Valdosta High, nation’s winningest football program, will not renew contract of head coach

They need to realize that Lowndes has overtaken them and move on. The talent is at Lowndes and not Valdosta. Those people need to wake up and smell the coffee. The fired O’Brien and he went to woodstock and won a bunch of games. Is it coaching or a lack of talent?

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they need to hire buck belue as their coach, since he knows so much about football if you don’t believe he does just ask him!

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When you have a coach who has won 3 state championships I think you have to look at other factors for Valdosta’s problems. Sounds like someone has over reacted to a bad loss ( sound familiar UGA fans). All this is telling future coaches is winning is everything even in high school. Why would any coach want to go there now.

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Dacula,

You are correct on one thing – you have no clue. I have watched every game Tomberlin has coached at Valdosta. He has had some major talent on the teams he has coached evidenced by the number of scholarships his kids have signed – more so than Lowndes. You CANNOT blame it on lack of talent – especially when you have not seen Valdosta play. He was so far in over his head it was almost a joke. He has improved the overall program at Valdosta becasue the coach before him – Darlington – was an even bigger joke. Darlington is one that left the program in shambles. Valdosta still has many capable athletes and will rise again once the right man is in charge. If you truly have watched Valdosta play every game I have seen since 1979, then you have no reason to give your opinion whthout seeing what is truly is going on here in Valdosta. I promise you the talent is there.

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What a shame!!!! Valdosta needs to stay the course. No program can be successful it you are going to make a change every three or four years. Coach T is a very hard worker and has tons of football knowledge. Valdosta can start over but soon no coach in America will want to come to Valdosta.

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First posting did not appear to go through. Pardon me if this is a repeat.

At about 1800 students Valdosta has to compete against schools like Lowndes with 3200 students at the AAAAA level. Given the number of fine coaches (and coaching DOES make a difference regardless of what some would like to think), it is difficult to consistently be successful against larger talent pools. Unlike the Warner-Robins schools on occasion, Valdosta appears to proud to step down to the AAAA level. Only Marist, a AA school competing at the AAAA level has been able to consistently and successfully compete again much larger schools, but they do not have district boundaries and good athletes are drawn toward them because of their success and the quality of their coaching, not to mention their high academic standards. Although I am not a Valdosta native, I played college ball with some of their very fine alumni, and I tremendously admire their program. I wish them well in the future.

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At the time when they fired O’brien I think he was averaging 9 wins a season…and because he had not won a State Championship he was deemed a failure.

I guess it doesn’t matter that the days are over when they controlled every kid in the entire county and red-shirted every 8th grader…many of those State Championships were won in an era of slightly different rules…sort of like the old Alabama days when Bear would sign 140 kids just to keep them away from other schools.

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Valdosta is basically getting what they deserve. I played against them in the late 80’s. They are a racist town. When we (Carver-Columbus) beat them in 88 they threatened to fire the great Nick Hyder because he lost to a black school. We were spit on and subject to all sorts of racial comments the next year when we went back.

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do they have someone in mind to replace him that is better?

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Does this surprise me? NO. This is typical Valdosta. Where else have you seen a coach go 17-3 (Charles Greene) & get run. Getting the worst beat down to your arch rival will get you run.
AFAN: O’Brien won a state title in 1998, beating A. J. Suggs & McEachern.
Good luck in finding a coach!

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Michael, you and Todd Holcomb continue to display a lack of understanding about what football is south of the Gnat line. Football is EVERYTHING. I have said for a week that the Lowndes County game was a “must-win” situation for the Wildcats. I know that Todd Holcomb says that Rick Tomberlin is a nice guy. I would agree with that. That does not change a 1-3 Region 1-AAAAA record.

Todd wrote a story about Valdosta playing the toughest part of their schedule. That does not matter to the people at Valdosta. Valdosta expects to be the tough opponent on everyone’s schedule. Valdosta plays the same schedule that everyone else does in Region 1-AAAAA. Everyone has to compete.

I believe the problem at Valdosta is who is competing? You do not give up over 50 points if your kids are competiting. I saw it with my own eyes in the 2008 Northside-Valdosta game at McConnell-Talbert Stadium. The Wildcats clearly quit. They had to quit on Friday night.

It is unacceptable. When this happens, it falls to the head coach. It is that simple. Metro Atlanta programs may simply blame the kids. At major programs, the responsibility falls to the head coach, who is also compensated more than any teacher at the school. Valdosta has fielded competitive basketball teams. Why can’t Rick Tomberlin compete in football? The guy can obviously coach. He has 3 State Championships. He also has a sub-0.500 record at Valdosta. As I said throughout the last week, the Rick Tomberlin era is over. That was obvious.

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A lot of people on here are right LOwndes county is bigger and when people are moving to Valdosta they are moving into the county. PLaying in AAAAA they are playing against teams that have far more depth just because of the number of kids they have. I know that they won’t, but maybe Valdosta should consider moving down to AAAA. They could possibly be more competitive in AAAA

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Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy…

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A few posters hit the nail on the head: changing demographics, school size, etc. However it amazes me how many “Valdosta experts” have it all figured out and have NEVER seen the Cats play, NEVER lived in the commumnity, NEVER kept up with the program, NEVER met or talked to any of the supporters or critics, NEVER been to a practice to see what is going on, and many NEVER even been through Valdosta. Valdosta plays in the toughest region in the state and it takes quality players AND good coaching to win consistently. Only the very best coaches can survive in this region. Coaches who haven’t been successful at Valdosta have indeed been successful at other schools in less demanding regions. That’s exactly where those coaches should be. Applicants for the Valdosta job all know it is a demanding job and all claim that they are the man to get the job done. When they don’t succeed, obviously they aren’t the man.

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Who can I contact about submitting an application?

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that’s lower than 2nd in the region

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Valdosta should do what Lowndes did, but never will: Hire Madison County’s coach, Frankie Carroll.
He, like Mcpherson his predecessor, has consistently taken a small program numbers wise and won against larger programs. Pride will keep them from doing it.

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I wish this supt. was president of the Univ. of Ga. Disturbing headline in the Augusta Chronicle this morning. Richt giving Willie a vote of confidence. OUCH. I hope it’s window dressing only for the team. It will get ugly in Athens if that guy is retained. Richt will officially put on notice.

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Kay: Warner Robins HS, Houston County HS, Valdosta HS, Lowndes County HS, Coffee County HS are all larger than Northside HS (Warner Robins). Valdosta is in NO way at such a disadvantage that the Valdosta Wildcats can justify having a 19-20 record over the past four seasons.

Everyone makes excuses for their lack of success. Valdosta does NOT have an enrollment disadvantage. The suggestion that poor Valdosta just does not have a chance is absurd. Valdosta compensates their head football coach as well as any program in the nation. Valdosta has a HUGE booster club. People are focusing upon Lowndes County. Rick Tomberlin has not even reached the state playoffs in 2 out of 3 seasons.

I am lost upon why people are surprised that Valdosta fired him. In my view, not making a move would show a lack of direction from the institution. You can not field a football team that just doesn’t compete. Rick Tomberlin is the head coach and he is responsible. Either Valdosta was unprepared on Friday night or the team just quit. Each requires the school to make a move. Tomberlin will land somewhere else and I am certain that he will do well.

Valdosta is NOT at a competitive disadvantage. Let’s stop spreading this false propoganda.

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Im sure there is a team in Middle Georgia that will welcome Rick back. After all, we all know that Middle Georgia Football is where its at right now!

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Correct Plowboy. And that kind of coaching is a gift to the opponent!

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Valdosta is a AAAA school (1800 students) playing at the AAAAA level because of the egos of those in power down there. Larger schools are going to have more talent (even if you recruit a few to your school, wink, wink). A guy that won three state championships has got to know how to build a program, but if you ain’t got the talent, you ain’t got the talent.

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hatfield

Well said. Tradition doesn’t trump talent or Harvard, Yale and the academies would be D1 powers still.

I mean, should they take a line from vhs, “We USED TO BE great…”

What scares vhs more than anything is to have to move down. It’s a surrender. Just like they can’t admit that, now, they are just like everyone else. They will continue to get worked silly unless they change boundaries or they build another high school.

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The guy is 19-20. He just didn’t get it done.

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Hatfieldgeoff: Where are you guys getting this misinformation that Valdosta High School has 1800 students? It sounds like some people down in Valdosta will use any excuse to justify Valdosta quitting on the football field. Show this board any legitimate publication that says that Valdosta has 1800 students.

Again, Northside has the smallest enrollment in the city of Warner Robins. That does not change the fact that Houston County and Warner Robins regularly get kicked around by Northside.

Valdosta High School’s phone number is the following: (229) 333-8540

Valdosta has more than 1800 students. Give me a break!

Valdosta’s enrollment: http://high-schools.com/schools/17862/valdosta-high-school.html

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We are forgetting one important aspect of this whole thing. The (fan)atical force known as the TD Club. These (fan) atics are the real reason the coach is gone. When you have Boosters club members who run programs that is nothing but a recipe for disaster. The booster club have film sessions at Valdosta. Why??? Are they drawing up the gameplan for the next game?? And they think they are entitled to do so because they “support” the program financially. What is even sadder is that the majority of them do not even have a kid in the program. They boast about a membership of over 1500 so you do the math. The inmates are running the asylum so do you expect anything different.

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The same effect Grayson has had in Gwinnett with Brookwood and Parkview is happening in Valdosta with Lowndes. 19-20 just isn’t going to cut in at that school and they are not going to stand for it. The only way is to expand the city limits or redraw the lines. To those of you who are bothered by the emphasis on winning at the high school level, please hush. That’s what it’s about period in some high schools. The same people that say it’s too much about winning wouldn’t send their kids to Cross Keys, North Springs, Meadowcreek, Berkmar or any other school where winning doesn’t exist they just simply field a team. The Valdosta City School Board is just tired of hearing it year in and year out from Lowndes about the stompings each year. If you don’t believe it go spend a solid week in Valdosta. Growth draws from talent pools and in the end that is what has happened in Valdosta, GA located in Lowndes County. Yet at the same time Valdosta still has and will always have the resources to be a state contender year in and year out so something had to give and usually it’s the coach. The coach will be alright but the Valdosta people don’t kick out the money for 19-20 head coaches.

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The funny thing is that people at vhs could watch a movie like “Varsity Blues” or “Blue Chips” and not see themselves in the pathetic roles of the daddies or sugar daddies/Happy’s.

With 1500 Boosters, great community support and all that ca-a-sh, you still can’t buy 1. another state title 2. a coach 3. your dignity

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I hope Coffee High follows in Valdosta’s footsteps and FIRES their coach as well.

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This makes me laugh…I remember Rick’s Washington County Hawks being a perennial contender for state titles. That small town has no more talent than surrounding towns. What Valdosta is doing is exactly what has occurred at UGA before Mark Richt arrived. That is, live in the past, with trustees and boosters having too much input about the daily operations of the program.
After Coach Tomberlin leaves, Valdosta will realize the mistake it has made. And after UGA runs off Mark Richt, it will be back to 8-4 every year.

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GSU

You are on the money. What has been a source of strength and pride for vhs (the community support & the Boosters) is EXACTLY one factor hindering their success now. Too many chefs…yada, yada, yada. Where it could be a source of great advantage, now, the coach can’t just coach, he has to butter up Booster Bob and run the offense that suits Booster Bill. And if the cycle spins and it’s a lean year (as far as talent) God help the coach.

I don’t see any underpinings to the firing. The funny thing is they were more patient with tomberloser than others (1-9?) Come on.

I LOVE me some high school football but it is clear that their lives are a little too tightly wound around the performances of children.

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I thing ATL Dawg should be the new coach since he has seen every game since 1979. Shouldn’t you be VAL Dawg or do you drive down every Friday night?

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@ Eagle Nation rising ” Booster club members being given the opportunity to see gamefilm is not unique to Valdosta High School. Many, many programs offer this opportunity to their boosters who annually provide money and financial support to all athletic activities.”
What is the purpose of this pratice? Again finacial support of a program should not entitle you to nothing more than supporting the program. Situations like this create “Too many chiefs and not enough Indians”. With in the TD Club does the $50 booster have as much say as the $500 booster. This is a prime example of people who can not actually do a job but want to pay money to be able to say how a job should be done. If you are truly supporting a program you give your money and step back and let those hired to run program do their jobs. Otherwise you are just trying to be like these guys that pay big money to play ball with professional athletes because they know they can not play with them under any other circumstances.

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valdosta ha just put its self in a hole , with 12 shovels to dig a deeper hole. this move will contuinet pattern of loosing to the vikings for another 6 years . God bless coach T and his family

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Stop The Madness: It only creates too many chiefs if the coaches fail to teach their players how to execute. As I have said, this is not unique to Valdosta’s booster club. I did not see the pre-game film that Tomberlin showed the Valdosta booster club before his Wildcats came to McConnell-Talbert Stadium last season. What I did see is a team full of players wearing the Valdosta uniform who quit long before the Northside-Valdosta game was over. They just stopped trying.

If that happened at Northside, people would begin to question the very highly compensated head coach. Tomberlin’s team quit. You do not give up 57 POINTS to Lowndes County if your kids are trying. Go ahead and blame the booster club. Do me a favor. Name one coach that remained head coach at Valdosta HS with a sub-0.500 record. Name just one that won less than 50% of his games at Valdosta…four years into being head coach and kept his job.

The Tomberlin Sympathists on this site this morning are hilarious. The guy is 19-20 at Valdosta High School. It is the Booster Clubs fault!

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valdosta has just guaranted another 6 year loosing streak to the vikings. They are in a hole and have just given them selves 12 shovels to dig even deeper. Pride will not allow them to wake up and smell the coffee.

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Rick Tomberlin won 3 State Championships at Washington County HS. It is a stretch to say that either the principal or the search committee failed to do their job when making the hire. There are many coaches who can succeed at Valdosta High School. The reasons why Tomberlin failed fall on Tomberlin. People blaming Boosters and others have obviously not seen Valdosta play over the past few years. They do not play hard for 10 games. They have glimpses of very competitive play. They played their tales off against Northside at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium a few weeks ago. Nonetheless, they also show a lack of will to compete. When they get down, they quit.

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AFAN: you are correct. Football boosters don’t hire school superintendents so why should a super. hire the football coach? Valdosta has some of the best football minds around who have been a part of Valdost’s tradition of success. Those are the ones who should be making the recommendation to the super. And I don’t mean the TD club members. I mean former coaches who played under Baze and Hyder and knew how to coach and win championships. Chairman of the search committee should be Jack Rudolph. They don’t come any better.

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hsfbnut your 10:11 statement has been the best on this blog.

The crazies got rid of Obrian when they shouldn’t have and they haven’t been the same since.

I didn’t see Northside fire their coach last year like Valdosta fired Obrian simply because he didn’t win a state championship the next year or two.

I only see Lowndes getting stronger as a result of this and the other shenanigan politics going on at Valdosta.

I’m thinking many in the city would rather see Valdosta “un”annex some of the city back to Lowndes.

I thought any coach who came to Valdosta when Tomberlin did was only signing his death sentence and that will be true of the next one that shows up also.

Valdosta will not compete again on the level they once did but the crazies who run the TD club will not settle for less.

They may win another state championship again one day but the string of titles they used to put together is now over, at least in AAAAA.

At some point they will have humbled themselves to realize the truth but that day seems to be a ways off.

Pride goes before the fall is what I have always heard and oh how the prideful have fallen.

Kind of remeinds me of Pharoah in the Bible refusing to realize he was up against a new kind of foe and continuing to see himself as the greatest when he wasn’t.

Like Pharoah it appears Valdosta is now going through their DEAD SEA experience.

ENR is right about one thing and that is Lowndes had the team that should have won State last year but didn’t. Sometimes no matter how good the coaching the kids just don’t give their best that night when the other team does.

The difference in Lowndes and Valdosta is we still have our coach and are very glad that we do.

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68 viking–TRUE. “Pride cometh before the fall” they say but vhs done fell and they can’t get up and still, they carry that pride around like it’s going to get them somewhere that talent, hard work and perspective won’t.

Their pride in past accomplishments prevents them from dealing in here and now realities. It’s great when people like this get their comeuppance. Remember when Bama lost to UCF? Good times. Good times.

You can fire tomberloser. He deserves it. Especially for his loser ways and his stupidity. But YOU hired him. Never leave your own stupidity out of the equation, Loservillians. You can continue to talk about your winning past but to people under 50, you are just losers, pwned by Lowndes County and all the talk and boosters and money–and even your next “Supercoach” won’t bring you back to bygone days before internet, cellphones and 40 point losses. WELCOME TO THE PRESENT, LOSERVILLIANS.

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Most superintendents focus on administration, human resource issues, and school system policy. Why are Boosters involved? That is pretty simple. FOLLOW THE MONEY. What do you guys think the person taking the head football coaching job expects to be compensated? It is not going to come via a coaches salary.

The Booster Clubs take the rest of the bill and the leadership of the Booster Club is more than entitled to have a voice. If you guys do not like that, you should call your County Commissioner and request higher property taxes and demand that the School System fund high school sports. Guess what??? That is NEVER going to happen…ever.

The money flowing through the Valdosta High School athletic department is very, very well documented by major new publications. Valdosta High School earns as much money as Valdosta State University’s athletic department. That is BIG money. Those guys are going to get a voice and DESERVE a voice.

Do you guys really believe a teacher or a superintendent knows football. That would be like the President of a university picking the football coach, instead of an Athletic Director. Top high school programs mirror college programs. In college sports, the money people have a voice. The Valdosta Touchdown Club is going to ALWAYS have a voice!

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My favorite part is the way these self-referential losers constantly bring up the past and the records but the glaringly ugly truth in their face is that they fired a coach who won on the biggest stage in the country, is still winning there and they acted like he wasn’t good enough. That’s OK. Keep ignoring the facts. Bring up Hazemore and Snyder

There are plenty of good coaches. That they aren’t succeeding at vhs says more about vhs than anything else. And, unlike most grown folk, vhs adults lack the wherewithal to look inward and figure out how they contributed to the mess.

Good luck to Lowndes County–the king of south Georiga football.

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I will bet you that EagleNationRising has NEVER worn a jock, and I will bet that he has never coached at the High School level. I will also bet that he is a UGA fan! All this crap he is spewing is typical CRAP!

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Your brown nosing to the Boosters show the mentality that made it possible for kings and dictators to rule for years. Seriously. You defer b/c they have money? They DESERVE a voice? So, I can walk in, write a check and I know something all of sudden? You are a b****, not a man.

And if they DESERVE a voice, why are they so out of tune?

vhs stinks. It’s gonna be like that for a while. Meanwhile, good coaches you got rid of are excelling, winning, putting their kids in college and people who know them and respect them are smirking at your loserville ways. I spit on your tradition. I urinate on the graves of your coaches. I curse their spirits with my left hand, no less. I laugh at your attempts to act like you know as your program continues to spiral down like feces making its way down the toilet.

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It isn’t Lowndes County High School. It is Lowndes High School. Face it, Valdosta = Losersville.

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Gt4ever: I will happily email you my name. You may then go on to Google or any search site. My playing and coaching career will run approximately 5 pages. As I have told many posters on this site, that I hope we all have an opportunity to meet durig the State Championships, whether our teams make it or not. Frankly, I would be SHOCKED if our young Eagles ran the table.

Yes, I am a very proud fan of Georgia football and I have been since I was a child. I have a great deal of respect for Mark Richt and the way that he goes about doing things. Since I know Paul Johnson and many memeber of his staff like Brian Bohannan, Mike Sewak, and others, I am not the least disappointed that those guys are winning at Georgia Tech. As I tell them, I will be pulling for the Jackets for 11 out of 12 games. I also know Patrick Nix, who was the former offensive coordinator at GT. He is the son of Northside head coach Conrad Nix.

Frankly, a part of my heart smiled as they beat the Dawgs last season. I fully expect Coach Johnson and the Jackets to beat Georgia again this season. Of course, I will be wearing red and black and pulling for the Dawgs.

By the way, I did not wear a jock strap. That is something that is a little past my time. We wear a type of compression short. Jock straps are for older guys or guys like you, who have NEVER succeeded in sports in their entire lives. If you really knew sports and are under the age of 35, you would know that jock straps is more of a historic term. You expoosed yourself, GT4ever!

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There is an old saying among coaches…” A coach is only is only as good as the players that step off the bus” Tomberlin won at WACO because he had more talent than everyone else. He hasn’t won at Valdosta because Lowndes has more talent than everyone else!!!!!!!!!!

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My earlier post was a little tongue in cheek…it is easy to see that the coaches hired were not losers…so why did they suddenly become losers when they got to VHS.

The way I see it…they have all had great success in their careers…they take a well paying job at one of if not the most storied programs in the country…they show up on campus and begin to install the culture that has made them successful everywhere they have ever coached…then someone gets bent out of shape because one of the coaches culture changes (whatever that might be) fly’s against a tradition that has been practiced for years at Valdosta…then one of the “Big Boosters” has a little sit-down with the coach…the coach makes a few adjustments and tries to make everyone happy…then he installs the offense that he knows backwards and forwards…it sputters a little in the spring game because the kids are struggling to pick up the new system, and of course the D always comes along faster, the coach knows this to be true…but again some of the boosters start talking around town and shooting emails back and forth and then again one of the “Big Boosters” has a sit down with coach…this trend continues week in and week out…”why would coach call that play”, “the boys look slow, what kind of conditioning program does this coach run”, “Johnny was a stud in little league, why is coach sitting him on the bench”, on and on…now the coach has made 20 little changes to the system that has made him successful…and the worst part, and this is the most important part, the coach begins to question himself and his system and his staff…quietly at night he wonders if his success at the other schools was lack of competition or loaded with talent or whatever.

To compound this problem…the players are told at home around the dinner table and out in the community that their coach doesn’t have what it takes…that he does not understand the Valdosta way…and after hearing and reading this over and over players (16, 17 and 18 year old kids) lose confidence in their coach…and that’s why they quit in the middle of the game…they just don’t believe (why would they, the parents, uncles and neighbors told them they are playing for a loser)

Now I realize that this happens at every school to a certain degree…but Valdosta has taken it to a new level…I bet O’brien is laughing his head off.

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Enter your comments here

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I think it’s disgusting that people who post on a high school blog can understand that talent is what makes a team and people who post on a college board can’t quite grasp the concept.

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Stop The Madness: At most Georgia high schools, the athletic director and football coach are the same guy.

Why is it any different for a Booster Club member to demand a voice than a property tax payer having a voice on scholl curriculum or a bus schedule. You do not have to be an expert in an area to have a voice, especially if you provide funding for that activity. For example, you pay for schools if you own a home. Therefore, you have a voice. If one funds an athletic program, that person has a voice.

It should not be the only voice because a football coach is more than just a football coach. That person should fit well with other teachers and be on the same page as the administration as a leader at the school. Boosters can not determine that. The people in the school should determine that. However, the Valdosta Touchdown Club should be a part of the solution.

Valdosta is losing to more teams than just Lowndes County. Valdosta is losing all over the region.

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the head coach back to bazemore days has always had a review of the last game with fans.the vtdc provides this by covering the cost,however the public is invited.all vtdc members pay $20.00 a year for a membership.its a community oriented club.no 1000./500./100./50. dollar
members.greene resigned over issues he was told to address and he didnt.o’brien was named ad/hc after an interim season in 96 the year hyder died.same as with greene and those issues where non-football related.tomberlin’s correct record by season is 06/1-9,07/9-3,08/5-5 09/4-3 and its a backdoor chance to make the play-offs.the issue for the supt. and the vboe is revenue for all athelectics and football is the only sport that pays for its self.with the potential of missing the play-offs 3 out of 4 years the gate is way down and the cost for other sports will be hard to cover.parents may have to cover the cost to help out with the exspence like purchase extra balls.several viking coaches who will remain nameless say valdosta has great talent and shouldnt be struggling like they have been.tomberlin is a nice guy and needed to shake up his offensive staff.he was told whoever and whatever he needed in coaches or equipment it would be provived.he stated he had the coaches and the players to compete for a state title in 09/10.
now you make the call.darlington inherited a loaded team in 03 with a roster of 86 players.tomberlin inherited 53 players his first year with 11 of them being seniors.in 03 vhs 9th grade team drilled every one that year including the lhs bunch who went on to win 2 state titles.when darlington left only 11 where still there and only 3 that mattered.he ran the rest off.
to suggest bazmore and hyder who where two men with great integrity lied,cheated and stole talent to win shows your lack of respect for two of the greatest coaches of all time.they could just flat out coach most anyone on a friday nite regardless of talent.coaching matters just ask alabama since they hired saban or colquitt co. since they hired prosbt.look what both have done in 2 seasons.btw in the 50’s and 60’s valdosta was a aa school playing up in aaa and won 12 state and 2 natl titles.if coaching dont matter and its the size of your school with some talent why dont collins hill dominate 5a?how many region/state titles have they won?

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The difference is EagleNationRising is that football like all other athletic activity is extra curriculum. It is not mandatory for my child to play sports but it is mandatory for my child to attend school. High school sports in general is all voluntary. It is not a necessity. It gives the kid something to do but not all high schools paly football. SO when you try to compare my having a say in the school curriculum to a kid playing football you are way off base and furhter strengthen my poit that TD booster clubs are nothing more than a group of wanna bes with money who THINK they are important but in the big picture really are not. Remember. Football is just a game and trying to control a high school program shows you have a lot of growing up to do. You guys are fanatics which is Fanatic and zealot both suggest excessive or overweening devotion to a cause or belief. Fanatic further implies unbalanced or obsessive behavior: a wild-eyed fanatic. Zealot, only slightly less unfavorable in implication than fanatic, implies single-minded partisanship: a tireless zealot for tax reform. Militant stresses vigorous, aggressive support for or opposition to a plan or ideal and suggests a combative stance. Thats how you guys look to the rest of the football world.

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thug and drug central…………hahahahahaha

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Rick get your bags and move on, vhs is living in the 1900 er. you will get a great job some where.

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I think Valdosta pulled the trigger a little early on this one. They have to realize that most of the talent has shifted over to Lowdnes. Its just like all the old power houses such as Parkview. When they are constantly building new schools and taking kids from their old school zones. Most of the talent is gonna choose to go where the new program is. Camden County remains a powerhouse because there is no in town rivalry to compete with them for athletes. This is the situation Valdosta used to be in. When and if they build a new school to lower the over crowding population then they will be faced with this problem just like Valdosta, Parkview, and any other old powerhousesTomberlin has proven that he is a good coach. If he can’t win a state championship in Valdosta, then it ain’t many people can.

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They fired the last guy that won a state title…if he wasn’t good enough, then nobody will be…do you really think a coach can come in and produce a winner knowing that anything short of a state title will have him looking for another job in exactly 4 years. Valdosta doesn’t want a coach, they want a mercenary that will win at all cost. It’s funny that nowhere have I read anything about the kids and the impact that it has on them…just about there talent level…apparently if they don’t win championships they don’t matter either! It’s sad…karma just might be the reason Valdosta won’t ever be what it once was….just a thought.

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My earlier post was a little tongue in cheek…it is easy to see that the coaches hired were not losers…so why did they suddenly become losers when they got to VHS.

The way I see it…they have all had great success in their careers…they take a well paying job at one of if not the most storied programs in the country…they show up on campus and begin to install the culture that has made them successful everywhere they have ever coached…then someone gets bent out of shape because one of the coaches culture changes (whatever that might be) fly’s against a tradition that has been practiced for years at Valdosta…then one of the “Big Boosters” has a little sit-down with the coach…the coach makes a few adjustments and tries to make everyone happy…then he installs the offense that he knows backwards and forwards…it sputters a little in the spring game because the kids are struggling to pick up the new system, and of course the D always comes along faster, the coach knows this to be true…but again some of the boosters start talking around town and shooting emails back and forth and then again one of the “Big Boosters” has a sit down with coach…this trend continues week in and week out…”why would coach call that play”, “the boys look slow, what kind of conditioning program does this coach run”, “Johnny was a stud in little league, why is coach sitting him on the bench”, on and on…now the coach has made 20 little changes to the system that has made him successful…and the worst part, and this is the most important part, the coach begins to question himself and his system and his staff…quietly at night he wonders if his success at the other schools was lack of competition or loaded with talent or whatever.

To compound this problem…the players are told at home around the dinner table and out in the community that their coach doesn’t have what it takes…that he does not understand the Valdosta way…and after hearing and reading this over and over players (16, 17 and 18 year old kids) lose confidence in their coach…and that’s why they quit in the middle of the game…they just don’t believe (why would they, the parents, uncles and neighbors told them they are playing for a loser)

Now I realize that this happens at every school to a certain degree…but Valdosta has taken it to a new level…I bet O’brien is laughing his head off.

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Yes you have to have some talent, but it’s all about development, coaching, talent and winning with what u have. What about Brookwood with all that talent and very few get college scholarships and now with the daddy ball going on losing games that they have the talent to win. You need to develop your youth player and 3 years aren’t enough to do that unless of course you start paying players to play for you. (Brookwood) lol…If you can’t coach, then do like Crews has done with his staff ..turn your nose up at everyone else and blame your kids.. cause daddy ball doesn’t win.. .think about it…..

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EagleNationRising is exactly right. Tomberlin was and is a good AAA or AA coach where the team only needs a few plays and a few stars. He is just not capable of winning at the AAAAA level against good programs. Look at the games against Colquitt County (Rush Probst) NSWR (Conrad Nix) and of course Lowndes (Randy McPherson).

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Hire him at Forsyth Central NOW! 0-6 and deserve it. Sorry but true! The Forsyth County high schools have all struggled, especially within the district they play in. Can’t touch the Gwinnett or private school’s, in , can barely score.

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Two words, Welton Coffee!! Offensive Coordinator @ Camden Co. Coached Raines HS to a state championship in FL.

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The same thing that is happening here happened to Coach O’brian just a few years ago, although O’b only lost 3 games and was given the boot. Valdosta is obviously more worried about winning than who is more talented. Lowndes entire team is full of extremely talented kids and this was a building year for Valdosta.

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If the economy fixes, and Lowndes is able to go through with plans to build a new high school, Valdosta’s football problem will fix itself. The plan has Lowndes building a school to compete in something like AAA division, splitting off about 1000 students from LHS. Valdosta’s problem with academic competition is yet another problem. After all, isn’t that where the focus should lie at the high school level? It seems to me that the coach is hired as a teacher at this level, and his primary job is to build men for the future. Being a man is not always about winning. Many who comment here, and who had a hand in this very ugly public display of timing in Tomberlin’s firing, seem to live just as Al Bundy – trudging day in and day out at their minimum wage job in their minmally substantial lives while reliving for decades their one pinacle of success, a touchdown in the big game. Let’s put teaching back into high school, and leave the emphasis on winning to the pros.

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Rick Tomberlin can retire at the end of the year and collect a teacher’s retirement pension of over $65,000 per year (based on the last two years as a head coach). He can get also a head coaching position at a private school with additional pay. So don’t feel too sad for Rick.

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Titletown Baby! We will be back!

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What a bind they would be in if Valdosta High goes on a hot streak and wins the state championship. That would be the ultimate Whoops!

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As one poster mentioned, you don’t win the Kentucky Derby on a mule, but the folks who imply that coaching is basically irrelevant are out of their ever-loving minds.

If you don’t believe me, look at some of the Atlanta-area schools – SW DeKalb and Stephenson are two that come to mind – that are LOADED with athletes every season … and yet, how many state championships have THEY won? Heck, even Meadowcreek had SEVEN D-I players a few years ago – and still finished 0-10.

As far as Tomberlin is concerned, you don’t win three state titles at ANY level in Georgia if you’re a buffoon. Having said that, it’s important to remember that when Lowndes fired Tomberlin and Waco hired him, he walked into an absolute goldmine of talent in Sandersville with Robert Edwards, Terrence Edwards, Jessie Miller, et al.

Obviously, a lot of coaches could have won at Waco with that kind of talent, but Tomberlin deserves some credit for not screwing it up.

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2 WHOM IT MAYYYY CONCERN..GOD HAS A PLAN 4 EACH N EVERYONE OF US.SO…SPEAKIN IN BEHALF OF THE HAWK’S NEST,COACH T. HAS MADE MORE THAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HIS LIFETIME HE HAS CREATED CHAMPIONS ON & OFF THE FIELD.AND IN MY OPINION IT IS SAD THAT PEOPLE CAN BE HONEST BUT YET SO CRUEL…BUT HEY IT IS WHAT IT IS!!MY FATHER..COACH FRANK LEE HAS NEVER BEEN IN A SITUATION AS THIS BUT HE IS WELL KNOWN FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE AND DOING AS OF TODAY BEING A WARRIOR FOR OUR YOUTH THROUGH OUT THESE YEARS AND WILL STILL CONTINUE LIKE COACH T.SO YOU MAY TRY TO TEAR HIM DOWN BUT HE IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US SO PLEASE BE MINDFUL WITH YOUR COMMENTS.AND FOR COACH T..WE STILL LUV U AND DARRIUS LEE (MY SON) SAID YOU WILL BE IMPORTANT IN HIS LIFE NO MATTER WHAT! THE SKY IS THA LIMIT!!

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The last reported high school attendance numbers for the State of Georgia was the March 2009 FTE numbers. Lowndes had 2746 students, Valdosta High School had 1933 students. (1850 or more put schools in AAAAA for the past 2 years)

The October 2009 FTE numbers will soon be published. Beginning the next school year it will take 1900 or more students to be in AAAAA. This will hold true for the next 2 years. Schools can continue to play up, but they can’t play down.

Fot those who question the disparity in size between Lowndes and Valdosta, you now have the official numbers.

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Check Your Fire, Check Your Fire… So that’s you answer.too many black atheletes! You sir should be banned from ever posting again…those comments were ignorant and totally inappropriate….some of you nameless faceless people have a lot of courage behind a keyboard…that’s just horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!I AM TRULY DONE HERE!

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To Norman: Look again. Teachers have to complete 30 years of service to retire. He has three more years before he can retire, and a high school teacher retirement check NEVER reaches $65,000/year. I have colleagues retiring after this year after thirty plus years of service, and have ended their years with two consecutive years at over $65,000. Their monthly check will be less than $3000 per month. Granted, I imagine there are plenty of schools out there who will be willing to hire a winner at his current state mandated pay scale plus whatever their stipend for coaching might be, but I promise you he won’t retire on $65,000 per year of teacher retirement funds.

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TO ENR & GRAYSON fans…….Rumor has it that Coach Nix and Coach Conn are the leading candidates for VALDOSTA. They are going to offer more money then your cheap systems can pay

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My family lived in Brooks County in 1965. My dad left my mother when I was quite young. I was starting my junior year playing fullback at Brooks County high when Coach Bazemore offered my mother a job and a place to live in Valdosta just so I could play football for his team. Unfortunately, I hurt my back my senior year and couldn’t complete the year. There were plenty of families who were recruited to VHS football.

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Michael Carvell: If I am Rick Tomberlin, I take a coaching job in metro Atlanta where the competition is weak and the hitting is soft.

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The VHS supporters need to get out of the 60s and 70s and realize times are different and be happy. The fact this Tomberlin, a proven winner and arguably one of the top coaches in the state, is having trouble there should be a signal. Good luck on getting another coach. Valdosta is quickly turning in to the Oakland Raiders of Georgia High School football.

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EAGLENATIONRISING – HI THERE FRIEND. I GOT MY INFORMATION FROM THE ATHLETIC BUSINESS MANAGER WHO DOES THE FTE AND ELIGIBILITY ROSTER REPORTING TO THE STATE FOR LOWNDES COUNTY ATHLETICS. BTW WAY, IT HAS BEEN “RUMORED” THAT RICK TOMBERLIN WAS PAID A TOTAL OF $107,000 – COUNTING HIS STATE AND LOCAL SUPPLEMENT MONEY.

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Hey Fake Buck Belue:
You write as bad as you sound
on the radio!!

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Come on, people! Let’s raise the player salaries and exercise a little “creativity” on the boy’s birth certificates and high school transcripts. Matters will take care of themselves.

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NHS Eagle Fan: You obviously were not at the football game. Conrad nix was up 28-0 and he ALWAYS plays young kids. Valdosta scored two touchdowns in the final 4:30 playing against Freshman and Sophomores. The game was very tight. The Valdosta QB threw an interception and did not even run to tackle the Northside player. He hung his head, walked to the sidelines, and the route was on. That Valdosta team was every bit as big and fast as Northside. The game was close. The Wildcat players quit.

You better believe that you give up 57 points in a City championship game, you quit. Valdosta outplayed us (Northside) at Bazemore-Hyder this season. They simply did not put together what it took to win. The same Northside team held Lowndes County to 7 points. Now, the Valdosta team who outplayed Northside gives up 57.

Either the kids are quitting or the players from Valdosta were not prepared for the game against their cross-town rivals. I say they quit and that is the responsibility of the coaching staff.

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ENR…I was at the game. I haven’t missed a Northside game (home or away) since 1998. I’ve seen the good ones and the bad ones ALL FIRST HAND.

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excuse me…that should be 1988

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Bigdaddy, I’ve heard his name already mentioned! You know he worked at Vldosta for a few years, and was the head coach at Raines in Jcksonville.

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The head football coach at Lakeland High School in central Florida is not the Athletic Director. I know the AD. He used to be a college basketball coach. There is no way that the Lakeland HS football coach can be making $107,000/year. That should be the first guy that Valdosta calls. The stadium at Valdosta is not as nice as Martin Stadium at Lowndes County (one of the state’s best). However, Bazemore-Hyder is nicer than the stadium at Lakeland. It is much larger too. I would seek that guy out immediately! He should know all the pressures of coaching at a program with great expectation. Furthermore, kids in Lakeland (Polk County, FL) have school choice. They recruit like crazy down there. It is a way of life. He will be just fine in Valdosta.

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And there you have it everyone, don’t NEVER say that Football is only a sport…. In Georgia, it is BIG BUSINESS……….

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Just last week I pleaded for the “Wildcat Nation” to give Tomberlin time. “At least 2 more years”. Valdosta just lost their best possible candidate for “next great head coach” at famed Valdosta High School. This bums me out.

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One would have to be afool not to believe shifting demographics haven not crippled the wildcats.

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lowndes has 5 state games and one against northside , who`s your daddy?

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Even Hyder had noted that things at Valdosta in 94 were not the way they where even 10 years before. Attendance was down, they were traveling on school busses instead of Greyhounds.The writing was on the wall even then

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Enter your comments here

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Too many diehard wildcat fans are holding on to what the team use dto do. Well the team has not done anything in 11 years. Theyve won only 2 titles since 92. Valdosta unless it finds another Hyder or Bazemore will soon be lucky to field 60 players, let alone win 5 games.

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Does the movie “Friday Night Lights” ring a bell to anyone?? If not go back and watch it…

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****** PLEASE READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE******
In 2006 Valdosta went 1-9 and did not lose a game by more that 7 points. that was a bad coaching job. In 2007 Vladosta went 9-3 with an expierenced senior rich team and los a game to mlk that they should have won. that was a bad coaching job. in 2008 valdosta sent 11 players to college and two of them to georgia and georgia tech and they went 5-5. valdosta has players on their current team and six division I players on that team. Valdosta loss to northside 16-13 and dominated them in every aspect of the game except special teams. they missed 4 field goals and kicked to a guy the beginning of the second half who had already show big play capabilities in the return game in the first half. that was a poor coaching job. they led for three quarters against colquitt until the fourth quarter when their defense came out and almost looked confused as to what colquitt was doing? colquitt did not change one thing from the 1st half to the 2nd half. that was bad coaching! valdosta has more athelete on their team thay any team in the region and he has not shown the ablilty to coach the kid the right way. time have changed in the city but egalenationrising is correct when he says valdosta has just as many atheletes and any team in the statew including lowndes. lowndes has 80 kids on the roster and plays both ways with many of their starters. tomberlin and his whole staff should be fired. they have not showed the ability to prepare their players and get them ready to play week end and week out. valdosta has more than 1900 students enrolled and over 125 players and you can’t win? and not to mention they are susposed to be the nations strongest team who broke all of these weightlifting records last year! there’s plenty of talent in winnersville. we need the right coach to come and get this program back on track!

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The only way Valdosta will experience a State Championship is by reading history books. Its over down there folks.

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Gary you full of s… Valdosta does not have any problems that Lowndes doesn’t. Valdosta’s problem is that the city folk listen to the lies you County people spread about the POOR city kids. People talk about the size of Lowndes, but look at the statistics and see where they are rank among Georgia schools academically. With approximately 2700 students your ranking should be much better.

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Just a few more words here and I will shut up. Question: What would Nick Hyder or Wright Bazemore do that Coach T did not do given the current circumstances?
Okay. Some of you are gonna say, “Their kids would play much harder for them”. I don’t buy that. I have seen Tomberlin’s kids at WACO play their hearts out to the very end while knowing they were going to get whipped. I have also seen Coach T’s teams at WACO take it easy on teams that were quite obviously going to lose. Coach T was just about to bring on the BEST of his kids in 2010 and 2011. In his own words, “This is a process”. Shame on Valdosta for not giving this good man and well qualified coach a reasonable chance. I was once a huge fan of the Valdosta Touchdown Club. Not so sure anymore.

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While you’re talking military installations….same at Camden County with the submarine base. There have been some military families ‘transferred’ in and football for their boys has been a major reason.

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EagleNationRising, Randy Mac has 3 state titles in 7 years at Lowndes with this year, his 8th season, still to be determined. How, exactly, has he underachieved? Even Valdosta, in the days of the great Wright Bazemore and Nick Hyder didn’t always win the state title. How long has Conrad Nix coached at Northside and how many state championships has he won with the great number of quality athletes available to him?

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Don’t feel sorry for Tomberlin. The reality is he could have stayed at WACO and became a Legend, but he got greedy and went to Valdosta were exspectations or unrealistic. So thats he’s fault. Coaches don’t play the game , but some act as if they rule the game and that’s what happened here. The ole generations of coaches are fading because they cannot get through or relate to the kids of today. Sorry Rick keep it moving and pout somewhere else

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Valdosta and Lowndes County are big enough to build a third public high school.

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Wildcat Fan regarding a successful coach the TD Club faithful will be like the energizer bunny and they will be looking and looking and looking and…………

Tomberlin was history the day he showed up here. Valdosta faithful were firing him from day 1. You can’t keep firing “what were successful coaches” before they showed up at Valdosta and ever expect any thing to change.

You fired your last state championship coach!!! fofroflalalaughingoutloud

I live here and I hear all of the pooh pooh and constant discontent coming from the Wildcat faithful.

Kids are not ever going to perform under any coach until the faithful get their act together.

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This action tarnishes further the legacy of Valdosta football. Those still alive who helped build that legacy should speak up before all respect is lost. Otherwise they contribute to the undoing themselves.

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Yo – if you actually live in VD towm then you will know the VD Times. The facts are in there about what happened. How do I know? I worked for them and got to cover this story. No Tomberlin cool aid just facts. No wonder your posts are lost.

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The rumor I’ve been hearing… Rush Probst. Just a rumor, but if that comes true, WATCH OUT Lowndes.

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Rick Tomberlin would never refuse to shake any man’s hand. He’s a gentlemen.

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By the way, as a former Valdosta Times sportswriter, regarding Valdosta football – high school ball truly is a numbers game. That’s the first fact of life for a program. Talent, size, and all other physical attributes boys have fall along a “bell curve” distribution – for example, for every 100 boys, 2 or 3 might have both size and athletic talent. So if your school has 1000 students, maybe you have 20 or 30 really good potential players. 2000 students means double the athletes (40 to 60), and 3000 students would mean triple that (60 to 80). I’m making up the numbers just to get the idea across.
Next fact of life is, the coach and his program still have to persuade as many of the best boys as possible to take up the hard road of playing football. Valdosta always had advantages in the Bazemore and Hyder eras because the city was small and no boy lived more than 2 miles from Cleveland Field (the stadium.) Lowndes, by contrast, was in the middle of a county roughly 20 miles by 20 miles, so boys had, on average, 10 times as far to travel to play ball. Naturally, a higher percentage of VHS boys would play ball than LHS boys because of transportation.
Add to this Valdosta’s amazing system of youth football in past years; as a past Valdosta Daily Times sports editor explained to me, the Bazemore/Hyder system involved a core of plays that were taught at the only junior high school in the system (at the time), and even by many of the pee wee coaches feeding boys to VJHS, so that by the time a boy reached 9th grade at VHS, he probably already knew much of the playbook! It was a textbook “feeder system”.
However, since the 1970’s, paving of county roads has made transportation less of a factor. Historically, a lot of city high schools were traditional powerhouses, like Valdosta, because they had both demographics, and also geography, on their side. Today, people move to newer developments in the counties and the balance of power has shifted.
Note that size is no guarantee of football success if the program and feeder system is not there. I remember in the late 1970’s Southwest of Macon had the highest Average Daily Attendence in the GHSA, but no great success at football because most of the potential players were doing other things with their time. In contrast, the monstrous Gwinnett schools of today, with their high ADA’s in the 3,000-student range, are getting a lot of the boys at the top of the “bell curve” into the football programs, and many of them have become relative power houses as a result.
VHS really does have a numbers disadvantage, and they cannot incorporate vast chucks of the County to make up their deficit – it would start a firestorm. But there is talk periodically about the radical notion of consolidating the two school systems. The newspaper has reported that “all” it would take is for the City system to essentially dissolve itself, then the County by default would become responsible for both systems. A balancing of student bodies might well follow, to VHS’ advantage. Another fact not mentioned so far is that the Lowndes school system is being required to construct a second high school, and a site has already been chosen in the Pine Grove area. This school will unquestionably reduce the ADA of LHS and potentially diminish the talent pool available to play for the Vikings – however, the current national financial woes have reportedly put this plan back by several years.
Otherwise, I believe the Valdosta booster club needs to update its 1950’s expectations and accept that its historical advantages have evaporated. It can still be an outstanding football school the way Thomasville High is still an outstanding football power, albeit with more realistic expectations.

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upset mom my posts to ENR (he must be eating them) are lost but I haven’t lost my football coach. My gut feeling is McPherson will still be here while you are already losing your next one.

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Mike, Valdosta will never return to their glory days, and here is why since noone seemed to get this the 1st time i blogged. Valdosta is LAND-LOCKED They cannot get the numbers, and quality players like they did in the past because of the county school……ENUFF SAID….

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YOU PEOPLE ARE BLAMING THIS ONE ON THE FANS. I DON’T THINK THE FANS REALLY HAD MUCH TO DO WITH THIS ONE. HELL I WAS SHOCKED AND DISAPPOINTED WHEN I READ IT IN THE PAPERS. AND UPSET MOM, I COULD NAME MANY MORE.

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Rumers are Valdosta sent a commitee to Brooks County asking their new/old coach to come and right their ship.Maurice Freeman, probably the man for the job!

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valdosta should have given coach a chance…instead pulled trigger. alright coffee county here is your chance for an outstanding coach.

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I am glad to see all of the critics come out as it is like waking up a sleeping giant. I think the best talent was at Northside which Valdosta should have won but who I am I to judge.Ask coach Nix how bad Valdosta is and maybe but just maybe Valdosta still has a little talent left. Hopefully some of the team members are reading these insults. Sorry Coach T what a huge mistake these guys have made. I think we need to get rid of the guys making this stupid decision to terminate you from the program. The other school in Lowndes looked really bad against Northside and no one has commented on this. Why? Every team has bad days.

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ENR

I am still waiting on that email. dgrantham14@att.net

I would like to see the 5 pages of your athletic history. I want to understand your point of views.

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I agree with the person that said Jack Rudolph should be the chair of the search committee. I’ve known him for going on 25 years and is one of the best football minds I have ever known.

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Try Again

ENR you would think Buck Godfrey would learn his lesson and do a Tomberlin/Nix and go down a classification to finally win his championship. Maybe you should suggest that to old Buck since you seem to know everybody. It seems to be the only thing that works for Tomberlin/Nix.
Remember the Parkview/Northside choke at the Mac? At least when Lowndes chokes in an important game they don’t do it “in their own house” and the don’t do it in the 15th game of the year.
In fact a “so called by ENR” Mcpherson coached “choke on the road team” went up to Parkview a few years later and took care of the business Northside couldn’t do “in their own house!!!”.
Lowndes record in State Championship games is 5-0.
And all of McPhersons State Championships were in the HIGHEST CLASSIFICATION. No Tomberlin/Nix excuses needs be made for McPherson.
You continue to measure your accomplishments by your record over Lowndes
(we consider that an honor) and we will measure our accomplishments by
non Tomberlin/Nix type AAAAA State Championships.

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Remember the Parkview/Northside choke at the Mac? At least when Lowndes chokes in an important game they don’t do it “in their own house” and they don’t do it in the 15th game of the year.
In fact a “so called by ENR” McPherson coached “choke on the road team” went up to Parkview a few years later and took care of the business Northside couldn’t do “in their own house!!!”.
Lowndes record in State Championship games is 5-0.

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ENR why don’t you suggest to old Buck Godfrey that he find a way to go down a classification like Tomberlin/Nix so he can finally win a State Championship.

McPherson didn’t have to do a Tomberlin/Nix to win his.

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Eagle fan…..just one question…how are the feeder programs doing…….6th through 9th…and the JV.

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Coach T,
Please come to Central Gwinnet.We have the talent, but no coaching. Someone of your predigree will kept our athletes from going to make Brookwood,Parkview,Collins Hill,Grayson and the rest of Gwinnett teams better. Please, Please, Please and Please once again Please

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Michael Carvell You are incorrect sir. The Winningest coach and program (FOOTBALL) is John McKissick…Do your homework man…

Mr. The 2009 year marked Coach McKissick’s
Friday, August 29th, 2008
The 2009 year marks Coach John McKissick’s 58th season coaching the Summerville High School Green Wave football team. Coach McKissick has compiled an outstanding record of 574 wins, 134 losses and 13 ties.**10 state Titles** He is the winningest football coach in the nation at any level.

John McKissick, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Summerville High School, grew up in Kingstree, South Carolina and graduated from Kingstree High School. He went on the graduate from Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina in 1951 with a B.A. degree in Economics. Later, he attended Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina where he received his M.A. degree in Psychology and Education in 1969. In May of 1994, Coach McKissick was awarded a Doctor of Public Service degree from his alma mater, Presbyterian College.

McKissick was hired as head football coach at Summerville High School in 1952. During the 1993 season, he became the winningest football coach in history on any level when he broke the record of 405 wins held by Gordon Wood of Texas. Coach reached another milestone in 2003 by winning his 500th game. His present record stands at 565 wins, 133 losses and 13 ties. His teams have won the region title 33 out of 57 years and 10 state championships. From 1978 – 1980, his teams compiled a 41-game winning streak, the longest ever in South Carolina. Coach has held the national record for the most victories at one school since 1986.

Coach McKissick was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame in Myrtle Beach in 2005. He was awarded the Power of Influence Award by the American Football Association in 2004. In 1999, he was inducted, along with his wife, into the Dorchester School District Two Athletic Hall of Fame, and in 1994, he was named the National High School Football Coach of the Century by Southern California Interscholastic Football Coach Association. Coach was inducted into the newly formed S.C. Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in l993, their charter year, and in 1990, he was inducted into the National High School Sports Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Missouri. The football field in Summerville was dedicated to Coach McKissick and named for him in 1987 and he was inducted into the S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982. Coach was named the National High School Football Coach of the Year in 1980. In 1993, Sagamore Publishing Company of Champaign, Illinois, published his autobiography, “John McKissick, Called to Coach.” The sequel, “Called to Coach II” was published in 2004.

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i was the 8th grade football runningback for valdosta middle school and im going to the high school next so all you wildcats fans get ready.

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