buck belue valdosta high school

Today's interviewee is Buck Belue, sports talk show host for 680 The Fan, quarterback for Georgia's 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 Georgia's 1980 season and his athletic career. Lowndes High School opened its doors to students in 1966, and by 1968 was able to field a football team. Georgia captured its first national championship since that fabled season in January with a 33-18 win against Alabama in the title game. 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 . They already had been to Jacksonville, Fla., Macon and Columbus. She finally came in and dumped it on his lap. In 2007, the AJC ranked Kinnebrew as the No. When Belue finally got to his mom and dad, the tears were flowing. [4] His career batting average at Georgia was .356 and he went on to play three years in the Montreal Expos organization. All Rights Reserved. The Valdosta High class of '78 alumni are listed below. Thats when I figured it was time to go., 3. Valdosta is the home of Valdosta State University, a regional university in the University System of Georgia with over 12,000 students, and Valdosta High School, home to the winningest football program in the United States. Call: (916)383-0110 (510)781-4800. 680 THE FAN, ATLANTA - Valdosta High School's ruling body decided to chase wins over integrity, when they hired Rush Propst. It was WWII. VALDOSTA Buck Belue starred at quarterback for Valdosta High years before the teams current players were even born. Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. He played both football and basketball at Clemson and was a three-year starter on the hardwood. If you are a Valdosta alumn, we encourage you to register and be sure to sign up for the alumni newsletter. Joe wanted us to embrace the country boy label, Prince said. He fell short of a state title when Clarke Central beat Valdosta 16-14 in the 1977 Class 3A championship. The first time I played quarterback was in the eighth grade. 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. He spent much of the camp working with Valdostas current quarterbacks, Mike Turner and Alfrie Johnson. He was redshirted during what would have been his regular sophomore season at Georgia after suffering a knee injury. 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. We spent so many Friday nights at Cleveland Field, or Bazemore-Hyder Stadium as they call it now, watching them win big. Kinnebrew signed with Georgia but transferred to Tennessee State. Then, Prince said, prior to the 1979 game, Lowndes was warming up in their traditional crimson jerseys. He's the host of the Buck Belue Show on Atlanta sports radio's 680 The Fan every weekend from 10:00 a.m. Its a good feeling knowing you represent Valdosta. Furious, actually. 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. Most coaches are going to take their schemes to the grave, but he learned the new offense and made the change for the team. We talked about a lot of things. He was the quarterback, and he went to Ole Miss. That still sort of haunts me even today., 7. Belue devotes several chapters to his high school days pursuing state championships under coach Nick Hyder. Belue is a radio talk show host in Atlanta (on 680 AM), but remains a big fan of Wildcat football. Its an oral history that will never die in fact, it just keeps growing, year after year, down there in Winnersville. Then in July 2021, Hutson Mason became one of five co-hosts of The Locker Room, leaving Belue with his own show called The Buck Belue Show on WCNN. Doug Henderson, whose sons Ashley, Justin, and Doug all played at Valdosta, recalled a prank in the mid-90s that was designed to fire up the Wildcat players. Probably the most successful event to date was a couple of weeks ago in Valdosta. . 115 N. Patterson St. | PO Box 812 | Valdosta, Ga 31601, 13245 Atlantic Blvd., Suite 191 | Jacksonville, FL 32225. It turned out it was a bad snap from the center and threw off the timing. We had weight limits, and if you weighed a certain amount, you couldnt play in the backfield, and I was a bigger kid then. So, we brought the mule out, with Freddie riding the thing, and that mule started out toward midfield just as we had practiced, but then the crowd roared, and it scared the poor mule so much that he just stopped in his tracks and Freddie went flying off over the front of it., That mule then took off, without Freddie to guide him, straight towards the Valdosta sideline, Prince said. ET to 11:00 a.m. Reid is forever known for The Run against Valdosta in the 2007 game. Benjamin Franklin "Buck" Belue played American football and baseball at the University of Georgia from 1978 to 1981. Tales like McGuyrts are part of a timeless record shared by Valdosta-area locals. BY DAN MATHEWS. Most coaches are going to take their schemes to the grave, but he learned the new offense and made the change for the team. The defibrillator was donated by the Lord Wedgwood Charity, in Belues name. Belue set the state record for career passing yards with 5,214, which he accumulated as a four-year starter at Valdosta. 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. Ron Simmons was a monumental piece of Warner Robins state and National Sports News Service (NSNS) national championship team that went 13-0 and was considered by some the most dominant Georgia team in history. You need to watch him tonight, and he put on one of the most memorable performances I can remember seeing. I would soak up all this knowledge. Find out more. Billy Henderson [Clarke Centrals coach] called three straight timeouts and iced the kicker. Want to get the content before anyone else? Its a chance to give back to this place, which jump-started everything I was able to do. I just take it as a huge honor., Created by Ellen Kennerly Made with Squarespace, 2022 Georgia High School Football Daily. He was totally unselfish, too. FCN staff. 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. He played four seasons in the CFL and USFL, then became a professional wrestler and the WCW heavyweight champion in 1992. That was the dream of every young athlete in Valdosta, and that dream didnt go much further than that. You have permission to edit this article. 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. When I got to Georgia, I felt I was way ahead of the curve. Those who were part of the game shared the plays and players they remember the most. He went on to play both football and baseball at Georgia. "Well,. Belue played all four years on Georgias baseball team. 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. Its been written and put away for five years, then re-written and put away for 10 years and then re-written again. Calvin McGuyrt, who claims to have attended more Wildcat games than any other living person since #1 Wildcat fan David Waller passed away, founded and hosted The Wildcat Tradition TV show for 33 years. The Valdosta Wildcats are undoubtedly one of America's most successful high school football teams, with more than 900 victories, two dozen state titles and its star players seemingly on a. So the Viking flag flew high and proud over the Valdosta stadium property, for at least a little while.. His three children range in age from 8 to 11. 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. That was just heart-breaking. 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. 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. The Cats still maintain that designation. Also, I was motivated by writing about the 1980 season and about the guys that never got the credit. 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. 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. . Belue quarterbacked the Bulldogs to a 12-0 record in 1980, culminating with a 17-10 win over Notre Dame Jan. 1, 1981 in the Sugar Bowl. Buck has also written a new book about his times as an athlete in Valdosta and the University of Georgia. 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. I was friends with Coach Wilsons son, Jody, so I got some behind-the-scenes access to practice and going to the games and seeing the locker room. A couple of the mules handlers were able to catch the mule and bring him back to the field house. Hyder became head coach your freshman year. 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. 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." He was going to youth league programs, scouting the local talent. 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. It seems like a waste to have been exposed to so much (football knowledge), and not share it. The players gathered together on the steps of the old McWhorter Hall athletic dormitory and seethed. And I have so many great memories of him taking time to help coach me up. It was not very good, Georgias home finale ends with a thud vs. Florida, Atlanta Uniteds Franco Ibarra settling into his natural role, GHSA basketball state tournament: Quarterfinals updates from Tuesday, Class 5A girls basketball: Kell 68, Bradwell Institute 54, Timber frame office building at Ponce City Market Atlanta starts to rise, Supreme Court hearing on student loan forgiveness: What it means for Georgians. Youve been to about 10 cities to sign your book, and youve got several more scheduled. The Bulldogs would go on to defeat Notre Dame 17-10 in the Sugar Bowl four weeks later. It doesnt get better than that. It was pretty good, Johnson said. Published: Apr 25, 2022, 10:44 AM. 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.. The quarterback thing happened late for me, and it was Wright Bazemore that told the middle school coach to move me to quarterback, so I owe much of my football success to Coach Bazemore for having the insight to get me over to that position. We spent so many Friday nights at Cleveland Field, or Bazemore-Hyder Stadium as they call it now, watching them win big. Fortunately, that didnt happen too often.. High 84F. The coaches would each speak to the crowd during the banquet. Buck Belue Social Network Timeline 2007 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. You do well at Valdosta High, and you get a shot to play some college ball. April 13, 2021, 8:39 AM. You also talk about the other coaches at Valdosta, especially offensive coordinator 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]. He was credited with 130 tackles as a senior. 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 . Belue will host a book signing for his new book "Inside the Hedges". Buck Belue (Buck Belue) "Tell us about "Inside the Hedges," Jim said. I showed them some drills that helped me, and I hope theyll help them as well. Simmons was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. When Andrews retired, he ranked 24th all-time in the NFL in rushing yards. "Twenty years we've been here. 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. In baseball, he had a career .356 batting average and became a second-round pick in the 1978 MLB Draft. Breaking down Vaughn Grissom trying to replace Dansby Swanson at shortstop. Last season, he was backup to another Valdosta alumnus, All-Southeastern. They were very different. Lowndes led 3-0 after the third quarter, and although Valdosta would score twice in the fourth quarter to win 14-3, it was obvious that things were indeed about to change. 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. Brooks scored 70 touchdowns at Warner Robins. I just take it as a huge honor.. 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. Everybody was running the Wing-T, and he ran the pro set, throwing the ball. The stunning 93-yard touchdown pass from Belue to receiver Lindsay Scott with 1:03 remaining gave the Bulldogs a 26-21 victory. valdosta high school Fields Victoria Lane-Long Victor James Vivian Manghram Voncil Moss 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. He shared time with Jeff Pyburn a. Hyder became head coach your freshman year. Rome said in high school, he did. . The Winnersville Classic featuring Lowndes vs. Valdosta was born. I remember Buck had to go to the locker room and get another jersey. 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