1 recruit in the country. I was in the office when Joe Wilson threw his keys on Nick Hyders desk and told him, Coach, we are going to whip your [butt] when you come to our place in two years, and thats exactly what happened, Baker said. How would you contrast and compare those iconic coaches? He came in from West Rome with the idea of running the wishbone like he was doing in Rome, and I was coming over for spring football as an eighth grader, and it wasnt a couple of months later we were back for preseason practice, and he was totally shifted to the Bazemore offense, as we called it. 3 Georgia high school football player of all time by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2007, and this is just his football career. Youd see him around town and stop and go wow. Youd be in awe. 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. In some cases, the insults would turn from verbal to something more physical. We had weight limits, and if you weighed a certain amount, you couldnt play in the backfield, and I was a bigger kid then. He also told them they have the talent to be a great football team, and said he was excited about the upcoming season, the first under new coach Rick Tomberlin. Jun. Baker said the cheerleaders from both teams would usually meet at one of the girls homes, and the groups would alternate each season. An astounding number at the time and a record that took more than a decade to break. He was just so far ahead of his time. A behind the curtain look at my story from Valdosta High through the University of Georgia. Belue said he flirted with shopping his book to outside publishers, but opted instead to publish it himself. I thought long and hard about what I was going to put in there., Photos: Impressive details in Georgia Bulldogs championship rings, Athens celebrates its long-awaited Bulldogs title with parade and stadium event, The drought is over: Georgia is national champion again, Mark Bradley: Mighty Georgia runs down Bama to claim its long-sought championship, QB Stetson Bennetts story a testament to the Georgia community that nurtured him, Steve Hummer: Champion 1980 Bulldogs have waited long enough for company. So the Viking flag flew high and proud over the Valdosta stadium property, for at least a little while.. They put it on us my freshman year. Buck Belue was born and raised in Titletown, USA also known as Valdosta, Georgia. 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. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Valdosta, Georgia is called Title Town, USA because they have won more high school football games and titles than anyone else. [Johnson scored on a 68-yard run on the final play of the first half, then threw a 28-yard TD pass and a two-point conversion in the final seconds for a 26-26 tie. He also became the first active player at South Carolina to have his jersey retired, No. This isn't conjecture, it's really fact. Netflix on Friday is premiering 'Titletown High,' a documentary series chronicling Valdosta (Ga.) High School's 2020 football season and Rush Propst, its controversial coach. Lowndes came back with, My heroes have always been plowboys.. [6] After the demise of the USFL, Belue spent two years on the football coaching staff at Valdosta State University, serving as an offensive assistant. Georgia quarterback Buck Belue got things moving for Georgia in the second quarter, engineering a scoring drive in only four plays for a 14-3 lead. He won 12 of his 18 games against Valdosta. Rome settled on professional football, playing four NFL seasons with the Chiefs. One of their defensive linemen, Charles Bergman, got hold of Bucks jersey at the sleeve, and ripped it right off his back, Lastinger said. The Valdosta High class of '78 alumni are listed below. Buck Belue is a 1978 graduate of Valdosta High School in Valdosta, GA. Sign up on Classmates for free to reconnect with Buck Belue and other high school alumni. What did those coaches mean to you? The History of the Winnersville Classic: Valdosta, Lowndes and a Community-Wide Celebration, 4 Questions With Northside Warner Robins Football Coach Chad Alligood, One-Point Wins Highlight Exciting Georgia Boys Basketball Playoffs, 4 Questions with McEachern Football Coach Kareem Reid, McCullough Triplets Ready for Next Chapter in Wrestling Careers, Baltimore Ravens WR Rashod Bateman Honored by Hometown Tifton, Trinity Catholic Celtics Find Success with Former Gators QB John Brantley, Showcase Football Events Attract High-Profile Programs, Rewind: Top 10 Florida High School Football Prospects Since 2000. They just burned the thing, Prince said. The first time I played quarterback was in the eighth grade. How could he do this? He will be inducted with Belue in October. The Vikings would begin playing crosstown rival Valdosta that same year, but it was a David-vs.-Goliath mismatch for the first decade or so, with Valdosta, boasting all those state and national championships not to mention a 50-year head start defeating the upstart Lowndes High in the teams first 11 games. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution named Walker the No. They just had a huge impact in my career along with all those teammates I played with at Valdosta, many of them deserving of those kinds of honors. In Buck's first year as quarterback the Valdosta Wildcats were 3-7. Kinnebrew was named the AJCs Class A Lineman of the Year and was a Parade All-American. Buck Belue Social Network Timeline 2007 He is also the only quarterback to start all four years for the Valdosta Wildcats where he was inducted as a member of the Valdosta High School Hall of Fame in 2007. Then, the second time was when they brought in Nick Hyder from Rome.. You need to watch him tonight, and he put on one of the most memorable performances I can remember seeing. In the next three their record was 31-6; they finished No. In practice, it was always the 1s against the 1s. I knew coverage, I knew techniques, things that it seemed like these other quarterbacks didnt understand at the time. Net Worth in 2021. That passage appears in Chapter 18 -- titled The Dooley Drama -- of the 199-page book. How did Bazemore make a quarterback out of you? This record stood for 29 years. You have permission to edit this article. A couple of the mules handlers were able to catch the mule and bring him back to the field house. His 1971 state-record 21 receiving touchdowns stood until 2010. He was unbelievable.. Belue played all four years on Georgias baseball team. 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 . Four other ex-Georgia players helped Belue at the camp. But the current Wildcats still know who he is. The runner-up was Herschel Walker, then a sophomore. There were so many, but I remember Todd Peterson in the 1987 game kicking a 47-yard field goal to beat Lowndes at their place, OBrien said. For him it simply was a passion project that needed to be done. Benjamin Franklin "Buck" Belue played American football and baseball at the University of Georgia from 1978 to 1981. Tevin Tisdale in the 2018 game, said MacPherson. When Belue finally got to his mom and dad, the tears were flowing. Joe told Martin, Ill give you three reasons: One, Ill give you a winning season, which youve never had. Join Facebook to connect with Guy Belue and others you may know. Find out more. Both were thrilled to have the chance to work with a former player whod not only been Valdostas quarterback, but had also played for Georgia and the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL. Way too much credit is given to Herschel (Walker) and Lindsay (Scott) and Buck. In the 1977 game, there were no fights, but there was a bounty placed on Buck Belue not to hurt the Valdosta QB great, but to take a piece of his number 8 jersey off his back and to the Lowndes sideline. Rogers was the Wildcats team manager in 1994 and a top Wildcat supporter. Obviously, that did not happen. The talented running back rushed 21 times for 414 yards and 6 TDs, leading Lowndes to a 71-35 victory. Id be interested to know how hell react, though.. 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.. He is from American. I just take it as a huge honor.. 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. Its gone on for 30 years.. Wildcat quarterback Shelby Wilkes leads the Cats on a three-play drive, highlighted by a 47-yard screen pass to Charlie Albritton that took the ball to the Vikings 6-yard line. 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. Oh yeah, they had a bounty out for Bucks jersey, Baker said. It was fun to finally get it all down on paper, Belue said of the writing process. ATHENS The Georgia Bulldogs were mad. The highly recruited player chose Florida State and became the Seminoles first two-time consensus All-American (1979-80). Everybody was running the Wing-T, and he ran the pro set, throwing the ball. I basically wrote it on a Word document with the help of an editor, Belue said in a telephone interview this week. Sales have picked up over the summer as Belue often with family in tow has embarked on a book-signing tour around Georgia and in Bulldogs strongholds outside the state. The players gathered together on the steps of the old McWhorter Hall athletic dormitory and seethed. He was the first 4 year starter at Quarterback at Valdosta High school. @ThePodcastPark. Most coaches are going to take their schemes to the grave, but he learned the new offense and made the change for the team. Your high school friends are looking for you! What did those coaches mean to you? You just looked at Bazemore like Lombardi at the time. 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. VALDOSTA Buck Belue starred at quarterback for Valdosta High years before the teams current players were even born. 5,214 - Buck Belue . Buck Belue famously guided Georgia's football team to a national championship 42 years ago. With Coach Hyder, you just couldnt imagine anyone working harder than him to be successful. We worked a lot on fundamentals. Nobody would have a better perspective from a players standpoint than Buck as the quarterback of that team.. My dad and I waited on Athens High to come out of the locker room, and were standing by the fence, and my dad is saying, Look, heres Andy Johnson. I really enjoyed working with Mike and Alfrie, and getting to know them, Belue said. Benjamin Franklin 'Buck' Belue played American football and baseball at the University of Georgia from 1978 to 1981. Because official statistics are not required or maintained by any state organization, the records that we display here come from individual schools and from media reports, primarily newspapers. And when he showed up Friday to host a camp, they came to the field excited to learn from him. 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. But I never in any way committed to them.. 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. The most improbable win for either team was this one, with Valdosta overcoming a 17-7 deficit in just 1:14 to win the Winnersville Classic over Lowndes. In the 2011 game, Lowndes was leading 17-7, and with only 1:14 remaining in the game, looked like they were on their way to their eighth straight win in the Winnersville Classic. He was the best in the business. He spent much of the camp working with Valdostas current quarterbacks, Mike Turner and Alfrie Johnson. NewsBreak provides latest and breaking news about Buck Belue. Buck goes shopping with his daughter at the Braves Store in SunTrust Park.It is obvious they are not on the same page when it comes to jersey shopping.. He had everybody running the same offense so that by time you got to middle school and high school, you didnt have to learn any of it. . Valdosta is the home of Valdosta State University, a regional university in the University System of Georgia with over 12,000 students, and Valdosta High School, home to the winningest football program in the United States. Those who were part of the game shared the plays and players they remember the most. Its a chance to give back to this place, which jump-started everything I was able to do. Heset a Bengals record in 1984 with four rushing touchdowns in a game against the Houston Oilers. As a Johnson County senior in 1979, Walker rushed for a state-record 3,167 yards and 45 touchdowns and led the Trojans to the Class A championship. He came through for me on that, which was huge.. ], 6. Ive been wanting to do this for some time, Belue said. Sports Illustrated said last fall . Im looking forward to reading it, Dooley said. Defensive coordinator Erk Russell. 1. It was good learning from their experiences. Don Shula's Miami Dolphins went undefeated and won the Super Bowl. Last season, he was backup to another Valdosta alumnus, All-Southeastern. You just looked at Bazemore like Lombardi at the time. I was always a fan of the top players and programs and curious about the way they did it, what scheme they were running. There was a golf tournament involving fans and coaches from both teams. Buck's Beat podcast episode 80 has dropped. When the teams returned to the locker room to get ready for the game, Wilson told his team to take off the crimson Vikings jerseys, and the players were then given a dark black jersey with Plowboys across the front to change into. Low around 65F. It seems like a waste to have been exposed to so much (football knowledge), and not share it. He and his wife had an apartment next to the school, and I would go over to watch film with him. Mark Lemke joins me. She finally came in and dumped it on his lap. In 2007, the AJC ranked him the No. No question about it.. Buck Belue - Player Card Home >> Minor League Baseball College Baseball High School Baseball Boxscores and Analysis Other Topics Minor Leagues >> Minor League Players Minor League Teams Affiliate History Minor Leagues Minor Leagues by Season Independent Baseball Leagues Prospects Minor League Awards Minor League People Minor League Transactions He was redshirted during what would have been his regular sophomore season at Georgia after suffering a knee injury. Who are some of the great players you saw from your era or before? I just take it as a huge honor., Created by Ellen Kennerly Made with Squarespace, 2022 Georgia High School Football Daily. The signing will be held at the Salty Snapper, located at 1405 Gornto Road in Valdosta, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Belue will also be speaking to all in attendance, discussing details about the book starting . Hyder became head coach your freshman year. There was still a chance for the Vikings if they could return the kickoff, but they never got the chance.
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