Buck Belue was born and raised in Titletown, USA also known as Valdosta, Georgia. Simmons was considered undersized for the NFL and went in the sixth round. He is currently co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily. Most coaches are going to take their schemes to the grave, but he learned the new offense and made the change for the team. The Vikings ran onto the field with their new Plowboys jerseys, and the home crowd went nuts. NewsBreak provides latest and breaking news about Buck Belue. 31. [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. When Wilson arrived, he saw that many among the Lowndes faithful were not too crazy about the references to the Vikings being known as the country school. What the Georgia receiver did after the catch, easily winning a 75 . With Coach Bazemore, I just looked at him as an innovator offensively. He finished ninth in the Heisman trophy voting in 1979. No question about it.. The Georgia High School Association has levied a $7,500 fine against Valdosta High School, ordered the Wildcats to forfeit seven victories from the 2020 football season . And a Plains teen girl borrowed Jimmy Carters clothes. He went on to play both football and baseball at Georgia. Buck Belue is best known as the quarterback who led Georgia to its 1980 national championship, but he was widely known before that as a high school athlete. Belue credits his wife, Kelley, for kicking me in the butt to finally get it done. His daughter, Audrey -- who will attend Mississippi State as a freshman this fall -- serves as his assistant at signings and with daily logistics. UGA star Jalen Carter present at scene of fatal crash, From 2021: Buck Belue, QB of 1980 Georgia national champions, to call the Dawgs before kickoff, Georgia Tech hammers Syracuse as Jackets late-season surge continues, Braves notes: Jared Shusters first spring game, Michael Sorokas progress, Ian Anderson on spring debut: Im not gonna sugarcoat it. 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. But I never in any way committed to them.. Want to get the content before anyone else? You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Their next option? Baker, who coached from 1976-2006, recalled showing up on Monday morning the week of the Lowndes game, year after year, to a Valdosta High campus awash in hundreds of rolls of toilet paper, and walls and windows painted with pro-Lowndes messages. Closed on Weekends. The stunning 93-yard touchdown pass from Belue to receiver Lindsay Scott with 1:03 remaining gave the Bulldogs a 26-21 victory. Heset a Bengals record in 1984 with four rushing touchdowns in a game against the Houston Oilers. I just think of all the people that helped me get there, as I mentioned, Coach Bazemore, Coach Hyder, Coach Wilson, Coach Rudolph. Its a chance to give back to this place, which jump-started everything I was able to do. Belue set the state record for career passing yards with 5,214, which he accumulated as a four-year starter at Valdosta. Rome said in high school, he did. Closed on Weekends. He won state titles in Alabama at . The Valdosta High class of '78 alumni are listed below. Rome talked about playing for the legendary Wright Bazemore. Sandra Belue's son and his roommate, Scott, had just carved out a piece of immortality. Probably the most successful event to date was a couple of weeks ago in Valdosta. 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. This is the story of the Winnersville Classic, the annual showdown between Valdosta High School and Lowndes High School. Guy Belue is on Facebook. ET. What are your thoughts on making the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame? Valdosta City Schools ; J. L. Lomax Elementary School ; Pinevale Elementary School ; Sallas Mahone Elementary ; S.L. He was the most successful Lowndes coach against the Wildcats in the series. 38. Valdosta High School is the most successful High School football program in the country. In some cases, the insults would turn from verbal to something more physical. There will, of course, be signings at the UGA Bookstore before Georgia football games this fall. Rogers was the Wildcats team manager in 1994 and a top Wildcat supporter. There is no denying that Rush Propst as a football coach, is as good as they come for on-field success. 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. I wanted the freedom to do what I wanted to do, you know? Im just humbled really by it all, just thankful that I was working alongside those coaches and teammates, without whom I wouldnt be able to enjoy something like this. He will be inducted with Belue in October. ET to 11:00 a.m. 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. The current Winnersville series record stands at 36 wins for Valdosta and 24 for Lowndes heading into the 2022 season. I was wise beyond my years because of them. A few of the Lowndes students got together and built a Viking ship, Prince said. Despite having played each other since 1968, the Lowndes vs. Valdosta game didnt become the Winnersville Classic until 1981. Host of Buck's Beat podcast. Seeing Andy Johnson in 1969 was one of my first recollections of high school football [at the 1969 Class 3A championship game between Athens and Valdosta at Cleveland Field]. He also added 1,487 rushing yards and 87 passing or rushing touchdowns. Georgia was loaded with talent in 1980 there were five future NFL Draft picks on the roster, plus Hall of Fame head coach Vince Dooley and legendary defensive coordinator Erk Russell. Benjamin Franklin "Buck" Belue played American football and baseball at the University of Georgia from 1978 to 1981. 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. Stan Rome was awesome, too. Henderson said neighborhood residents called the police, who came over to the Valdosta fields where he and other fans were watching practice. Furious, actually. 5,214 - Buck Belue . However, this week in anticipation of his new book "Inside the Hedges," Belue took to Sirius XM's SEC This Morning to share a story from his . His career total of 4,756 set a state record for the highest classification. By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great local journalism. Heads up to Atlanta area high school quarterbacks and receivers: I'll be hosting my annual QB Passing Camp this July, again. Hyder became head coach your freshman year. Our maintenance folks earned their pay that week.. Hyder became head coach your freshman year. The dream was to wear that Valdosta uniform and do like every other graduate that came through, and that was win a state championship, and we played Clarke Central in Athens and lost 16-14. Then, the second time was when they brought in Nick Hyder from Rome.. 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. Oh yeah, they had a bounty out for Bucks jersey, Baker said. But part of Belue's focus in writing the book was shining a light on his hometown of Valdosta, as well as some of the lesser known players on Georgia's 1980 team. Thats when I figured it was time to go., 3. He was the quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980, when the team went 120, and, after beating Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, was named the consensus national champion. 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. They put it on us my freshman year. It got to be a normal thing to see fans pulling over off of Ashley Street and Patterson Street and getting out of their cars to fight, Redshaw said. My thought was that they played in Albany last night and probably got in bed at 3 a.m., and hes up scouting out the talent in town. Jan 26. I knew coverage, I knew techniques, things that it seemed like these other quarterbacks didnt understand at the time. But it was more than that. What do you get when you combine the winningest high school football program in the country with one of the most consistently winning football programs in the state over the last three decades? What did those coaches mean to you? The. Told of the passage about his Auburn flirtations, Dooley laughed and said he doesnt begrudge Belue for including it. We were in an extra bedroom, and his wife came in a couple of times and told him dinner was ready. Your high school friends are looking for you! That turned on a light for me. He was the quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980, when the team went 12-0, and, after beating Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, was named the consensus national champion. He 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. 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 remember in the 1981 game, quarterback John Bond took off down the Lowndes sideline and ran for an 80-yard touchdown, Baker said. He bypassed his senior season and went to the USFL and totaled 7,046 all-purpose yards and 61 touchdowns in three years. We worked a lot on fundamentals. Former Valdosta Wildcat quarterbacks Buck Belue, left, and John Lastinger, right, will join their coach, the late Nick Hyder, in the Valdosta High Sports Hall of Fame Thursday night.. He played two seasons of minor league baseball in the Montreal Expos organization. . He was the best in the business. I remember Stanley Bounds. We learned a lot. He rushed for 1,332 yards as a senior, when Duluth missed the playoffs despite finishing 8-1-1, and ran for 2,300 yards and 28 touchdowns as a junior on a state runner-up team. I have nothing but respect for the man, Belue said of Dooley. Im just so thankful my quarterback coach was Joe Wilson.