For him it simply was a passion project that needed to be done. This is the story of the Winnersville Classic, the annual showdown between Valdosta High School and Lowndes High School. 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. Baker said the bands from both schools began joining forces on the field before each game and would play the National Anthem together. Wild Concerts: Park releases show schedule, EDITORIAL: Wild Adventures makes 2023 plans, Suspect arrested in Valdosta shooting death, Celebrating Ms. Jeanette: Tree planting honors Coody, Pepsi honors Stronger Together recipients. Credit: Photo by Chris McShane (provided by Buck Belue). I knew coverage, I knew techniques, things that it seemed like these other quarterbacks didnt understand at the time. Kinnebrew signed with Georgia but transferred to Tennessee State. A defibrillator is a device used to treat a person who has suddenly gone into cardiac arrest, and possibly save their life. "I got to work last year on it, before the football season started," Belue said. Henderson said neighborhood residents called the police, who came over to the Valdosta fields where he and other fans were watching practice. 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 Plowboys name would serve as a rally point of sorts for Lowndes, establishing and embracing their underdog status, especially against the football WIldcats. These are former students from VHS in Valdosta, GA who graduated in 1978. "I had a daily planner that my dad gave me when I was at Georgia," Belue said. ], 6. To order a book or get a copy at a book signing, click here. 4 Georgia high school football player of all time. That turned on a light for me. He played four seasons in the CFL and USFL, then became a professional wrestler and the WCW heavyweight champion in 1992. April 13, 2021, 8:39 AM. 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]. We spent so many Friday nights at Cleveland Field, or Bazemore-Hyder Stadium as they call it now, watching them win big. 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. I had other friends there, too, just like they did that day in that room. Like those Thomasville players [during 1973 and 1974 state championship seasons]. They were up 40-0 with 30 seconds left and still giving the ball to William Andrews. Since it started playing football in 1913, Valdosta has won 612 games and lost 129, with 33 ties. Valdosta High School 4590 Inner Perimeter Road Valdosta, GA 31601 Phone: (229) 333-8540 Fax: (229) 333-8584. Those who were part of the game shared the plays and players they remember the most. In 2007, the AJC ranked him the No. Martin brought in Wilson for an interview after hearing that the coach was not exactly happy with the Wildcats at the time. You just looked at Bazemore like Lombardi at the time. He also ran for 75 yards in 10 attempts. Buck was a great quarterback for maybe the toughest high school program to play forthe Valdosta Wildcats. In the 2011 game, Lowndes was leading 17-7, and with only 1:14 remaining in the game, looked like they were on their way to their eighth straight win in the Winnersville Classic. So, I felt like I needed to respect (Auburn) by taking a look at it. Alumni listings below have either been searched for or they registered as members of this directory. 680 THE FAN, ATLANTA - Valdosta High School's ruling body decided to chase wins over integrity, when they hired Rush Propst. [2] Belue was named captain of the 1981 team. It turned out it was a bad snap from the center and threw off the timing. I basically wrote it on a Word document with the help of an editor, Belue said in a telephone interview this week. Belue threw for 299 yards in his career, completing 37 of 68 passes with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He was drafted by the Chiefs of the NFL and the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. Thats the way it was at Valdosta. !"-Susan Wooten, 2022 CATS Winner Call: (916)383-0110 (510)781-4800. 1996 Currently, Belue co-hosts (with John Kincade) midday radio show Buck and Kincade on 680 The Fan in Atlanta, Georgia. Its great that the Lord Wedgwood Charity offered to give one to a school in my name. He hasnt given up his day job, which is to conduct a daily sports-talk show on Atlanta radio station The Fan. The coaches would each speak to the crowd during the banquet. Mason Elementary School ; W.G. You need to watch him tonight, and he put on one of the most memorable performances I can remember seeing. 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. I should have done it a long time ago. Hes a very good coach, Belue said. He fell short of a state title when Clarke Central beat Valdosta 16-14 in the 1977 Class 3A championship. It was the last one. 1. 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. 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. The signing will be held at the Salty Snapper, located at 1405 Gornto Road in Valdosta, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Belue will also be speaking to all in attendance, discussing details about the book starting . Belue played all four years on Georgias baseball team. [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 student then greased the entire flag pole from top to bottom, ensuring that it would not be very easy for Valdosta High maintenance to climb up to detach the Viking flag. 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. Prince recalled how, prior to the 1985 Winnersville game, an idea was hatched to have someone ride a mule out to midfield before the Valdosta game, staying true to the plowboys image Lowndes had cultivated. . That first Valdosta game with Wilson as coach of the Vikings didnt lead to a win, but the effort was there, and it signaled that things were going to be different. How did Bazemore make a quarterback out of you? After the game, Joe Wilson told me, Baker, as John Bond was running down the sideline, I came real close to sticking my foot out and tripping him, but I changed my mind.. Kinnebrew was named the AJCs Class A Lineman of the Year and was a Parade All-American. Youd see him around town and stop and go wow. Youd be in awe. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. SPONSORED BY: Buck Belue - 1980 National Championship QB So, thats up front in the book. We learned a lot. Billy Henderson [Clarke Centrals coach] called three straight timeouts and iced the kicker. They were running the same sets and plays. On Friday morning, Belue, who starred at quarterback for Valdosta High School and the University of Georgia, returned to his alma mater to hold a camp for Valdostas quarterbacks and receivers. Former Georgia quarterback Buck Belue is no stranger to the radio. The show was a weekly production featuring McGuyrt and the Valdosta head coach talking about the previous game and looking ahead to the upcoming game. Really, my wife kicked me in the butt and said, 'Let's finish this thing.'". Buck Belue led Georgia to a 12-0 record and a national title in 1980. Search and browse yearbooks online! I talked with Coach [Jim] Hughes about that later. ], Then, Valdosta was really laying down the hammer in 1971 [winning a national championship in Coach Bazemores final season]. "Twenty years we've been here. The dream was to wear that Valdosta uniform and do like every other graduate that came through, and that was win a state championship, and we played Clarke Central in Athens and lost 16-14. Buck Belue, former Valdosta, UGA quarterback. 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. 5,214 - Buck Belue . Holcomb oversees the Wildcat Football Museum and sits on the Board of Directors for the Valdosta Touchdown Club. I had wanted to meet him, said Turner, the only other quarterback to start as a freshman for Valdosta in the last 50 years. Belue told Turner and Johnson that three things a good quarterback must do are: know the down and distance, protect the football and be tough. 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. 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. We were in position to win the national championship and he is about to jump to our rival? I really enjoyed working with Mike and Alfrie, and getting to know them, Belue said. 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. And when he showed up. 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. I was wise beyond my years because of them. [5] Belue also played during the 1984 and 1985 seasons at quarterback for the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL. Macon, GA Position: QB Height: 6'1" Weight: 190 College: Georgia High School: Valdosta (GA) Career: 1984-1985 Buck Belue played from 1984 to 1985 during his career with the Jacksonville Bulls. Kents second straight onside kick was again recovered, Wilkes took the snap and a knee, and that was that. FCN staff. Fortunately, that didnt happen too often.. A third Wildcat quarterback to be storied among these pages of Bulldawg Illustrated, this is Greg Talley, an alumni of Valdosta High School and the University of Georgia sounds familiar.For two of my previous 2019 columns, quarterbacks at VHS and Georgia (Buck Belue and John Lastinger) have been featured, so why stop there?A few years after these studs suited up in the silver britches, we . Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. I grew up admiring most of those guys on the list we were voting on. They are two very-talented guys. Rome talked about playing for the legendary Wright Bazemore. Owen Prince, Lowndes County Schools director of information and athletic business, and a graduate of Lowndes High School, recalled what led to Wilsons unhappiness at Valdosta. That was the dream of every young athlete in Valdosta, and that dream didnt go much further than that. Todays interviewee is Buck Belue, sports talk show host for 680 The Fan, quarterback for Georgias 1980 national championship team, four-year starting quarterback at Valdosta, inaugural selectee into the new Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame and author of a new book, Inside The Hedges, a look at Georgias 1980 season and his athletic career. What do most people want to talk to you about at these book signings? 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. 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. That was just heart-breaking. Join Facebook to connect with Guy Belue and others you may know. What are your thoughts on making the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame? In 1982, Walker won the Heisman Trophy. With Coach Bazemore, I just looked at him as an innovator offensively. The Vikings ran onto the field with their new Plowboys jerseys, and the home crowd went nuts. Hopefully the renewed interest in the program would spill over and may have people interested in what happened in 1980.". What are your thoughts on making the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame? He played nine NFL seasons, made two Pro Bowls and finished with more than 18,000 all-purpose yards. ITG Next is your go-to source for high school sports media coverage in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and across the country. Reached by phone this week, Dooley said he has not yet read Belues book. 2. ATHENS The Georgia Bulldogs were mad. Despite having played each other since 1968, the Lowndes vs. Valdosta game didnt become the Winnersville Classic until 1981. Sports Illustrated said last fall . He and his wife had an apartment next to the school, and I would go over to watch film with him. In Buck's first year as quarterback the Valdosta Wildcats were 3-7. Following a Lowndes punt, Valdosta took possession around midfield. It was the last one. Who are some of the great players you saw from your era or before? Then, with only 49 seconds remaining, Valdosta recovered Dale Kents onside kick and from the Valdosta 47-yard line, Wilkes lead his Wildcats down the field with another TD pass, this one to running back Avery Burney, to put Valdosta on top 21-17 and leave everyone in the stadium stunned. 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. Occasionally, however, things got a little out of control. Lowndes won the game 15-14. I talked with Coach [Jim] Hughes about that later. We had some tense moments during those years, but I sort of wanted a hard-to-please coach. Belue was kidded about Valdosta falling to Clarke Central in the 1977 Class 4A state finals. 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. 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. He was the quarterback, and he went to Ole Miss. When I got to Georgia, I felt I was way ahead of the curve. We still do that now, just not as much.. It was good learning from their experiences. The interview below follows the Four Questions format, plus three bonus questions with Belues thoughts on making the Hall of Fame (induction is Oct. 22), his most memorable high school game and how coach Wright Bazemore made him a quarterback. I've had these friends that have said, 'You're crazy releasing the book now, right after the '21 team.' 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. The best player that I played with was our quarterback, Kareem Wilson, in 1995, Henderson recalled. Walker led Georgia to a 1980 national title and finished his career with 5,259 rushing yards, the most ever in three seasons. Belue is a radio talk show host in Atlanta (on 680 AM), but remains a big fan of Wildcat football. Former receiver Lindsey Scott, who lives in Valdosta, former linebacker Keith Middleton, a longtime Valdosta High assistant coach, and former quarterbacks John Lastinger and Greg Talley helped out. Way too much credit is given to Herschel (Walker) and Lindsay (Scott) and Buck. He is from American. Rome was ranked the No. What the Georgia receiver did after the catch, easily winning a 75 . It doesnt get better than that. Prince said a few of the football players jumped in to try to bring it over to the shore, but that didnt work. He was just so far ahead of his time. But it missed its mark literally. The Georgia High School Association has levied a $7,500 fine against Valdosta High School, ordered the Wildcats to forfeit seven victories from the 2020 football season, banned the team from . Among the sanctions . 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. He rushed for 1,332 yards as a senior, when Duluth missed the playoffs despite finishing 8-1-1, and ran for 2,300 yards and 28 touchdowns as a junior on a state runner-up team. This buck belue valdosta high school Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and the WCW heavyweight champion in 1992, easily winning 75... Title and finished his career, completing 37 of 68 passes with touchdowns. 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