My Football Career

I was fortunate enough to be able to play eight years of football. Two seasons of Macon Recreation Department’s Midget Football, four years playing at Central High School in Macon, and two seasons of intramural flag football at Georgia Tech. Six of the teams were good, winning a title of some kind. I kicked for the last six years.    

1971 Macon Midget Football Vikings

1972 Browns (league runner-up)

1973 Central 9th Grade (city champions)

1974 Central B Team (city champions)

1975 Central (state champions)

1976 Central (sub region champion)

1979 GT intramurals (division champion)

1980 GT BSU intramurals

In 72 I was one of the biggest players in the rec league, playing end on both offense and defense. caught a long touchdown pass, sacked the quarterback, and intercepted a pass. At Tech I played fullback, and enjoyed blocking.

What follows is a list of the 19 different football stadiums I played in during my “career”. While twelve away stadiums in four years doesn’t seem like much, in actuality teams sharing stadiums meant more actual road games were played. Northside and Warner Robins shared International Stadium. Southwest and Northeast shared Henderson Stadium. At least four teams shared two stadiums in Augusta.

Appling Field, Northeast High, Macon (9th grade) Playing where I went to school for two weeks.  

Ballard Field, Southwest High, Macon (9th grade) I remember booming kicks here on a beautiful fall afternoon. 

Cedar Shoals High School, Athens (B team) Against a talented team, our defensive end Jim “Mobile” Holmes picked up a fumble and rumbled for a touchdown.

Douglas County High, Douglasville (varsity) Fun road trip. After the win our bus driver Bullet took us on a tour of downtown Atlanta.

GMC Stadium, Milledgeville (9th grade) Where we won 96-0. With the stadium wall right behind the goalposts, every time I kicked an extra point the ball sailed out of the stadium, onto the street.

Grant Field, Atlanta (intramural) It was fun playing intramurals on the Jackets’ Astroturf.

Griffin High, Griffin GA (varsity) My first game dressed out with the Varsity.

Henderson Stadium, Macon (pewee & varsity) Where we beat Southwest 7-6, the difference was my extra point.

International Stadium, Warner Robins (varsity) Played against future NFL star James Brooks. He did not score on my one kickoff that game.

Lakewood Stadium, Atlanta (state championship) State championship game in the cold, not long before Christmas. Astroturf field. Great feeling when we won.

Lanier A Field, Macon (9th grade) In practice I was hit while following through on a kick, and was knocked out. When I woke up the entire team was circled around me. Where we beat GMC 66-0.   

Old Lucy Laney Stadium, Augusta (varsity) On a kickoff a hulking opponent knocked me down, and wouldn’t let me get up until the play was over. Knocked the wind out of me.

Porter Stadium, Macon (pewee & varsity) Central’s ancient home field.

The Proving Grounds, Central High, Macon (B Team) Central’s famed practice field, where I would kick during the summer, by myself.  

Rose Bowl Field, Georgia Tech (intramurals) One game my job was to block a huge charging outside linebacker that looked like a caveman. Without pads. I did, and we won.

SAC Field, Georgia Tech (intramurals) Where I scored all my team’s points in a win: two TD’s (one rushing, one receiving), a field goal, and an extra point. Also laid a great block on a blitzing linebacker. During the Olympics the temporary Water Polo venue was erected here.

Swan Field, Central High, Macon (B team) Site of pep rallies and track meets.

Warner Robins High School Field (9th grade) The 2” black field goal block was left in Macon, so I had to improvise with an oval taped block from the medicine kit. Fortunately I did not miss that day.    

New Westside Stadium, Augusta (varsity) My last high school game. Boomed a field goal from the hash mark for our team’s only points. On the ensuing kickoff, the ball kept falling off the tee.