It was the last one. There was still a chance for the Vikings if they could return the kickoff, but they never got the chance. The current Winnersville series record stands at 36 wins for Valdosta and 24 for Lowndes heading into the 2022 season. "I had no idea that Georgia would win the national title. If you are a Valdosta alumn, we encourage you to register and be sure to sign up for the alumni newsletter. The coach it was John Lastingers dad, as a matter of fact they installed this tight end-around pass, and I ended up leading the league in passing. [John Lastinger followed Belue as the starting quarterback at Valdosta and at Georgia. . They put it on us my freshman year. I host The Buck Belue Show on 680 The Fan Atlanta, weekdays 10-11. 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 had weight limits, and if you weighed a certain amount, you couldnt play in the backfield, and I was a bigger kid then. We were in an extra bedroom, and his wife came in a couple of times and told him dinner was ready. Alumni listings below have either been searched for or they registered as members of this directory. . McPhersons own performance is one of the best among the head coaches in the Classic. What the Georgia receiver did after the catch, easily winning a 75 . That next morning, as Valdosta faculty, students, and parents begin arriving at the school, they saw the huge Viking ship floating in the pond in front of their school. "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. We just live a couple miles down the road, and we just found a place where we love the people. Told of the passage about his Auburn flirtations, Dooley laughed and said he doesnt begrudge Belue for including it. But it was more than that. He set Georgias career rushing record of 6,137 yards. 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 . Mason Elementary School ; W.G. That was Lowndes first win ever against Valdosta, whose quarterback was Buck Belue, the future University of Georgia star. 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. It was just playing for the Wildcats. 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. Its an oral history that will never die in fact, it just keeps growing, year after year, down there in Winnersville. Under Review. 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. 1 high school football player of all-time in a 2007 article. Im pleased we were able to give Valdosta a defibrillator, since they didnt have one, Belue said. UGA star Jalen Carter present at scene of fatal crash, Georgia Tech hammers Syracuse as Jackets late-season surge continues, Braves notes: Jared Shusters first spring game, Michael Sorokas progress, Ian Anderson on spring debut: Im not gonna sugarcoat it. She finally came in and dumped it on his lap. valdosta high school Fields Victoria Lane-Long Victor James Vivian Manghram Voncil Moss He finished ninth in the Heisman trophy voting in 1979. He and his wife had an apartment next to the school, and I would go over to watch film with him. This biographical article relating to an American football quarterback born in the 1950s is a stub. Net Worth in 2021. He often mentions the Wildcats on his show, and usually calls the station Friday night to give them Valdostas score. 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. Georgia captured its first national championship since that fabled season in January with a 33-18 win against Alabama in the title game. I would soak up all this knowledge. A defibrillator is a device used to treat a person who has suddenly gone into cardiac arrest, and possibly save their life. I just think of all the people that helped me get there, as I mentioned, Coach Bazemore, Coach Hyder, Coach Wilson, Coach Rudolph. Belue set the state record for career passing yards with 5,214, which he accumulated as a four-year starter at Valdosta. ", Former Georgia quarterback and current Forsyth County resident Buck Belue, right, with Universities Forever owners Stuart Cohen, left, and Jini Lee. Valdosta, Georgia is called Title Town, USA because they have won more high school football games and titles than anyone else. 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. 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 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. Kents second straight onside kick was again recovered, Wilkes took the snap and a knee, and that was that. SPONSORED BY: Buck Belue - 1980 National Championship QB We missed a chip-shot field goal that wouldve won the state championship for all of us. 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. Martin brought in Wilson for an interview after hearing that the coach was not exactly happy with the Wildcats at the time. Even though we had practiced riding the mule out there on the field several times, we had not done it with 12,000 screaming fans, Prince recalled with a laugh. 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.. That passage appears in Chapter 18 -- titled The Dooley Drama -- of the 199-page book. It was WWII. 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. Oscar universe belongs to 'Everything Everywhere'. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. He was a member of the Redskins Super Bowl champion in 1988. 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. He and his wife had an apartment next to the school, and I would go over to watch film with him. Oh yeah, they had a bounty out for Bucks jersey, Baker said. Valdosta is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2021 had a population of 149,590. It seems like a waste to have been exposed to so much (football knowledge), and not share it. One of the key plays in the 1980 season was a 93-yard touchdown pass from Belue to wide receiver Lindsay Scott[1] We learned a lot. Defensive coordinator Erk Russell. 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 . 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. A behind the curtain look at my story from Valdosta High through the University of Georgia. All Rights Reserved. The Bulldogs winning a national championship last season also served as an impetus. 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. I've had these friends that have said, 'You're crazy releasing the book now, right after the '21 team.' I really appreciate him letting me come out here and do this, because a lot of coaches wouldnt.. [Rome, a 6-foot-4 tight end, set a national record for receiving yards in a season. The. I admired these athletes. 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. Last season, he was backup to another Valdosta alumnus, All-Southeastern. Subtitled The Quarterbacks Journey to the National Championship, Belues book also shares frank recollections of the recruiting trail as a two-sport star out of Valdosta, the tense quarterback competition he endured with Jeff Pyburn, an intimate conversation he had with Lindsay Scott the night before their historic play to beat Florida in Jacksonville, the Herschel Walker phenomenon and much more. We were in an extra bedroom, and his wife came in a couple of times and told him dinner was ready. It turned out it was a bad snap from the center and threw off the timing. As a young boy there growing up in Valdosta, we all dreamed of the day we would get to high school and wear that Wildcat uniform and win a state title. @680TheFan. An astounding number at the time and a record that took more than a decade to break. So, thats up front in the book. We would have to hire extra security guards for the entire week of the game, starting on Sunday night, and it would last all week long until the game was over, Redshaw said. Buck Belue was born and raised in Titletown, USA also known as Valdosta, Georgia. Between plays, we would stand there and listen to Coach Rudolph break down the responsibilities of each defensive player for the play we just ran. He is currently co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily. During the banquet, Valdosta police would bring in a black wreath that said, Death to the Wildcats from the Lowndes High Vikings, McGuyrt recalled. They were running the same sets and plays. Benjamin Franklin 'Buck' Belue played American football and baseball at the University of Georgia from 1978 to 1981. His coach, Bobby Bowden, called Simmons the most significant recruit and player in turning FSU into a national power. His 34 wins as Valdostas signal caller is a team record, and hes the programs only four-year starter (1974-77). They were up 40-0 with 30 seconds left and still giving the ball to William Andrews. On the next play, Wilkes found Sherrod Inman in the back of the end zone to cut the lead to 17-14. Baker said the bands from both schools began joining forces on the field before each game and would play the National Anthem together. In practice, it was always the 1s against the 1s. 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We wanted to work with players who were (at Valdosta), who are committed to playing football. 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 was credited with 130 tackles as a senior. The Plowboys name would serve as a rally point of sorts for Lowndes, establishing and embracing their underdog status, especially against the football WIldcats. But the current Wildcats still know who he is. 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 . 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. Credit: Photo by Chris McShane (provided by Buck Belue). Hyder became head coach your freshman year. These two Wildcat backers agree on their most memorable moment: The Comeback.. Im looking forward to reading it, Dooley said. The talented running back rushed 21 times for 414 yards and 6 TDs, leading Lowndes to a 71-35 victory. Joe told Martin, Ill give you three reasons: One, Ill give you a winning season, which youve never had. Holcomb oversees the Wildcat Football Museum and sits on the Board of Directors for the Valdosta Touchdown Club. On their annual Fourth of July vacation to Florida last week, the Belues made stops at the Marshside Grill in Brunswick and the Coachs Corner in Savannah to peddle books. Hyder became head coach your freshman year. Belue, who lives in Forsyth County, currently hosts the Buck Belue Show on 680 The Fan. Youve been to about 10 cities to sign your book, and youve got several more scheduled. 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. Buck Belue net worth Feb, 2023 Buck Belue net worth 611 Thousand Millions of dollars 76% Net worth score Disclamer: Buck Belue net worth displayed here are calculated based on a combination social factors. Everybody was running the Wing-T, and he ran the pro set, throwing the ball. What do you get when you combine the winningest high school football program in the country with one of the most consistently winning football programs in the state over the last three decades? The interview below follows the Four Questions format, along with 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. The head coaches would always come and speak to the small gathering. We sort of fell into it. [Rome, a 6-foot-4 tight end, set a national record for receiving yards in a season. You need to watch him tonight, and he put on one of the most memorable performances I can remember seeing. 31. 680 THE FAN, ATLANTA - Valdosta High School's ruling body decided to chase wins over integrity, when they hired Rush Propst. They were very different. He was the first Georgia-grown player to win the Heisman. He was just so far ahead of his time. He hit .447 for the 1982 season and his .356 career batting average (he also hit 30 homers and scored 114 runs) remains among the top 10 in school history. While Atlanta was being called Loserville by mostly state and national sports writers, Chason replied in his column that Valdosta was doing very well with the success of its local sports teams and was worthy of the title Winnersville.. 1. 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