That was the dream of every young athlete in Valdosta, and that dream didnt go much further than that. He won 12 of his 18 games against Valdosta. They were running the same sets and plays. They were very different. Buck Belue, former Valdosta, UGA quarterback. Also, I was motivated by writing about the 1980 season and about the guys that never got the credit. Call: (916)383-0110 (510)781-4800. 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.. I remember Stanley Bounds. Kents second straight onside kick was again recovered, Wilkes took the snap and a knee, and that was that. 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. He was credited with 130 tackles as a senior. 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. I showed them some drills that helped me, and I hope theyll help them as well. INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAMME . In Buck's first year as quarterback the Valdosta Wildcats were 3-7. Buck Belue's QB Camp Recap Gallery Registration is open to all high-school-age Quarterbacks, however Buck will only be inviting the best 30 QBs and 20 Wide Receivers to participate. 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 We learned a lot. GHSF Daily recently named him the best player in Thomasville High history, and the AJC in 2007 ranked him the No. Lastinger decided he wanted to make the annual football game more of a community-wide event and celebration, so beginning with the 1981 Valdosta vs. Lowndes game, he called it The Winnersville Classic. What had been just a game between the two local schools would become a week-long celebration involving the community, fans, players, and coaches, and the game would never be the same again. Brooks finished with 7,962 rushing yards and 3,621 receiving yards in his NFL career and was named to the Bengals 40th Anniversary team in 2007. Our maintenance folks earned their pay that week.. Furious, actually. Heset a Bengals record in 1984 with four rushing touchdowns in a game against the Houston Oilers. He was totally unselfish, too. This biographical article relating to an American football quarterback born in the 1950s is a stub. The Lowndes administration was not happy about our little stunt.. The book has become a family affair. Buck Belue is the only Quarterback to start all four years at Quarterback for Valdosta High. What the Georgia receiver did after the catch, easily winning a 75 . The Georgia football team had just put a bow on an undefeated regular season with a resounding 38-20 win over Georgia Tech in 1980 when the players awoke the following morning to news that coach Vince Dooley reportedly was leaving to become coach and athletic director at Auburn. According to Baker, the win inspired a year-long rally cry: 7 to 2 we beat Belue., John Lastinger, the son of Johnny B. Lastinger, played receiver at Valdosta and would be the guy who succeeded Belue at quarterback. Bazemore watched you play in youth ball and suggested to the coaches that they move you to quarterback. Then, the second time was when they brought in Nick Hyder from Rome.. Joe Wilson took over the Vikings football team in 1976, and right away encouraged the players to embrace their country boy personality and call themselves Plowboys. He led the Vikings to an 8-2 season, which included upset victories over Tift County and Thomasville High. Buck Belue net worth Feb, 2023 Buck Belue net worth 611 Thousand Millions of dollars 76% Net worth score Disclamer: Buck Belue net worth displayed here are calculated based on a combination social factors. 25 Georgia high school player of all-time. BY DAN MATHEWS. The Bengals drafted him in the sixth round of the 1983 NFL Draft. McGuyrt also emceed the FCA banquet that was held the Thursday before the big game. Sandra Belue's son and his roommate, Scott, had just carved out a piece of immortality. FCN staff. We got the ball with about three or four minutes left inside our own 10 and drove down to the 1-yard line with like two seconds left. Truth is, Lowndes would struggle against everyone else too, winning just 31 games in that first decade of football with four different head football coaches. How could he do this? [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. I just wanted to be real with that, Belue said. We had some tense moments during those years, but I sort of wanted a hard-to-please coach. Belue played two seasons in the USFL with the Jacksonville Bulls and was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. It was WWII. Prince recalled a prank that took place the week of the 1974 game. 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. Its a good feeling knowing you represent Valdosta. I knew coverage, I knew techniques, things that it seemed like these other quarterbacks didnt understand at the time. He also ran for 75 yards in 10 attempts. The coaches would each speak to the crowd during the banquet. It was not very good, Georgias home finale ends with a thud vs. Florida, Atlanta Uniteds Franco Ibarra settling into his natural role, GHSA basketball state tournament: Quarterfinals updates from Tuesday, Class 5A girls basketball: Kell 68, Bradwell Institute 54, Timber frame office building at Ponce City Market Atlanta starts to rise, Supreme Court hearing on student loan forgiveness: What it means for Georgians. The players gathered together on the steps of the old McWhorter Hall athletic dormitory and seethed. High School: Valdosta HS (Valdosta, GA) School: University of Georgia (Athens, GA) Full Name: Benjamin F. Belue View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. She finally came in and dumped it on his lap. All the 1980 UGA stars are mentioned, but also prominently featured are teammates such as Nat Hudson, Hugh Nall, Jimmy Womack, Amp Arnold, Jimmy Payne, Eddie Weaver and Nate Taylor and assistant coaches Mike Cavan and Wayne McDuffie, among others. In 2004, the Falcons retired his jersey No. He and his wife had an apartment next to the school, and I would go over to watch film with him. What are your thoughts on making the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame? We were in an extra bedroom, and his wife came in a couple of times and told him dinner was ready. - photo by David Roberts, Forsyth County man accused of influencing stock prices with false financial information, Forsyth County man arrested on child porn, molestation charges, Police warn Forsyth County residents not to fall victim to these scams, Forsyth County announces leaders for three departments, Heres when the Cumming City Center will have its first spring market, This local chiropractor is moving to the Cumming City Center, Local real estate group moving to new office at the Cumming City Center, Man surprises his girlfriend with a diamond ring at the Cumming City Center just in time for Christmas, This popular Roswell restaurant is opening a second location at the Cumming City Center, This celebrity chef helped local Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise $10,000, Heres how the city of Cumming celebrated Community Arbor Day, South Forsyth grad earns prestigious Saxby Chambliss Fellowship, Here are the 8 students chosen for this years Good Citizen Awards, Basketball: South Forsyth girls downed by No. [7], Since 2000, Belue has been a sports radio host with WCNN in Atlanta, Georgia. Larry Kinnebrewrushed for more than 1,000 yards as a fullback and was the dominant force defensively on East Romes 15-0 Class A champion that shut out nine opponents and held four others to seven points or less in 1977. All Rights Reserved. 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. In 1977, Wilsons second season, he made good on his assurance to Martin that he was finally going to beat Valdosta, and on his boast to Hyder that he was going to whip your [butt], by leading the Vikings to an incredible 7-2 win over the Wildcats in front of a frenzied Lowndes home crowd. They put it on us my freshman year. He will be inducted with Belue in October. You need to watch him tonight, and he put on one of the most memorable performances I can remember seeing. It was so much fun going being part of that atmosphere. [Belue said the second motivation for writing the book was bragging on teammates and players at Georgia and Valdosta that didnt get the credit they deserved. It was infuriating.. You do well at Valdosta High, and you get a shot to play some college ball. We just rolled with it and said the timing is the timing. I remember in the 1981 game, quarterback John Bond took off down the Lowndes sideline and ran for an 80-yard touchdown, Baker said. Toggle navigation Way too much credit is given to Herschel (Walker) and Lindsay (Scott) and Buck. Credit: Photo by Chris McShane (provided by Buck Belue). Stan Rome was awesome, too. They are two very-talented guys. In practice, it was always the 1s against the 1s. And I have so many great memories of him taking time to help coach me up. Two, Ill beat Valdosta, which youve never done. 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. Martin brought in Wilson for an interview after hearing that the coach was not exactly happy with the Wildcats at the time. Obviously, that did not happen. The Bulldogs winning a national championship last season also served as an impetus. A third Wildcat quarterback to be storied among these pages of Bulldawg Illustrated, this is Greg Talley, an alumni of Valdosta High School and the University of Georgia sounds familiar.For two of my previous 2019 columns, quarterbacks at VHS and Georgia (Buck Belue and John Lastinger) have been featured, so why stop there?A few years after these studs suited up in the silver britches, we . 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. He set Georgias career rushing record of 6,137 yards. 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]. A defibrillator is a device used to treat a person who has suddenly gone into cardiac arrest, and possibly save their life. Really, my wife kicked me in the butt and said, 'Let's finish this thing.'". With Coach Hyder, you just couldnt imagine anyone working harder than him to be successful. I learned some things from him. She finally came in and dumped it on his lap. McPhersons own performance is one of the best among the head coaches in the Classic. Todays interviewee is Buck Belue, sports talk show host for 680 The Fan, quarterback for Georgias 1980 national championship team, four-year starting quarterback at Valdosta, inaugural selectee into the new Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame and author of a new book, Inside The Hedges, a look at Georgias 1980 season and his athletic career. All but Scott are former Valdosta players. How did Bazemore make a quarterback out of you? When Andrews retired, he ranked 24th all-time in the NFL in rushing yards. . BUCK BELUE Belue, Benjamin Franklin Height: 6-1 Weight: 190 Born: December 12, 1959 Macon, GA High School: Valdosta (GA) He started in 78 out of 92 career games, made three Pro Bowls and was first-team All Pro once. The highly recruited player chose Florida State and became the Seminoles first two-time consensus All-American (1979-80). He was the 1977 AJC Class 3A back of the year. But the current Wildcats still know who he is. 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. After years of typing and saving his reflections, Belue finally decided to put them together in a self-published book that was released earlier this year. 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]. Kinnebrew was named the AJCs Class A Lineman of the Year and was a Parade All-American. What did those coaches mean to you? Following a Lowndes punt, Valdosta took possession around midfield. Calvin McGuyrt, who claims to have attended more Wildcat games than any other living person since #1 Wildcat fan David Waller passed away, founded and hosted The Wildcat Tradition TV show for 33 years. His coach, Bobby Bowden, called Simmons the most significant recruit and player in turning FSU into a national power. George Rogers, the 1980 Heisman Trophy winner while at South Carolina, was the AJCs Class A Back of the Year in 1976 and Class B Back of the Year in 1975. Georgia captured its first national championship since that fabled season in January with a 33-18 win against Alabama in the title game. I host The Buck Belue Show on 680 The Fan Atlanta, weekdays 10-11. Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. 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. Everybody was running the Wing-T, and he ran the pro set, throwing the ball. This University of Georgiarelated article is a stub. Dooley stayed, Georgia went on complete the last perfect season in school history, and Belue and his coach are just fine. VALDOSTA Buck Belue starred at quarterback for Valdosta High years before the teams current players were even born. Jan 26. Between plays, we would stand there and listen to Coach Rudolph break down the responsibilities of each defensive player for the play we just ran. And a Plains teen girl borrowed Jimmy Carters clothes. The Bulldogs would go on to defeat Notre Dame 17-10 in the Sugar Bowl four weeks later. Belue also talked to all of the players about being positive influences and representing themselves and the Valdosta Wildcats well. $1 Million - $5 Million. Belue was atUniversities Forever in Cumming on Saturdayto promote his book,'Inside the Hedges: The Quarterback's Journey to the 1980 National Championship,' a project that was decades in the making. Please only use it for a guidance and Buck Belue's actual income may vary a lot from the dollar amount shown above. Wild Concerts: Park releases show schedule, EDITORIAL: Wild Adventures makes 2023 plans, Suspect arrested in Valdosta shooting death, Celebrating Ms. Jeanette: Tree planting honors Coody, Pepsi honors Stronger Together recipients. I just take it as a huge honor., Created by Ellen Kennerly Made with Squarespace, 2022 Georgia High School Football Daily. Then in July 2021, Hutson Mason became one of five co-hosts of The Locker Room, leaving Belue with his own show called The Buck Belue Show on WCNN. Published: Apr 25, 2022, 10:44 AM. Ive been wanting to do this for some time, Belue said. Buck Belue Buck Blanton Calvin Waters Caroline Everitte Cassandra Morris Catherine (Cathy) Pearlman Chad Wilson Charles Fluit . Belue said he and most of his Georgia teammates understood after hearing Dooleys explanation about his deep relationships at Auburn. Last season, he was backup to another Valdosta alumnus, All-Southeastern. He set other state records in high school football that lasted decades, including the single-season receiving record of 1,573 yards as a sophomore in 1971. There were a lot of guys who had a huge impact to the success of those teams.]. 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