Everybody was running the Wing-T, and he ran the pro set, throwing the ball. Belue, who lives in Forsyth County, currently hosts the Buck Belue Show on 680 The Fan. It was not very good, Georgias home finale ends with a thud vs. Florida, Atlanta Uniteds Franco Ibarra settling into his natural role, Stetson Bennett, Darnell Washington highlight Bulldogs at NFL combine, Seeding, pride on line as Georgia Bulldogs host Florida, Timber frame office building at Ponce City Market Atlanta starts to rise, Supreme Court hearing on student loan forgiveness: What it means for Georgians. Dooley stayed, Georgia went on complete the last perfect season in school history, and Belue and his coach are just fine. GHSF Daily recently named him the best player in Thomasville High history, and the AJC in 2007 ranked him the No. @680TheFan. Among the sanctions . 2022 cohort graduation rate for Valdosta High School . I enjoyed it. But the current Wildcats still know who he is. He was the best in the business. In 2004, the Falcons retired his jersey No. He fell short of a state title when Clarke Central beat Valdosta 16-14 in the 1977 Class 3A championship. Buck was a great quarterback for maybe the toughest high school program to play forthe Valdosta Wildcats. Produced by Georgia High School Football Daily, a free e-mail newsletter. I admired these athletes. I remember in the 1981 game, quarterback John Bond took off down the Lowndes sideline and ran for an 80-yard touchdown, Baker said. 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. Simmons was considered undersized for the NFL and went in the sixth round. The first time I played quarterback was in the eighth grade. I admired these athletes. They were up 40-0 with 30 seconds left and still giving the ball to William Andrews. He played four seasons in the CFL and USFL, then became a professional wrestler and the WCW heavyweight champion in 1992. Im glad he came here and did this for us. Buck Belue is the only Quarterback to start all four years at Quarterback for Valdosta High. All the 1980 UGA stars are mentioned, but also prominently featured are teammates such as Nat Hudson, Hugh Nall, Jimmy Womack, Amp Arnold, Jimmy Payne, Eddie Weaver and Nate Taylor and assistant coaches Mike Cavan and Wayne McDuffie, among others. Valdosta High School Graduate. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. ET to 11:00 a.m. Belue was kidded about Valdosta falling to Clarke Central in the 1977 Class 4A state finals. We had some tense moments during those years, but I sort of wanted a hard-to-please coach. Martin brought in Wilson for an interview after hearing that the coach was not exactly happy with the Wildcats at the time. High 84F. [4] His career batting average at Georgia was .356 and he went on to play three years in the Montreal Expos organization. Buck Belue, right, and Lindsey Scott, second from left, with Valdosta High football quarterbacks Michael Turner, left, and Alfrie Johnson, second from right, during the camp at Valdosta High School Friday morning. Search and browse yearbooks online! The first part of the book is my journey through Valdosta and the secrets to all the winning. Im just so thankful my quarterback coach was Joe Wilson. In 2007, the AJC ranked him the No. Kinnebrew signed with Georgia but transferred to Tennessee State. [6] After the demise of the USFL, Belue spent two years on the football coaching staff at Valdosta State University, serving as an offensive assistant. In Buck's first year as quarterback the Valdosta Wildcats were 3-7. Generally, they build in signings around their everyday lives. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. He was the quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980, when the team went 120, and, after beating Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, was named the consensus national champion. 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. The Falcons drafted Andrews in the third round, and he rushed for 1,000 yards in four of his first five seasons before a knee injury cut his career short. Belue is a radio talk show host in Atlanta (on 680 AM), but remains a big fan of Wildcat football. 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. 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. Those were the low-key celebrations of Winnersville. Told of the passage about his Auburn flirtations, Dooley laughed and said he doesnt begrudge Belue for including it. When Buck finished his career he was the state's all-time passing leader with 5,214 yards. The players gathered together on the steps of the old McWhorter Hall athletic dormitory and seethed. "The real motivation for me was, I've had so many people through the years ask me about Valdosta, where I grew up, and the football program being so successful," Belue said. Brooks rushed for 1,816 yards as a senior, 1,852 yards as a junior and 1,088 as a sophomore. He fell short of a state title when Clarke Central beat Valdosta 16-14 in the 1977 Class 3A championship. That turned on a light for me. 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. Sports Illustrated said last fall . His three children range in age from 8 to 11. The problem was the plane didnt get low enough, and the wind blew the flyers all over the neighborhood next to the practice field.. . McGuyrt also emceed the FCA banquet that was held the Thursday before the big game. We have estimated Buck Belue's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets. But part of Belue's focus in writing the book was shining a light on his hometown of Valdosta, as well as some of the lesser known players on Georgia's 1980 team. Andrews was named to four Pro Bowls and earned two second-team All-Pro selections. [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. The current Winnersville series record stands at 36 wins for Valdosta and 24 for Lowndes heading into the 2022 season. Buck Belue Georgia QB. He started in 78 out of 92 career games, made three Pro Bowls and was first-team All Pro once. Georgia was loaded with talent in 1980 there were five future NFL Draft picks on the roster, plus Hall of Fame head coach Vince Dooley and legendary defensive coordinator Erk Russell. Height: 6'1" Weight: 190 College: Georgia High School: Valdosta (GA) USFL Career: 1984-1985 More: Buck Belue complete pro stats Buck Belue played from 1984 to 1985 during his career with the Jacksonville Bulls. The stunning 93-yard touchdown pass from Belue to receiver Lindsay Scott with 1:03 remaining gave the Bulldogs a 26-21 victory. Bazemore watched you play in youth ball and suggested to the coaches that they move you to quarterback. The Winnersville Classic featuring Lowndes vs. Valdosta was born. In some cases, the insults would turn from verbal to something more physical. VALDOSTA, Ga. (WCTV) - The Valdosta High School football team has been hit with sanctions from the Georgia High School Association following an investigation into the program. 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 . He was going to youth league programs, scouting the local talent. The 2007 estimate showed a population of 130,170 in the Valdosta metropolitan area. For him it simply was a passion project that needed to be done. When I got to Georgia, I felt I was way ahead of the curve. 2. How would you contrast and compare those iconic coaches? To order a book or get a copy at a book signing, click here. NewsBreak provides latest and breaking news about Buck Belue. There was some of that thought process going on. This biographical article relating to an American football quarterback born in the 1950s is a stub. April 13, 2021, 8:39 AM. 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. So, thats up front in the book. I learned some things from him. "We just love it. And a Plains teen girl borrowed Jimmy Carters clothes. The police asked us about the flyers, and coach Jerry Don Baker came walking over and told the cops the plane had a Lowndes County Vikings license plate, Henderson said with a laugh. The Lowndes administration was not happy about our little stunt.. INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAMME . 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.. ], 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]. Sign up for our email newsletter. "It allowed me to talk about my hometown and brag on the people that helped me through those high school days. 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. Netflix on Friday is premiering 'Titletown High,' a documentary series chronicling Valdosta (Ga.) High School's 2020 football season and Rush Propst, its controversial coach. He's the host of the Buck Belue Show on Atlanta sports radio's 680 The Fan every weekend from 10:00 a.m. He has ordered it, however. This is the story of the Winnersville Classic, the annual showdown between Valdosta High School and Lowndes High School. Valdosta City Schools ; J. L. Lomax Elementary School ; Pinevale Elementary School ; Sallas Mahone Elementary ; S.L. To join the mailing list, click here. 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. Occasionally, however, things got a little out of control. One of the motivations for doing the book was to talk about Valdosta High School and the football program through the years, and Ive had so many people, whether theyre Bulldog fans or not, ask questions about how Valdosta won all those games. He was redshirted during what would have been his regular sophomore season at Georgia after suffering a knee injury. 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. My thought was that they played in Albany last night and probably got in bed at 3 a.m., and hes up scouting out the talent in town. Who are some of the great players you saw from your era or before? So, I felt like I needed to respect (Auburn) by taking a look at it. We worked a lot on fundamentals. 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. Washington High in Massillon, Ohio, is 612-158-35 since 1894. "Twenty years we've been here. At Valdosta, you were heavily influenced by the legendary head coaches Wright Bazemore (1941-42, 1946-71) and Nick Hyder (1973-95). Tired of losing to their city school rival, and tired of just losing in general over the first decade of the teams existence, Lowndes County school superintendent Sonny Martin decided to reach out to one of the enemy, longtime Valdosta assistant coach Joe Wilson. She finally came in and dumped it on his lap. Billy Henderson [Clarke Centrals coach] called three straight timeouts and iced the kicker. He hasnt given up his day job, which is to conduct a daily sports-talk show on Atlanta radio station The Fan. He shared time with Jeff Pyburn a. Lowndes and Valdosta fans certainly embraced the Winnersville rivalry, showing their love for the home team and their disdain for the other side. The highly recruited player chose Florida State and became the Seminoles first two-time consensus All-American (1979-80). Hundreds of people turned out at the The Salty Snapper, including former Valdosta High classmates and UGA teammates. I just take it as a huge honor., Created by Ellen Kennerly Made with Squarespace, 2022 Georgia High School Football Daily. The 55-yard scamper, with Reid zig-zagging his way through the entire Valdosta defense on his way to the endzone, sealed the victory for the Vikings against the visiting Wildcats. Buck Belue (Buck Belue) "Tell us about "Inside the Hedges," Jim said. The native of Jessup has made his home in Valdosta since retiring from professional football and is an avid supporter of UGA athletics and a dedicated follower of local high school football. 115 N. Patterson St. | PO Box 812 | Valdosta, Ga 31601, 13245 Atlantic Blvd., Suite 191 | Jacksonville, FL 32225. When the teams returned to the locker room to get ready for the game, Wilson told his team to take off the crimson Vikings jerseys, and the players were then given a dark black jersey with Plowboys across the front to change into. Jan 26. But it was more than that. That passage appears in Chapter 18 -- titled The Dooley Drama -- of the 199-page book. valdosta high school Fields Victoria Lane-Long Victor James Vivian Manghram Voncil Moss Joe Wilson had accomplished two of his three goals. His coach, Bobby Bowden, called Simmons the most significant recruit and player in turning FSU into a national power. ], 6. The Saints drafted Rogers in 1981, making him the first Georgia-grown player selected first overall in an NFL Draft. Well, the only thing that went crazy was the mule. Their next option? 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. 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. What was the most memorable high school game that you played? Everybody was running the Wing-T, and he ran the pro set, throwing the ball. 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]. He set other state records in high school football that lasted decades, including the single-season receiving record of 1,573 yards as a sophomore in 1971. They were very different. Rogers was the Wildcats team manager in 1994 and a top Wildcat supporter. John Lastinger remembers that game and the play. 1 recruit in the country. VALDOSTA Buck Belue starred at quarterback for Valdosta High years before the teams current players were even born. We learned a lot. Even though Valdosta and Lowndes High had been playing each other every year since 1968, it was becoming obvious to everyone, including Lastinger, that the game was becoming much more competitive, especially with the arrival of head coach Joe Wilson at Lowndes. 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]. Two, Ill beat Valdosta, which youve never done. ], 6. He was a member of the Redskins Super Bowl champion in 1988. In the next three their record was 31-6; they finished No. He was the 1974 AJC Class 3A Back of the Year and was a 1974 Coach & Athlete All-American. 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