, Thomasville, Thomas Co. Central, Cairo, Colquitt Co., etc. But I've also seen a similar level of passion, excitement, and community involvement at Pace, Westminster, Lovett, Blessed Trinity, GACS, Woodward, etc. No doubt the same is true in the Macon area, the Athens area, Coastal Georgia, North Georgia, West Georgia, etc.

    And yes, Knox Culpepper was a DGD.

  • BigcalidawgBigcalidawg Posts: 1,363 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Y’all know better than to get me started.

    Some of my best memories are the rides back home after road wins, police escort with sirens goin, dozens of cars, and everybody freestylin on the bus

    Georgia football family.......

  • UnderDog68UnderDog68 Posts: 3,109 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited September 2018

    Back when I was a kid in the 80s, nothing was better than the Thomasville/Thomas County Central rivalry. In 1986, for example, the team captains who lined up for the coin toss included Charlie Ward, Eric Curry, Shawn Jones, Mike Jones, and Alphonso Ellis. Ward won a Heisman and a Natty at FSU....Curry won a Natty in 1992 at Alabama, Shawn Jones won a Natty at GT...Both Ellis and Mike Jones started at UGA. The offensive line that TCC had then was taller and heavier than the starting o-line at UGA.

    When they hooked up...which was twice in 1986 and in 1987, because they were in the same region and also played each other for the region championship those years, there would be at least 20 college coaches watching.

    In 1993, THS and TCC played each other for the AAA state title...a game TCC won, 14-12. The town shut down. ESPN did a segment on the game and on the town. The QB for Thomasville High that night? Mike Bobo. TCC would go on to win 3 more AAA titles from 1994-1997, and 5 overall from 1992-1997. TCC was voted the team of the decade by the AJC in 1999.....

    Great times. My wife and I had no kids then, and we would travel to all the away games for TCC, and we would plan schedules around the high school games. Again....great times.

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