SUN Coaches Podcast

Coach Armstrong has had a long and illustrious career as both and assistant and HFC in multiple states including Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. He has literally done it all. He is now going to be assistant to the HFC at Reinhardt College.. Coach Armstrong has seen enough to know he hasn't seen it all. I hope you all enjoy hearing his story!

Coach Ed Dudley is a legend. He played for a legend in high school (George Maloof), started his coaching career for a legend (Billy Henderson Clark Central), and has become a legend himself. He worked for some legends as well. He has had a long and winding career as an assistant and a head coach. Coach Dudley is one of the good ones and if you don't like him, something is probably wrong with you! I hope you enjoy Coach Ed Dudley!

Coach McWhorter is a native of Effingham Illinois where he played his high school ball at Effingham High School. He went on to play college ball at Eastern Illinois. From there, Coach McWhorter got his first coaching job as an assistant at Charlton County. Three years later he was named the HFC there and the rest is history! The man is a legend. I hope you enjoy listening to Coach Mac!

Coach Kenny Moore is a native of Valdosta Georgia. He graduated from Valdosta High School where he played for the legendary Wright Bazemore in high school. Coach knew he wanted to be a coach from an early age and went on to graduate from Valdosta State. Coach started his career under Butch Brooks at Washington Wilkes and then went on to be a HFC for 22 years. He is one of the best to ever do it and I hope you enjoy his message!

Coach Hochstetler was actually a baseball guy. Little known fact there. Thing about legends is, they can just flat out coach. He won 345 games with a 75% winning percentage, 3 state titles, winning 1 at two different schools. That puts him at #5 on the list of all time wins for HFC in the state of Georgia. A native of Cullman Alabama, Coach played college baseball before starting his coaching career at Manchester as rec team coach. The rest after that is well documented history. I hope you enjoy Coach Hochstetler tell his story!

Dexter Wood personifies the word LEGEND in the state of Georgia annals of high school football. The architect of Buford football, Coach Wood started his career in Alabama. He won 3 state titles back to back to back going on a 45-0 tear at Buford and 210 games total with a 79.9% winning percentage overall. A native of Ozark Alabama, Coach Wood played for the legendary Paul Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama and began his coaching career in Alabama before moving to Georgia. He is one of the all-time great people in the business and I hope you enjoy his...

Coach Jones won 329 games and 4 state championships with a 74% winning pct in his career. Coach was a HFC for 40 years and had 2, two, that's 2 losing seasons! A native of Phenix City Alabama, Coach Jones played college baseball before graduating and starting his coaching career in Alabama. He won 17 games in 3 years as a HFC in Alabama (which technically give him 345 wins) before coming to Georgia. Coach Jones is one of the finest men to lead young men in our state and I know you will enjoy his story!

Coach Barrs is one of the best to ever do it. He spent 24 years as a HFC winning 164 games at several different stops. He took 3 different schools to at least the quarters or further in the state playoffs and won 6 region championships. Coach Barrs is one of the true gentleman of the game and is regarded by his peers as one of the best to have ever roamed the sidelines. A native of Cochran, Coach Barrs built programs on paying attention to details and discipline. I hope you enjoy Coach Barrs' story.

Coach Cronic is a true LEGEND. A native of Athens GA, Coach later moved to Madison County, Coach Cronic has coached at both the high school and college levels. He has revived programs in high school and built a college program from the ground up. Thought by his peers to be one of the most intelligent men to ever grace the sidelines, Coach Cronic was one of the most innovative coaches during his tenures wherever he was. I hope you enjoy hearing Dr. Danny Cronic tell his story!

Roger Holmes has probably forgotten more about winning football games than most coaches know about winning them. A native of Tennessee, Coach Holmes went to MTSU where he walked on and then started his high school coaching career in Tennessee before coming to Georgia. What he has accomplished at Dublin is beyond impressive. Not only is he closing in on winning 300 games in his career, but he has won 2 state titles at Dublin. Coach Holmes also has one of the premier coaching clinics that he has hosted in Dublin for the past 17 years. He's a true legend as a...

Coach Strickland is a winner. Period. A native of Clinch County, Strick cites coaches Don Tison and Cecil Barber (2 legends) as being the most influential in his desire to enter this profession. He started with Jeff Lee at Twiggs and went from there. Working with great staffs and learning from some of the best, Coach Strickland won state titles as and assistant before going on to becoming a HFC and one of the most successful ones we have in the state now. I hope you enjoy Coach Jason Strickland!

Coach Soliday is one of the last of the hard. He is originally from West Virginia where he played high school football, basketball, and ran track. He played college football as well. He started his career as a GA, coached for 4 years at his alma mater and headed south to interview and stopped in Turner County. He spent the next 30 years as a HFC in GA winning 2 state titles and 232 games to date. He is plain spoken, funny as hell, and a great man and coach. I hope you enjoy Coach Soliday's story!

Coach King is a younger LEGEND. He is a native of Cedartown where he played three sports in high school. He went on to play QB at Carson Newman collegiately before starting his high school career. Coach King has also had two stops in the college ranks as an assistant before returning to college. He has won 2 state championships as a HFC and is averaging 12.8 wins a year as a HFC. I hope you enjoy Coach Joey King's story!

Coach Gillespie has done a lot at many levels. A native of NE GA, Coach Gillespie graduated from Rabun County High School and walked on at the University of Georgia. After college, he went on to be an assistant for some of the legends of the game like George Bobo, Charles Winslette, and Rodney Walker before striking out on his own. Coach has been a college coach at Georgia Southern twice and always returned to the high school game. I hope you enjoy Coach Gillespie's story!

Coach Barden is one of the finest men in the business. A native of Habersham County, Frank played his college ball at West Georgia and started his coaching career with the legendary Coach Rodney Walker. Coach Barden has gone on to be one of the winningest coaches in Georgia High School football playing for state titles five times and winning the 1999 title at Cartersville. Coach Barden is a man of strong faith and that is evident in hearing his story. I hope you enjoy it!

Coach Teague is a self-proclaimed "hillbilly" raised in NW GA. As a Billy Henderson disciple, Coach Teague was mentored early in his career by one of the Legends of Georgia High School football. He took the model he learned from Coach Henderson and employed it as the HFC at Lafayette, Swainsboro, and Carrollton to have a Hall of Fame career. I hope you enjoy Rayvan Teague's story as much as I enjoyed recording it!

Coach Rich Fendley is a coach's kid. A native of Warner Robins GA, Coach Fendley played at Warner Robins and then at West Georgia. Rich has been one of the best weight room guys in the business over the past 30 years and has led the Bowdon Red Devils to 3 consecutive sate football titles. His story is one of perseverance and overcoming adversity. I hope you enjoy Coach Rich Fendley!

Franklin Stephens is native of Keysville GA in Burke County. He is now the HFC at Burke County High School. A two time All American at Georgia Southern, Coach Stephens would return to Burke County to begin his coaching career. Coach has won over 180 games and 2 state titles has a HFC and taken 4 different schools to the semi-finals or further over his career as a HFC. He is definitely one of the last of the hard! I hope you enjoy his story!

Coach Pardue is a native of Kentucky. Coach has coached high school ball in Kentucky, Alabama, and Georgia. He has also coached at the college level at the University of Kentucky and as the HFC at Lagrange College. Coach Pardue won a state title as an assistant at Lagrange before taking over as the HFC and going on to win 3 state titles as the HFC. I hope you enjoy Coach Pardue's story!

Coach Walker is the son of a legend that has become one in his own right. He has currently racked up 171 wins and 3 state titles as a HFC. A graduate of Stephens County High School, Coach Walker went on to play QB at Tusculum. He then started his high school coaching career under the legendary Dan Pitts at Mary Persons High School in Forsyth GA. Coach Walker then went with his father Coach Rodney Walker to Sandy Creek High School as the OC and later became the HFC. He is now the HFC at Newnan HS and continues to...

A native of Baxley Ga, Coach "T" went on to play collegiately at Florida State University for Bobby Bowden. Coach Tomberlin went on to be a HFC at 9 different schools winning 270 games, 3 state championships, and affecting countless young people's lives. Coach has also been very active in BFS over the years and still works out and is in awesome shape. Coach Tomberlin is one of the the true legends in Georgia High School football history and I hope you enjoy his story!

Coach Herron has done a lot that other coaches in Georgia have done. He has won over 300 games. He's won a pile of region championships. He has affected the lives of countless people over his career. Coach has been inducted into numerous Halls of Fame including the National High School Coach's Hall of Fame. One thing that he has done that NO OTHER COACH in Georgia has ever done is won a state championship at three different schools! A winner of 5 total as a HFC, Coach Herron's legendary career is epic to say the least. I hope you enjoy...

Coach Winslette won 260 games as a HFC at Fayette County, Statesboro, West Rome, Greene-Tailaferro, Coffee County, Tift County, and Stephens County. He won 2 state championships as HFC at West Rome and Greene, one of 14 coaches in state history to win one at two different schools. He is one of only TWO coaches with over 250 wins to take 4 different teams to the semis and win 2 state championships. A native of Putnam County, "Papa Wins" as a lot of us younger guys call him, Coach Winslette played baseball at Georgia College and then the University of Georgia. Coach has too many...

Coach Chadwick is the 2nd All Time winningest coach in the history of the state of Georgia. He has won 3 state championships as the HFC at Marist and has been on the staff for almost 50 years there in some capacity. A native of Decatur GA, Coach Chadwick was a star high school and college player that had an opportunity to play professionally as well. His story is not nearly done justice in this little amount of time that he took to share with us, but I am so glad he did! I hope you enjoy Coach Alan Chadwick!

Coach Aull is one of the best in the business. Not only is he one of the sharpest offensive minds in the business, but he is one of the best men leading men we have. Coach is a "metro" guy, meaning he grew up metro, has always coached metro, and he gets what it takes to be successful in the metro Atlanta area. I hope you enjoy Jamie's story as much as I enjoyed talking with him!

Coach Reid has one of the most interesting coaching stories ever. He grew up north of Miami and played college football at Kentucky and finished up at UCF. He then "walked on" as a coach after working in the professional world and has never looked back. Coach Reid has been an assistant high school, and college coach as well as the HFC of 4 different programs in 2 different states. I hope you enjoy Kareem's story and how he pours into his kids!

Coach Bennett is one of the last of the hard. Coach grew up on a chicken farm and went on to play college football at UTC and West Georgia. He had a long career as an assistant in Cobb and Fulton Counties before opening Cambridge High School where he spent 12 years there as the HFC. Coach Bennett has coach at the private school level, public as an assistant and HFC, and has some great perspective on this profession. I nope you enjoy Coach Bennett's story!

Coach Truitt is an old head. A native of the small town of Cottonwood Alabama, Coach Truitt knew he would be a coach from his high school days. He worked for two legends in Dan Ragle and Erik Soliday before striking out on his own where he had marked success. He is one of the best of the old dudes and I hope you enjoy getting to hear Coach Truitt's story!

Steve Price is a coach's kid that grew up in Wisconsin. After college, Coach Price was a GA at the college level, chased the college coach's life and finally got tired of the cold and moved south to begin his high school coaching career. Coach Price has been successful everywhere he has been. A 32 year veteran of the gridiron, Coach Price has coached from the heart to the heart of young people. I hope you enjoy Coach Price's story!

Coach White is a native of Virginia Beach Virginia where he played his college ball at Liberty University. He started his career in Virginia, coached high school and college ball before coming to Georgia as a high school assistant. Coach White has had a great career as an assistant and a HFC over the past 30+ years. I hope you enjoy his story as much as I enjoyed talking with him!

Kevin Saunders is a native of Radford Virginia. He has been a HFC in Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia. He won a state championship in Virginia as a HFC and has an uncanny ability of taking really bad programs and turning them into playoff teams...quickly. Coach Saunders currently serves as the DC at Duluth High School in Gwinnett County in Georgia after stepping away from head coaching during the pandemic. It won't be long before someone with a brain picks him up to come turn their program around! I nope you enjoy Coach Saunder's story!

From his outstanding career as a football player at Robert E Lee HS to his current retirement coaching gig in LA (Lower Alabama), Coach Devoursney became one of the winningest football coaches in the state of Georgia. One of the hardest working, hardest nosed, and most intelligent humans you'll ever encounter, "Devo" is one of the true LEGENDS in the game. I hope you enjoy our conversation!

Paul Carroll is one of the best football coaches to ever do it. A standout player at Georgia Southern, Coach Carroll worked his way up the ranks to the HFC position the old-fashioned way: he earned it! Paul is a throwback, old school, no nonsense, hit you in the mouth coach which directly reflects how he was as a player. I hope you thoroughly enjoy Coach Carroll's story!

Coach Hamilton has over 33 years of experience and I dare say he has more t-shirts than even I do!

Coach Hamner is one of the most influential people in my coaching universe. I have known him for near 30 years. He is a football coach, period. One of the best offensive minds in the the game, he rose through the ranks working for some of the legends in the game. Thought of as one of the premier strength coaches and OCs over the years, Coach Hamner has had one of the best careers in the game. I hope you enjoy his story!

Kevin Smith is one of the best humans you'll ever come across. He ain't a bad football coach either! A native of Lagrange, Coach Smith played for a legend, started his career with 2 legends, and is becoming a legend himself. His episode is longer than any other I have had and it is well worth the listen I assure you! I hope ya'll enjoy his message as much as I enjoyed receiving it!

I've known Coach Nash for a long time. He is a real one. With one of the most unique paths to the Big Chair I have ever heard of, Coach Nash has spent his career being a "jack of all trades and master of none" as he says. I don't buy it. He is a master of kids for sure. He was "raised" by great coaches, worked for some legends, and now is building future legends. I hope you enjoy Mike's story as much as I enjoyed talking with him!

Coach Hoffman has a long and storied career coaching multiple sports in the state of Georgia. Throughout his career he has been named Coach of the Year several times in football and wrestling. He is in the Wrestling Hall of Fame. Coach Hoffmann attended Clemson University on a wrestling scholarship and retired from coaching public schools and is now coaching and serving as the AD and HFC at Flint River Academy. Coach Hoffman has probably forgotten more about coaching than most know about it. I hope you enjoy Coach Hoff's story!

Coach May is a native of Florida. He started his career at the NAIA college level and moved back to Florida where he got his first HFC job at 25 years of age. Coach May had a lot of success and made the move to Georgia. Bobby has been a successful coordinator and parlayed that into another head coaching position. He is one of the good ones for sure! I hope you enjoy Coach May's Story!

Coach McIntyre is a Florida native that grew up as the son of an NFL player. To say that football is in his blood is a quite literal statement. He has risen through the coaching ranks as an assistant, coordinated both sides of the ball, and is now the HFC of a successful program that he brought back from obscurity. His journey has take him all over the state of Florida and he has gotten to work with some of the all-time greats in the state. I hope you enjoy the story of his journey!