It was good learning from their experiences. 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. He sort of chuckled and said there was a lot of built-up frustration over those years of losing to Valdosta, Dont take it personally is what I believe he said., 5. Nelson knows he can't be too careful after he sparked a small-town tempest in the high school football hotbed of Valdosta, a city of more than 56,000 residents located about 15 miles north of the . Its been written and put away for five years, then re-written and put away for 10 years and then re-written again. John Lastinger remembers that game and the play. What the Georgia receiver did after the catch, easily winning a 75 . A defibrillator is a device used to treat a person who has suddenly gone into cardiac arrest, and possibly save their life. 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. In 2004, the Falcons retired his jersey No. Reached by phone this week, Dooley said he has not yet read Belues book. You do well at Valdosta High, and you get a shot to play some college ball. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. 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. What did those coaches mean to you? Redshaw also talked about the days just before the game, when fans of both teams would cruise up and down Ashley Street, hurling insults out the window at each other. The Lowndes administration was not happy about our little stunt.. 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.[10]. In some cases, the insults would turn from verbal to something more physical. High 84F. Joe had been passed over for the head coaching job at Valdosta twice, Prince said. 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. And I have so many great memories of him taking time to help coach me up. Belue, who lives in Forsyth County, currently hosts the Buck Belue Show on 680 The Fan. Joe Wilson took over the Vikings football team in 1976, and right away encouraged the players to embrace their country boy personality and call themselves Plowboys. He led the Vikings to an 8-2 season, which included upset victories over Tift County and Thomasville High. I have nothing but respect for the man, Belue said of Dooley. Prince recalled a prank that took place the week of the 1974 game. 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]. 10 high school player in state history. I was wise beyond my years because of them. How would you contrast and compare those iconic coaches? I was always a fan of the top players and programs and curious about the way they did it, what scheme they were running. We spent so many Friday nights at Cleveland Field, or Bazemore-Hyder Stadium as they call it now, watching them win big. [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. Proper Name: Benjamin F. Belue High Level: AA Positions: OF (135) Height: 6-1 Weight: 190 Bats: Right Throws: Right Born: Dec 22,1959 age: 63.054 place: Valdosta,GA High School: Valdosta (Valdosta,GA) colleges: University of Georgia (Athens,GA), Drafted: Montreal Expos - 1982 - 6 - 149 (June-Reg) drafted 2x draft posit: OF TBC#: 71816 Simmons, a defensive lineman and tight end, was the AJCs Class 3A Lineman of the Year and a Coach Athlete All-American and Joe Namath All-American. Lowndes and Valdosta fans certainly embraced the Winnersville rivalry, showing their love for the home team and their disdain for the other side. Brooks made the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. Joe told Martin, Ill give you three reasons: One, Ill give you a winning season, which youve never had. Ive been wanting to do this for some time, Belue said. What some might not know is that Belue's career as a writer began in earnest around that same time. He hasnt given up his day job, which is to conduct a daily sports-talk show on Atlanta radio station The Fan. Way too much credit is given to Herschel (Walker) and Lindsay (Scott) and Buck. Valdosta City Schools ; J. L. Lomax Elementary School ; Pinevale Elementary School ; Sallas Mahone Elementary ; S.L. 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. Rogers was among three Georgians named to the 1976 Coach & Athlete All-America team. Buck Belue famously guided Georgia's football team to a national championship 42 years ago. Created by Ellen Kennerly Made with Squarespace, 2022 Georgia High School Football Daily. 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GO CATS! The Saints drafted Rogers in 1981, making him the first Georgia-grown player selected first overall in an NFL Draft. Breaking down Vaughn Grissom trying to replace Dansby Swanson at shortstop. Buck Belue (Buck Belue) "Tell us about "Inside the Hedges," Jim said. 1 high school football player of all-time in a 2007 article. Benjamin Franklin "Buck" Belue played American football and baseball at the University of Georgia from 1978 to 1981. Brooks rushed for 1,816 yards as a senior, 1,852 yards as a junior and 1,088 as a sophomore. 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. The Valdosta High class of '78 alumni are listed below. When Belue finally got to his mom and dad, the tears were flowing. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Belue devotes several chapters to his high school days pursuing state championships under coach Nick Hyder. Coach Wilson would be saying we can throw to this running back because weve got this linebacker on him. Our maintenance folks earned their pay that week.. He was going to youth league programs, scouting the local talent. [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. He played nine NFL seasons, made two Pro Bowls and finished with more than 18,000 all-purpose yards. Salary in 2020. 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 remember Stanley Bounds. I dont blame the players for feeling that way, said Dooley, who will turn 90 in September. The Georgia football team had just put a bow on an undefeated regular season with a resounding 38-20 win over Georgia Tech in 1980 when the players awoke the following morning to news that coach Vince Dooley reportedly was leaving to become coach and athletic director at Auburn. In practice, it was always the 1s against the 1s. We had a fellow by the name of Freddie Steedley who had a mule, and he agreed to put on the overalls and straw hat and ride the mule out to midfield before the game, Prince said. In the 1977 game, there were no fights, but there was a bounty placed on Buck Belue not to hurt the Valdosta QB great, but to take a piece of his number 8 jersey off his back and to the Lowndes sideline. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. Rome said in high school, he did. I definitely wanted to share the Valdosta experience because Ive had thousands of people ask me over the years, What was the secret to Valdosta winning all those games all those years? Belue said. I would soak up all this knowledge. Hundreds of people turned out at the The Salty Snapper, including former Valdosta High classmates and UGA teammates. What are your thoughts on making the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame? ], Then, Valdosta was really laying down the hammer in 1971 [winning a national championship in Coach Bazemores final season]. The most improbable win for either team was this one, with Valdosta overcoming a 17-7 deficit in just 1:14 to win the Winnersville Classic over Lowndes. Its great that the Lord Wedgwood Charity offered to give one to a school in my name. 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.. Valdosta High School 4590 Inner Perimeter Road Valdosta, GA 31601 Phone: (229) 333-8540 Fax: (229) 333-8584. Buck Belue is the only Quarterback to start all four years at Quarterback for Valdosta High. Those who were part of the game shared the plays and players they remember the most. Credit: Photo by Chris McShane (provided by Buck Belue). Hyder became head coach your freshman year. ], 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]. Brooks scored 70 touchdowns at Warner Robins. Walker led Georgia to a 1980 national title and finished his career with 5,259 rushing yards, the most ever in three seasons. They were running the same sets and plays. Those were the low-key celebrations of Winnersville. Way too much credit is given to Herschel (Walker) and Lindsay (Scott) and Buck. Buck Belue is best known as the quarterback who led Georgia to its 1980 national championship, but he was widely known before that as a high school athlete. Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States.As of 2019, Valdosta had an estimated population of 56,457. What do most people want to talk to you about at these book signings? 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. Hes a very good coach, Belue said. He was going to youth league programs, scouting the local talent. McPhersons own performance is one of the best among the head coaches in the Classic. I wanted the freedom to do what I wanted to do, you know? Its a good feeling knowing you represent Valdosta. An astounding number at the time and a record that took more than a decade to break. Before he was an All-SEC running back at Auburn and played 13 NFL seasons, James Brooks led Warner Robins to a 1976 Class 3A championship and a National Sports News Service (NSNS) national title. "So most days, at the end of the day, I would just jot down some notes from the day. Georgia legend Buck Belue helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1980 national championship and has published a book called " 'Inside the Hedges: The Quarterback's Journey to the 1980 National Championship." But that was about to change. Valdosta High School is the most successful High School football program in the country. The Wildcats loss to Lowndes and the close game the year before were the turning points of the series, and turned it into a true rivalry, Lastinger said. Buck Belue led Georgia to a 12-0 record and a national title in 1980. They hauled the ship over from Lowndes to Valdosta High in the middle of the night and put it in the pond in front of the school. Belue threw for 299 yards in his career, completing 37 of 68 passes with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He will be inducted with Belue in October. Belue set the state record for career passing yards with 5,214, which he accumulated as a four-year starter at Valdosta. Everybody was running the Wing-T, and he ran the pro set, throwing the ball. GHSF Daily recently named him the best player in Thomasville High history, and the AJC in 2007 ranked him the No. 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. We were playing old youth league football at 9, 10, 11 years old, and were playing at about 8 in the morning, and if you look back in the stands, youd usually see Coach Bazemore watching the games. Billy Henderson [Clarke Centrals coach] called three straight timeouts and iced the kicker. And I have so many great memories of him taking time to help coach me up. Scott. 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. [4] His career batting average at Georgia was .356 and he went on to play three years in the Montreal Expos organization. It includes Brooks County to the west.. Valdosta is the home of Valdosta State University, a regional university in the University . Herschel Walker was the lone unanimous selectee for the inaugural class of the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame, selected on 35 of 35 ballots. What do most people want to talk to you about at these book signings? We missed a chip-shot field goal that wouldve won the state championship for all of us. I just think of all the people that helped me get there, as I mentioned, Coach Bazemore, Coach Hyder, Coach Wilson, Coach Rudolph. that led to a victory over the University of Florida, which was at one time tied with two other passing plays as the longest passing touchdown in Georgia history. 1. We have estimated Buck Belue's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets. Among the sanctions . Washington High in Massillon, Ohio, is 612-158-35 since 1894. Youve been to about 10 cities to sign your book, and youve got several more scheduled. Former Valdosta assistant coach Jerry Don Baker, who played at Valdosta in the 60s and coached at Valdosta from 1976-2006, said he was there when Wilson told Valdosta he was leaving. If you are a Valdosta alumn, we encourage you to register and be sure to sign up for the alumni newsletter. Last season, he was backup to another Valdosta alumnus, All-Southeastern. Buck Belue, former Valdosta, UGA quarterback. Belue will host a book signing for his new book "Inside the Hedges". His coach, Bobby Bowden, called Simmons the most significant recruit and player in turning FSU into a national power. Who are some of the great players you saw from your era or before? I admired these athletes. One of their defensive linemen, Charles Bergman, got hold of Bucks jersey at the sleeve, and ripped it right off his back, Lastinger said. Belue also talked to all of the players about being positive influences and representing themselves and the Valdosta Wildcats well. Valdosta High School Graduate. He is currently co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily. 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