Who is Georgia’s best-ever high school football coach? Retiring McFerrin has a decent argument
T. McFerrin retired this week after a career that put him on the sidelines for 38 seasons as head coach. McFerrin won 340 games – fourth-most among Georgia coaches in history – and two state titles, his final one last month for Jefferson.
What is McFerrin’s place in Georgia coaching history? Can a case be made that h is the best coach in state history?
Don’t dismiss him too quickly. At the least, he’s had more success at more schools than any other coach.
Also, the three coaches whose names are most commonly mentioned as best coach in state history – Wright Bazemore, Nick Hyder and Larry Campbell – all won state titles at schools that had won state championships before they were hired.
McFerrin, who has built winners at eight schools, won state titles at Jefferson and Elbert County. He’s one of six coaches to win state titles at two schools that had never won state titles. (Jeff Herron is another, to name one.)
Other facts about McFerrin –
- McFerrin coached five different schools to the state semifinals. That’s a state record.
- McFerrin won region titles at seven of the eight Georgia schools that he coached. That’s a state record.
- McFerrin delivered seven of the eight to the state quarterfinals or better, also a state record. The only school that he failed to win a region title or make the quarters was Southeast Whitfield, which had its third-best season ever (7-3) in McFerrin’s only season there.
- The combined record of the eight schools that McFerrin has coached before hiring him is 34-46-1. Their record in the first year under McFerrin is 65-23-1.
Here is a look at McFerrin’s eight jobs and how the team’s record changed in his first season:
Lithonia: 1-9 to 8-1-1 (1968)
Forest Park: 7-3 to 9-2-1 (1971)
Peachtree: 2-7-1 to 10-1-1 (1976)
Southeast Whitfield: 1-9 to 7-3 (1984)
Tucker: 5-4-1 to 4-7 (1986)
Elbert County: 7-3 to 9-3 (1990)
South Gwinnett: 0-10 to 8-5 (1998)
Jefferson: 11-1 to 11-1 (2009)
Here are other coaches who might be in the discussion for best coach in state history. How would you rank them? Are there others?
- Wright Bazemore: Bazemore won a state-record 14 state championships and finished with a 265-51-7 record that spanned from 1941 through 1971, with a few years off for World War II.
- Larry Campbell: Campbell’s 470 victories rank third all-time nationally. He’s won 11 state titles at Lincoln County. He’ll be in his 42nd season as head coach this fall.
- Alan Chadwick: Marist’s coach since 1985, Chadwick has won two state titles and has a record of 311-55. His winning percentage (.850) ranks third in state history.
- Wayman Creel: With a 315-105-2 record, Creel was Georgia’s all-time most winning coach upon his death in 1990. He was one of the first coaches to win state titles at two schools. He did it at Northside of Atlanta (1957) and Lakeside (1970, 1972).
- Robert Davis: Davis’ record of 353-73-1 makes him the second most-winning coach in state history. He’s won more games in the highest classification than any other Georgia coach and won three state titles (1976, 1981 and 1988) and two national titles (1976, 1981).
- Shorty Doyal: Doyal was Georgia’s first famous head coach. His record is 193-72-24 over 27 seasons, during which he won nine state titles and made Boys’ High of Atlanta a vaunted program throughout the South.
- Nick Hyder: Hyder won seven state titles at Valdosta from 1974 to 1995 and finished with a 302-48-5 record. His winning percentage (.858) ranks No. 1 in state history. Hyder also was 53-12-3 at West Rome (1968-73).
- T. McFerrin: McFerrin’s 340-102-4 record puts him fourth-all time in victories for Georgia head coaches. He is one of six Georgia coaches to win the first state championships for two schools (Elbert County, Jefferson). He’s the only coach to lead five different schools to the state semifinals.
- Dan Pitts: Pitts made Mary Persons a state power during a nearly 40-year career (1959-1997) and retired in 1997 as the state’s all-time winningest coach at 346-109-4. His record was broken by Larry Campbell, who viewed the Lincolnton native Pitts as a major influence.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
73 comments Add your comment
Birdhair
January 5th, 2013
7:57 am
Wondering why Marist doesnt want to play Pius in football anymore?
mh18
January 5th, 2013
8:07 am
I played against Dan Pitts & his Mary Persons Bulldogs In the mid eighties. My first yr playing varsity he brought his team to Thomaston. We were State ranked 3AA, he didn’t have one player in his front seven over 180. We were bigger & faster but by the 4th quarter our whole team was in awe. They ran the wishbone and they were sprinting from the huddle to the line of scrimmage arriving as one. They were flawless in their techniques and they wore our butts out on our own field 36-6. I’m 45 yrs old & I still remember that beat down. That same yr Coach Pitts Bulldogs beat Manchester in the 1st round of the playoffs. Manchester was ranked #1 in the State and was 10-0 with 10 straight shutouts. The Bulldogs scored on the 1st possession and beat the best team in the State again on their field. Dan Pitts was the real deal.
Weasel
January 5th, 2013
8:47 am
Bazemore was the Bear Bryant of high school football. End of discussion!
Wareagle85
January 5th, 2013
9:20 am
what about Grahmn Hixson at Woodward Academy.Great coach at a great program.
TItletown USA
January 5th, 2013
9:30 am
I began by saying that I am in no way accusing the writer or posters of any negative intention or statements, just providing a different perspective as a fan of HS football…but..
I think evaluating the best coaches should be more than “who has the longest historical stretch of success?”. It should include more recent coaching efforts where someone has turned around a program and establish success under adverse situations. List like these only fly in the face of those who were disenfranchised during these years and did not have the same opportunities.
As much as many of you may not like this or feel that I am playing a card, but this list is fairly exclusive, especially considering the population of the athletes that have a major contribution.
Smug
January 5th, 2013
9:33 am
How about Bug Smith? He won somewhere over 400 games & 20 state titles in his 40 plus year career. He was a great coach & a finer man.
dostacat
January 5th, 2013
9:36 am
Great article! Georgia has produced some of the greatest coaches in the history of high school football. Being from Valdosta, I’ll have to vote for Wright Bazemore with Nick Hyder as a close second. Bobby Dodd was asked at a Valdosta Touchdown Club meeting in 1963 (if I remember correctly) after he had signed 7 players from Valdosta, who else would he like to sign. Twenty two young players received college scholarships that year. Dodd said he would love to sign Bazemore as his offensive coach because of his knowledge of football and his coaching skills.
He won championships in A, AA, & AAA (the highest classification then) using local boys. He never recruited & there really wasn’t a feeder system per se. He could take most any group of 22 kids and mold them into a championship team with his brilliant knowledge of the game. He was truely a football genius and one of a kind. RIP coach.
GladiatorNation
January 5th, 2013
10:04 am
Whomever put this together, where were you in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s when Clarke Central was destroying North Georgia and everything that was in front of them. Have you guys looked at 1985 National Championship Team. In case you forgot it was CCHS.
@ weasel
January 5th, 2013
10:34 am
Are you stating that Wright Bazemore was a racist too?
Charles
January 5th, 2013
10:43 am
Dexter Wood, Ray Lamb, Jess Simpson and Hal Lamb ain’t chopped liver.
Old High School Fan
January 5th, 2013
11:12 am
I guess my earlier comments to BullDawg Rick about Calvin Ramsey were a little too harsh for Todd. However, I still stand by them. There is no way someone who coaches less than 20 years – wins less than 200 games and wins only 1 state title (tied Thomasville 13-13 for a share of another) – can or should be considered a legitament contender for consideration for best coach – in this or any other blog. He’s not even considered to be good enough for the top 50+ coaches in Georgia when calculating winning percentages.
my own two cents
January 5th, 2013
11:30 am
Greatest Coaches
Cecil Morris – Duluth
Jim Cavan – Griffin and R.E. Lee (now Upson-Lee)
Larry Campbell – Lincoln
Bobby Pate – Hart County
Lloyd Bohannon – Griffin
ATLien
January 5th, 2013
11:38 am
Diamond Dave Hunter – Brookwood High School
87BALLER
January 5th, 2013
12:16 pm
G. Hixon. Great coach, Greater human being.
Rock and Roll
January 5th, 2013
1:19 pm
I played for Billy Henderson at Willingham! We beat Valdosta when nobody else could. Coach Henderson was one of the greatest for sure. Incredible coach and motivator!
Jim
January 5th, 2013
2:26 pm
I agree with John On coach Bill Chappel .The best I ever played for.
Jake
January 5th, 2013
3:49 pm
Creel, Bazemore, and Hyder. Hands down, and I’m beyond shocked that the AJC would omit Billy Henderson entirely. I couldn’t begin to rank these 3, but they are absolutely the top 3. McFerrin was a hired gun, nothing more. He built some programs up, but other coaches took those schools to glory, not McFerrin.
mh18
January 5th, 2013
4:40 pm
Ill second Coach Cavan at R.E. Lee Institute, Thomaston Ga. He’s the father of UGA Hall of Famer and Coach Dooley’s faviorite player Mike Cavan. You still have to put Dan Pitts at or near the top but Nick Hyder, is first among equals. He won 94% of his games at Valdosta.
56TROJAN
January 5th, 2013
5:36 pm
Definitely coach Charlie Grisham needs to be on the short list. Not only did he win 5 state titles but from 1961-1974 the Trojans played in 8 state championship games. His career was cut short by an illness. He coached 28 years and had 261 wins and 69 losses. He was still in his mid 50’s when he retired due to health problems
56TROJAN
January 5th, 2013
5:39 pm
Also, another tidbit of info about coach Grisham. During the run of West Rome back in the mid 1980’s when they won 4 state titles in a row, their record was like 45-1. Guess who that one loss was too? Carrollton
Patrick
January 5th, 2013
6:20 pm
Calvin Ramsey at Avondale High has to be mentioned. 79-2-1 home record at Death Valley with two state championships. Ranked in the top ten statewide 16 of his 19 years as coach of the Blue Devils.
Pack7671
January 5th, 2013
9:45 pm
I think hands down Alan Chadwick is the best coach in the state’s history. To do what he has done taking a physically limited squad (compared to the behemoths Marist usually plays) and play up two classifications and dominate the way he has running the SAME offense since 85 is incredible!Enter your comments here
Old High School Fan
January 6th, 2013
10:43 am
Patrick – Read my post @11:12A. Do some research. Compare Ramsey to ALL the other coaches mentioned in the article. Look up his winning percentage. Can’t find it?? That’s because he doesn’t qualify to be considered in the TOP 50+ coaches in Georgia – all who have won more than 200 games. He also did NOT win two championships – he won ONE and tied for the other. A tie has never been considered a win in anything much less a state championship. You’re a homer and I get that. Loyal to the man. But be honest with yourself and don’t hang a mantle of greatness around Ramsey’s neck when he doesn’t measure up in any of the categories that are required to evaluate such criteria. Good – OK, best ever – not even in the same discussion.