Click to enlarge photos.James Pressley, French Johnson or Ray Broadaway. Would any of these men be considered the face of Marietta High School sports?
If not, what about Dexter Wood, Charlie Hood, Eric Zeier or even Northcutt Stadium?
When you think of the Blue Devils and their rich history, it seems hard to tell who or what would be the program's standard-bearer.
What about Wheeler High School? Would it be Doug Lipscomb, Shareef Abdur-Rahim or Corky Kell?
I found myself asking these questions after reading the ESPN.com series "Face of the Program," where it compared a handful of famous coaches, players or immediately recognizable things from each of the 120 Division I-A college football programs across the country.
Going through the list there were a number of schools with legendary coaches making their answer a no-brainer - Alabama had Paul "Bear" Bryant, Ohio State's was Woody Hayes, Penn State had Joe Paterno, Florida State had Bobby Bowden and, of course, there was Notre Dame and Knute Rockne.
Obvious players included Auburn's Bo Jackson, Ole Miss had the father-and-son duo of Archie and Eli Manning, Southern Miss had Brett Favre, South Carolina had George Rogers and quarterback/coach Steve Spurrier came from Florida.
Some universities with less tradition decided on a non-human element as their program's most identifiable aspect. Colorado was recognized for Ralphie the buffalo, Boise State's has its "Smurf turf," Clemson's is Howard's Rock and Tennessee has the Neyland Stadium experience.
The choices for Georgia and Georgia Tech were a little surprising. The Bulldogs' representative was Herschel Walker. The Heisman Trophy winner is an obvious choice but after the outpouring of affection for Uga VI following his unexpected death last Friday, I thought the actual bulldog might replace the school's most famous one. But when the fans were asked to vote, Walker won by an eight-percent margin, 43-35. Longtime coach and athletic director Vince Dooley came in a distant third with nine percent of the vote.
As far as the Yellow Jackets are concerned, it seemed like they might fall into the object category with the Ramblin' Wreck (25 percent). ESPN.com, however, chose coach and stadium namesake Bobby Dodd (27 percent), while the fans chose coach John Heisman (34 percent).
It was this kind of division in opinion that made me wonder about the schools in Cobb County. Unfortunately, some like Allatoona and Hillgrove are probably a little too new to judge, but it would be nice to hear from the fans of some of the others to see who they think is the face of their school's program.
E-mail us your thoughts at sportseditor@mdjonline.com. We'll pass on some of the more interesting responses.
Thoughts on J.J.
As a native of Ohio and a Cleveland sports fan, the Cavaliers drafting former Wheeler standout and two-time Marietta Daily Journal/Cobb County Boys Basketball Player of the Year J.J. Hickson last week caught me off guard.
The Cavaliers are about two pieces away from seriously contending for another Eastern Conference title and a possible NBA championship. Selecting Hickson with the 19th pick of the first round made sense because they need a big man, but it does not appear to be the move to immediately get them back to the finals.
This is not to say the 19-year-old, who averaged 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in his one year at North Carolina State, will not be a good player. On the contrary, I think he will turn into a solid big pro in a few years, but I don't expect instant impact, as it will take time for Hickson to learn how to play at the NBA level. As it turns out, those who get paid to analyze the draft aren't exactly sure what to think of Cleveland's selection of J.J. either.
Aran Smith of NBAdraft.net said the 6-foot-9, 242-pound Hickson is "an undersized four-man with good length and solid muscle but lacks the upside of the other freshman in the draft." Marty Burns of SI.com said he could be a "Jason Maxiell type," referring to the the Detroit Pistons' forward and could join LeBron James and Ben Wallace into making an intimidating frontcourt. And ESPN's Chad Ford thought Hickson was a draft "sleeper" with impressive, but "raw" tools.
Attention Auburn fans
For those of you who bleed orange and blue in hostile Georgia and Georgia Tech country, your leader is coming.
Coach Tommy Tuberville will be the featured attraction at the July 15 meeting of the Atlanta Auburn Club at the Cobb Galleria Center. Tuberville will sign autographs, Mark Murphy of the "Inside the Auburn Tigers" Web site will be signing his new book and many other surprises are in store.
However, the best thing on the docket is the Friends of Lauren Burk group will be selling memorial wristbands in memory of the former Walton High School grad that was senselessly murdered on the Auburn campus earlier this year. All proceeds from the wristband sales will go to the Lauren Burk Memorial Scholarship Fund.
For more information on the festivities, log on to www.atlantaauburnclub.org.
sportseditor@mdjonline.com
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Posted Comments
I wonder why you can write about the soul winning the arena bowl football game but all last year would not even put a little blub in about our Georgia Force. They are our division champs and play a great game. We travel from cobb county(acworth) to attend the games. We are not the only fans who make the trip and who are season ticket holders. Maybe next season you can give us a little coverage. Thank you lorrie cumming