# Valdosta HS fires head Coach



## lilburnjoe (Oct 14, 2009)

What a crazy world we live in.


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## BlackSmoke (Oct 14, 2009)

Wow...that dude has won a lot of games


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## Hut2 (Oct 14, 2009)

What's the story? Got a link? Wow,


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## marknga (Oct 14, 2009)

Yeah the Valdosta Wildcat Nation is in complete uproar. They lost badly to crosstown rival Lowndes and that was the final straw.
Folks in Valdosta need to realize that this isn't the 1970's, the 1960's etc. The demographics in that community have changed greatly.

Coach Tomberlin will be coaching somewhere next year and that school will be getting a great coach.


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## marknga (Oct 14, 2009)

VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) - Four days after Valdosta High suffered a 57-13 defeat to cross-town rival Lowndes, Wildcats head coach Rick Tomberlin was fired.

Tomberlin will coach the Wildcats through the end of the season.

The coach told WALB News 10 Sports Tuesday evening he was notified of the decision at a meeting earlier in the day.

Tomberlin then told his team at practice he would not be back next season.

Valdosta has a bye week this week.

Tomberlin says in his four seasons he has raised the academic standing of the football team, won two state weightlifting championships but the bottom line was he didn't win enough football games and that Tombelrin said is what it is all about.

Tomberlin also added Valdosta High is playing at a disadvantage with an enrollment of roughly 1700 students.

A figure he says qualifies the Wildcats to play down at the AAAA level.

Rick Tomberlin took the Valdosta High job in 2006 and in three plus seasons is 19-20 with the Wildcats.

After a 1-9 season his first year, Valdosta was 8-2 in 2007 and made it to the second round of the state playoffs.

The Wildcats missed the postseason last year.

Valdosta is 4-3 after the Lowndes loss.

If the Wildcats win their final three games against the three teams at the bottom of the Region 1-AAAAA standings, the Wildcats will make the state playoffs.

Rick Tomberlin has won 219 games in his high school coaching career that began in 1983 at Treutlen High in Soperton.

He later went to Jenkins High in Savannah and Jonesboro.

He was hired at Lowndes in 1989 and was fired after taking a team that was 2-8 his first season and post a 7-3 record in 1991.

Tomberlin landed at Washington County where he built the Golden Hawks program into one of the top programs in the state in the 1990's.

Washington County won three AA state titles posting 15-0 records in all three of those seasons and they were state runner-up in two other years.

Rick Tomberlin is the third Valdosta High head coach to be let go in the last seven years.

Mike O'Brien, who won 77 games and a state title at Valdosta, was fired by the city school board after the 2002 season.

He is now at Woodstock where the Wolverines are 5-1 this season and lost to AAAAA state champion Camden County in the quarterfinals last year in Kingsland.

Rick Darlington was hired in 2003 and led the Wildcats to the AAAAA state championship game in his first season when the Wildcats lost to Camden County.

Darlington resigned under pressure after the 2005 season.

Valdosta High's next game is October 23rd at Coffee High in Douglas.


www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=11308923


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## marknga (Oct 14, 2009)

For some rather entertaining banter about Valdosta and other high school news please check out:

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=37&f=2684&p=1


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## maker4life (Oct 14, 2009)

Three good coaches they've ran off now and the last two have gone on to be sucessful after Valdosta . 

Tomberlin will do the same . It kills me how the Valdosta folks claim Tomberlins offense just isn't up tp AAAAA standards but five of the last six state champs in AAAAA ran the dadgum wing t !


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## fish3rm8n (Oct 14, 2009)

We could use him in Coffee County. Because we sure dont have a coach


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## lilburnjoe (Oct 14, 2009)

maker4life said:


> Three good coaches they've ran off now and the last two have gone on to be sucessful after Valdosta .
> 
> Tomberlin will do the same . It kills me how the Valdosta folks claim Tomberlins offense just isn't up tp AAAAA standards but five of the last six state champs in AAAAA ran the dadgum wing t !



Ask Camden Co. about the Wing-T. Great offense.


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## seabear2 (Oct 14, 2009)

I cant imagine the pressure on a coach to perform in region they are in.  I saw Lowndes play Ware again this year. The game was not even close. What a treat to be able to pull a player out and replace him with another that has the same size,speed,and power as the other in high school football. Its unreal if you have not seen these guys play. Same goes for Northside WR. I think Valdosta will recover. Only time will tell.


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## LanierSpots (Oct 15, 2009)

When I was in high school, back in the day, Valdosta was unstopable.  

I watched the game on ESPN last weekend.  Valdosta was man handled.


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## Hut2 (Oct 15, 2009)

marknga said:


> Yeah the Valdosta Wildcat Nation is in complete uproar. They lost badly to crosstown rival Lowndes and that was the final straw.
> Folks in Valdosta need to realize that this isn't the 1970's, the 1960's etc. The demographics in that community have changed greatly.
> 
> Coach Tomberlin will be coaching somewhere next year and that school will be getting a great coach.



Thanks ,great info! Sounds like they just don't have the players to choose from ,compared to other programs. Wing-T is a good offense ,ask Fitzgeralds' opponents. They're racking up a ton of pts. & not giving up many. Undefeated, we'll see though. Good thread.


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## larpyn (Oct 15, 2009)

it sounds like Al Davis owns Valdosta HS too!! or maybe Jerry Jones?


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## maker4life (Oct 15, 2009)

lilburnjoe said:


> Ask Camden Co. about the Wing-T. Great offense.



Exactly and it's also been around for a hundred years . Lowndes also runs the wing t and only about four plays out of it . 

The Valdosta fans biggest knock on Tomberlin is that he can't coach in the "big leagues" and that his offense isn't innovative enough . Like I said five of the last six "big league" titles were won by teams using an offense that's as old as the game . 

If you've got the horses you can win with any offense .


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## MCBUCK (Oct 15, 2009)

maker4life said:


> If you've got the horses you can win with any offense .



I think that is the bottom line right there.


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## maker4life (Oct 15, 2009)

MCBUCK said:


> I think that is the bottom line right there.



Don't tell the Valdosta TD Club that .


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## bnew17 (Oct 15, 2009)

probably gonna go after our coach Roger HOlmes (Dublin). Most people say he's the best in the state.


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## Outlaw Dawgsey Wales (Oct 15, 2009)

*Bnew*

Lagrange ain't got a bad coach in Steve Pardue.Ol Roger is a darn good coach as well.You think he will leave Dublin


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## Outlaw Dawgsey Wales (Oct 15, 2009)

*Hey Tomberlin,Troup County High will take you*

The coach here now ain't getting it done....


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## bnew17 (Oct 15, 2009)

Outlaw Dawgsey Wales said:


> Lagrange ain't got a bad coach in Steve Pardue.Ol Roger is a darn good coach as well.You think he will leave Dublin



I really dont know. I sure hope he doesnt. Im pretty sure he was one of the last few considered for the valdosta job last time but tomberlin got it...the team now is 5-1. only returned 5 starters from last year. Just about an all Sophomore team, with the middle school being undefeated and Looking GOOOD. He will have a good team in Dublin for many years to come it looks like. I really dont know if that wil be enough...everybody hopes he stays i tell you that.


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## Outlaw Dawgsey Wales (Oct 15, 2009)

bnew17 said:


> I really dont know. I sure hope he doesnt. Im pretty sure he was one of the last few considered for the valdosta job last time but tomberlin got it...the team now is 5-1. only returned 5 starters from last year. Just about an all Sophomore team, with the middle school being undefeated and Looking GOOOD. He will have a good team in Dublin for many years to come it looks like. I really dont know if that wil be enough...everybody hopes he stays i tell you that.



Sounds like the cupboard is full at Dublin.Believe I would be staying.Sounds like there may be alot of politics going on at Valdosta


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## Doyle (Oct 15, 2009)

> When I was in high school, back in the day, Valdosta was unstopable.



They were unstoppable back in the 50's when my parents went to Thomasville High.


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## BrotherBadger (Oct 15, 2009)

Doyle said:


> They were unstoppable back in the 50's when my parents went to Thomasville High.



Same. My dad tells me stories about playing them when he was at Avondale back in the 50s/60s.


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## bnew17 (Oct 16, 2009)

Outlaw Dawgsey Wales said:


> Sounds like the cupboard is full at Dublin.Believe I would be staying.Sounds like there may be alot of politics going on at Valdosta



Like Tomberlin says in this article...When your offered a job like Valdosta, its one of those things you cant turn down. Who knows. TIme will tell!
http://www.macon.com/sports/columnists/story/881589.html


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## maker4life (Oct 16, 2009)

I've heard Holmes was all but begging for it the last time around .


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## MudDucker (Oct 16, 2009)

Bunch of folks on here got a lot to say and little knowledge to back it up.  

Tomberlin is a good guy, but he can't coach in this region.  I've watched him coach several games and he or his coordinators are really not that sharp.  Valdosta was not ready to play last Friday night and it was embarrassing.  Tomberlin wasn't shocked, he was spinning when he said that.  He knew the expectations when he took the job.  He was told last year what he had to do this year to keep his job.  He had to be competitive against Lowndes and clearly he wasn't.  He is a very good man, but he is not a great coach.

Darlington was the south end of a north bound donkey.  He ran more players off of the team than any one can imagine.  When his "swinging gate" offense didn't work here, he was clueless.  He was arrogant and ill equipped.  His only talent was the trick play.  He was not the man he claimed to be and all I have to say about him is good riddance.

O'Brien should not have been fired.  I have been ticked about that move ever since that happened.

Sometimes you got to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince.


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## MudDucker (Oct 16, 2009)

lilburnjoe said:


> What a crazy world we live in.





maker4life said:


> If you've got the horses you can win with any offense .



Wow, when are you two being inducted into the high school knowledge hall of fame?

Valdosta has won a lot of games for a lot of years with undersized kids and very little talent.  How you ask.  Coaching, desire and motivation.  Until you have been there and done that, you just don't have a clue.

BTW, Valdosta has the hosses this year.  Ask Northside.  Little better coaching choices in that game and Northside would have found itself on the wrong side of that score board.


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## lilburnjoe (Oct 16, 2009)

MudDucker said:


> Wow, when are you two being inducted into the high school knowledge hall of fame?
> 
> Valdosta has won a lot of games for a lot of years with undersized kids and very little talent.  How you ask.  Coaching, desire and motivation.  Until you have been there and done that, you just don't have a clue.
> 
> BTW, Valdosta has the hosses this year.  Ask Northside.  Little better coaching choices in that game and Northside would have found itself on the wrong side of that score board.



You really are a homer !!! My comment was based on firing the coach mid season instead of waiting till the end of the season .   But I shouldn't expect any rational thinking from a UGAY fan !! Talk about the south end of a north bound donkey !!!


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## maker4life (Oct 16, 2009)

MudDucker said:


> Wow, when are you two being inducted into the high school knowledge hall of fame?
> 
> Valdosta has won a lot of games for a lot of years with undersized kids and very little talent.  How you ask.  Coaching, desire and motivation.  Until you have been there and done that, you just don't have a clue.
> 
> BTW, Valdosta has the hosses this year.  Ask Northside.  Little better coaching choices in that game and Northside would have found itself on the wrong side of that score board.



I know enough to know that if all the die hard Wildcat fans would quit sending their kids to the county school or even worse Valwood the Cats might can get back to form .


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## bnew17 (Oct 16, 2009)

maker4life said:


> I've heard Holmes was all but begging for it the last time around .



i can tell you this, if they had got him they wouldnt be in the position they are in now...it is UNBELIEVABle what he can do with what he is handed. He gets absolutely every bit of talent out of each player...until last week hadnt lost a home game in 3 + years.


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## marknga (Oct 16, 2009)

MudDucker said:


> Wow, when are you two being inducted into the high school knowledge hall of fame?
> 
> Valdosta has won a lot of games for a lot of years with undersized kids and very little talent.  How you ask.  Coaching, desire and motivation.  Until you have been there and done that, you just don't have a clue.
> 
> BTW, Valdosta has the hosses this year.  Ask Northside.  Little better coaching choices in that game and Northside would have found itself on the wrong side of that score board.



Yep the Northside game came down to special teams play.
Northside won that battle as they did against Lowndes.


To me the writing was on the wall for Coach T. The Wildcat nation has been riding him for 3 years. If he had taken them to a 15-0 season and State Championship this year and then had a couple of hiccups next year, lost a few games the headhunting would come again. 

here is a article in the Macon Telegraph

http://www.macon.com/sports/columnists/story/881589.html


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## MustangMAtt30 (Oct 16, 2009)

All the talent goes to Lowdnes County.  They are the dominant South Georgia program now.


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## GeorgeWBush (Oct 16, 2009)

bnew17 said:


> i can tell you this, if they had got him they wouldnt be in the position they are in now...it is UNBELIEVABle what he can do with what he is handed. He gets absolutely every bit of talent out of each player...until last week hadnt lost a home game in 3 + years.



I can tell you this, if we had hired one of our former assistant coaches in the first place seven years ago we would not be going through what we are going through now.  We are looking at 2-3 options as of right now, and all of them involve former coaches from the championship years.  Tomberlin has become a great friend of mine the last 4 years, he does an awesome job with the players, and ALL the players love him.  He was told last year to make a change with his offensive coordinator and he said he was going to "live and die with Pollock."  When he first came here 4 years ago, a few of the Tift coaches were talking to myself and a couple of other board members one night and they asked who Tombo hired as the offensive coordinator.  We told them Pollock, and their response was "he could not run an offense at AA Cook County, how is he going to run an offense at Valdosta in Region 1AAAAA, the SEC of high school football".  That is the reason he was let go now.  We've had the same low scoring offense for four straight years and his offensive scheme and game plan does not work in Region 1AAAAA. He had a chance to make a change and seek help from the fromer coaches (Baker, Rudolph,Bolton,Middleton,Horton, and Tarpley) but he said he did not need their advice. The state of Georgia's worst nightmare is for our coaches of the championship years to reassemble. There are a number of other reasons he was let go now instead of at the end of the year but I don't feel like typing anymore right now.  But rest assured, Valdosta will be back in contention soon.


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## shotgun (Oct 16, 2009)

Georgia Southern could use him!!!!!!!!!!
But on the other hand they have Boosters just like Valdookie


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## MudDucker (Oct 16, 2009)

lilburnjoe said:


> You really are a homer !!! My comment was based on firing the coach mid season instead of waiting till the end of the season .   But I shouldn't expect any rational thinking from a UGAY fan !! Talk about the south end of a north bound donkey !!!



Homer, go look in the mirror.  Again you show you know nothing, but nothing stops you from shooting off your mouth.

The VHS coach was told his contract was not to be renewed.  He was given a choice to leave now or finish the season.  No announcement was made by the superintendent or the school board.  The coach himself announced that his contract was not to be renewed.  It sure wasn't a secret after last weeks game.

You sure can't be a tech graduate, you must be a mentally challenged tech fan who couldn't even get into school there for the janitorial degree.


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## turtlebug (Oct 16, 2009)

MudDucker said:


> Bunch of folks on here got a lot to say and little knowledge to back it up.
> 
> Tomberlin is a good guy, but he can't coach in this region.  I've watched him coach several games and he or his coordinators are really not that sharp.  Valdosta was not ready to play last Friday night and it was embarrassing.  Tomberlin wasn't shocked, he was spinning when he said that.  He knew the expectations when he took the job.  He was told last year what he had to do this year to keep his job.  He had to be competitive against Lowndes and clearly he wasn't.  He is a very good man, but he is not a great coach.
> 
> ...



Amen and THANK YOU!  





MudDucker said:


> Wow, when are you two being inducted into the high school knowledge hall of fame?
> 
> Valdosta has won a lot of games for a lot of years with undersized kids and very little talent.  How you ask.  Coaching, desire and motivation.  Until you have been there and done that, you just don't have a clue.
> 
> BTW, Valdosta has the hosses this year.  Ask Northside.  Little better coaching choices in that game and Northside would have found itself on the wrong side of that score board.



Once again.   





maker4life said:


> I know enough to know that if all the die hard Wildcat fans would quit sending their kids to the county school or even worse Valwood the Cats might can get back to form .



I will give you props for this statement.  The tides have turned as far as where parents want their kids to attend school. Google "Reverend Floyd Rose" Valdosta,  and you'll understand why Lowndes is overflowing and Valdosta's enrollment lags. 





GeorgeWBush said:


> I can tell you this, if we had hired one of our former assistant coaches in the first place seven years ago we would not be going through what we are going through now.  We are looking at 2-3 options as of right now, and all of them involve former coaches from the championship years.  Tomberlin has become a great friend of mine the last 4 years, he does an awesome job with the players, and ALL the players love him.  He was told last year to make a change with his offensive coordinator and he said he was going to "live and die with Pollock."  When he first came here 4 years ago, a few of the Tift coaches were talking to myself and a couple of other board members one night and they asked who Tombo hired as the offensive coordinator.  We told them Pollock, and their response was "he could not run an offense at AA Cook County, how is he going to run an offense at Valdosta in Region 1AAAAA, the SEC of high school football".  That is the reason he was let go now.  We've had the same low scoring offense for four straight years and his offensive scheme and game plan does not work in Region 1AAAAA. He had a chance to make a change and seek help from the fromer coaches (Baker, Rudolph,Bolton,Middleton,Horton, and Tarpley) but he said he did not need their advice. The state of Georgia's worst nightmare is for our coaches of the championship years to reassemble. There are a number of other reasons he was let go now instead of at the end of the year but I don't feel like typing anymore right now.  But rest assured, Valdosta will be back in contention soon.




I sure hope you're right.  I see Baker, Bolton and Tarpley on a regular basis and each visit is a reliving of Valdosta's heydey. I am very proud to say I was a student during the reign of Nick Hyder (RIP) and the the best offering of coaches that high school football has ever seen. 

Folks can say what they want, we'll be back. I'm not a fickle person. I'll proudly wear my colors and continue to bleed Black and Gold til the day I die! 


GO CATS!!


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## lilburnjoe (Oct 16, 2009)

MudDucker said:


> Homer, go look in the mirror.  Again you show you know nothing, but nothing stops you from shooting off your mouth.
> 
> The VHS coach was told his contract was not to be renewed.  He was given a choice to leave now or finish the season.  No announcement was made by the superintendent or the school board.  The coach himself announced that his contract was not to be renewed.  It sure wasn't a secret after last weeks game.
> 
> You sure can't be a tech graduate, you must be a mentally challenged tech fan who couldn't even get into school there for the janitorial degree.



Yep, comments from the south end of a north bound donkey !!


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## MudDucker (Oct 17, 2009)

lilburnjoe said:


> Yep, comments from the south end of a north bound donkey !!



Received by a box of rocks.


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## MudDucker (Oct 17, 2009)

I go to Church with Baker and Bolton.  They have both indicated in the past (Darlington era), present (Tomberlin era) and for the future that they are willing to help out.  If we could get Rudolph back, we would have something going again for sure.


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## whitworth (Oct 17, 2009)

*Well Valdosta*

would always fire a coach before Georgia would in Athens.


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## GeorgeWBush (Oct 17, 2009)

This article was written by a good friend of mine and explains everything I was trying to say in my post yesterday.

Ok, Here are my true feelings about the Tomberlin firing 
 October 17th, 2009 |  Author: mikedavis 
Well folks I’ve danced around this issue most of the week. However, after hearing all of the call-ins on my show and on Chris Beckham’s show, I feel it’s time I let everyone know exactly where I stand on Coach Rick Tomberlin being fired. 

I personally believe Coach T could have retired as the Valdosta High head coach and had 3 or 4 AAAAA state championship rings to show for his efforts. However, that did not happen. Here are some of the REAL reasons why. 

He is a good leader of men but he is NOT an offensive genius. The offensive coordinator he chose did not get the job done and even after being urged to do so after last year — Coach T would NOT fire him. Many would say that is a great quality to have — Loyalty. While I agree with that, sometimes tough decisions have to be made for your own success. If things aren’t working, you have to make those hard choices. 

This offense is pathetic and it’s not the players’ fault. Take a minute and think about the talent on that offense …………………….. Unbelievable isn’t it? Instead of getting Rome involved early in the game, the offense plays keep away from him. “Many” have been YELLING — Get under center and throw the 3 step drop — slant route. Most offensive coordinators would be eating defenses alive with talents like Rome, Mitchell, and March — Not this coordinator. He hasn’t made adjustments and it has cost Valdosta two football games this year — NSWR and CC. 

But what about the timing of the firing? Why was it done in the middle of the season? Is that fair to the kids? Here are my answers to those questions:

The timing of the firing is simple. They (the powers that be) wanted Tomberlin gone at the end of the season and they didn’t want to have to justify it after the Wildcats make the playoffs and perhaps win 2-3 games in the playoffs. It’s much easier to justify the firing after a 57-15 loss on National TV than it is after a tough loss in the 2nd or 3rd round of the playoffs. So that is why it was done mid-season. 

Is that fair to the kids? Yes, I believe it is. It is the program that the powers that be are looking out for. I hate it for the seniors but sometimes tough choices have to be made for the betterment of the program — If you don’t believe me, Ask Rush Propst — he sat his starting All-Region QB at the end of last year for what he told me on the radio was “the best thing for the program not necessarily the best thing for the current (’08) team”. Of course, no one remembers that now b/c the Pack is back! Well, the Cats will be back starting next year. I do have a problem with the timing of the firing — it should have happened in the Spring when Tomberlin refused to fire his offensive coordinator. Then, we would probably be sitting here talking about a 6-1 or 7-0 football team. 

Coach Tomberlin has done many great things at Valdosta High School. As I’ve said on many occasions, people will look back one day and realize he helped get this program going in the right direction. With that being said, the numbers don’t lie. He has a 19-20 record which is the worst ever for a VHS head coach, a 1-9 record in his first year which is the worst ever record in one year for VHS, a 57-15 loss on National TV ….. you get the point. And those of you who say that 1-9 team is the best 1-9 team ever, you do realize that isn’t helping Coach Tomberlin at all don’t ya? That statement hurts his case — think about it and you will understand what I mean. 

So, did Rick Tomberlin get a raw deal? Absolutely not — the 2009 Valdosta High Wildcats got a raw deal when that tough decision wasn’t made in the Spring.


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## trubluau (Oct 20, 2009)

LanierSpots said:


> When I was in high school, back in the day, Valdosta was unstopable.
> 
> I watched the game on ESPN last weekend.  Valdosta was man handled.



I played on the 92' National Championship Team and I can tell you, Tomberlin is a good coach. Our problem is number of students. In the 80's and 90's, we had the same number of kids in school as everybody else. The county kept growing and the city didn't. Now Lowndes and these other AAAAA schools have as many as 3500 kids where we have 1700. Sure there will be years where the stars line up and we get a great crop of athletes and we win it all, but it will be far and few between at the AAAAA level. Tomberlin has done great with what he has. And by the way, the touchdown club had nothing to do with this. This was the school board. Now, with the right head coach and  offensive coordinator, I believe Valdosta will be back. We have the talent. I just don't know how long it is going to last.


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## ChiefOsceola (Oct 21, 2009)

bnew17 said:


> i can tell you this, if they had got him they wouldnt be in the position they are in now...it is UNBELIEVABle what he can do with what he is handed. He gets absolutely every bit of talent out of each player...until last week hadnt lost a home game in 3 + years.



Don't get ahead of yourself.  As a Dublin alumn, we lost to Tomberlin plenty of times in the 90s while he was @ Washington Co.  Granted, Sam Barrs was our coach then instead of this new guy (we still made it to state in 94 and lost to TCC), but my point is that Rick Tomberlin knows how to coach and knows how to win.

Valdosta Wildcat boosters are too hung up on the glory days.  Instead of realizing how most of the big farm boys are now @ Lowndes instead of VHS, they expect the coach to keep up the tradition without the athletes of the good ol days.  Rather than giving a coach time to build the program in the middle schools to get those kids coming into the high school ready to go, they expect greatness right off the bat.  Rick will be fine wherever he goes.  I wish him the best!


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## GeorgeWBush (Oct 21, 2009)

ChiefOsceola said:


> Don't get ahead of yourself.  As a Dublin alumn, we lost to Tomberlin plenty of times in the 90s while he was @ Washington Co.  Granted, Sam Barrs was our coach then instead of this new guy (we still made it to state in 94 and lost to TCC), but my point is that Rick Tomberlin knows how to coach and knows how to win.
> 
> Valdosta Wildcat boosters are too hung up on the glory days.  Instead of realizing how most of the big farm boys are now @ Lowndes instead of VHS, they expect the coach to keep up the tradition without the athletes of the good ol days.  Rather than giving a coach time to build the program in the middle schools to get those kids coming into the high school ready to go, they expect greatness right off the bat.  Rick will be fine wherever he goes.  I wish him the best!



If you knew what you were talking about you would realize that is one of the problems in the first place. Tomberlin, and his assistants have not tried or even been to a middle school game since he has been here.  We asked him the Wednesday before the Lowndes/Valdosta game if the varsity was going to practice at our stadium on Thursday since Lowndes now has the same turf.  His response was "We can't parctice at the stadium, the middle school will be playing a game there."  Our response was "the middle school season ended two weeks ago."  He had no clue that their season was even over.  We asked him to go see the middle school players numerous times and his response was that he did not have time.  I think you will find it ironic that on the day he was let go(Tuesday Oct. 13), we invited the middle school football team to the Varsity cookout we hold every Tuesday after practice so they could spend time around the varsity coaching staff and players.  He would not go see them, so we brought them to him. We did not know he was going to be let go or we may not have invited them to that cookout.  If you are not close to the program, you have no idea what has been happening on the inside!  He is not a AAAAA coach.  He may know how to coach in AAA or what ever class Washington County is in, but you bring Washington County to Valdosta on any Friday night and we will see how they match up to a AAAAA football team.
It looks like you are from Douglas, we'll see ya'll Friday night.


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## ChiefOsceola (Oct 21, 2009)

GeorgeWBush said:


> If you knew what you were talking about you would realize that is one of the problems in the first place. Tomberlin, and his assistants have not tried or even been to a middle school game since he has been here.  We asked him the Wednesday before the Lowndes/Valdosta game if the varsity was going to practice at our stadium on Thursday since Lowndes now has the same turf.  His response was "We can't parctice at the stadium, the middle school will be playing a game there."  Our response was "the middle school season ended two weeks ago."  He had no clue that their season was even over.  We asked him to go see the middle school players numerous times and his response was that he did not have time.  I think you will find it ironic that on the day he was let go(Tuesday Oct. 13), we invited the middle school football team to the Varsity cookout we hold every Tuesday after practice so they could spend time around the varsity coaching staff and players.  He would not go see them, so we brought them to him. We did not know he was going to be let go or we may not have invited them to that cookout.  If you are not close to the program, you have no idea what has been happening on the inside!  He is not a AAAAA coach.  He may know how to coach in AAA or what ever class Washington County is in, but you bring Washington County to Valdosta on any Friday night and we will see how they match up to a AAAAA football team.
> It looks like you are from Douglas, we'll see ya'll Friday night.



Personally, I don't much care about the Coffee-Valdosta game.  As for knowing about the ins and outs of VHS football, I know enough to know that other than the 23 (or however many) state championships of the past, they are just like any other school in the state.  Unfortunately for Valdosta, the GHSA has cracked down on the schools so the Valdostas of the world aren't able to go wherever and recruit as much as they used to.  Also going against the Cats is that the demographics of Valdosta have changed...so many of the people that would've been part of VHS are now Vikings.  I wasn't hands on with Tomberlin by any means, but I talked with him about his insurance when he first moved to Valdosta and bought his house.  I've also seen first hand what he can do when given the reigns with a team (Washington Co).  

He hasn't had the success @ Valdosta that he had there, but neither have the recent predecessors.  If true about the middle school deal, that's a shame.  There comes a point though when the Cat boosters are going to either have to decide that the glory days are behind them or give a coach a chance to really rebuild the program.  He clearly has done some things right by building the weight program up and winning the national championships there.

As for the Washington Co matchup...when Rick was there and had them as a powerhouse, I think they'd have matched up quite well with Valdosta.  Region 1AAAAA is definitely the toughest region in the state as a whole, but there are other teams in the state that can compete.


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## bnew17 (Oct 21, 2009)

ChiefOsceola said:


> Don't get ahead of yourself.  As a Dublin alumn, we lost to Tomberlin plenty of times in the 90s while he was @ Washington Co.  Granted, Sam Barrs was our coach then instead of this new guy (we still made it to state in 94 and lost to TCC), but my point is that Rick Tomberlin knows how to coach and knows how to win.
> 
> Valdosta Wildcat boosters are too hung up on the glory days.  Instead of realizing how most of the big farm boys are now @ Lowndes instead of VHS, they expect the coach to keep up the tradition without the athletes of the good ol days.  Rather than giving a coach time to build the program in the middle schools to get those kids coming into the high school ready to go, they expect greatness right off the bat.  Rick will be fine wherever he goes.  I wish him the best!



I dont believe i have "gotton ahead of myself" while i know Tomberlin is a good coach...guess what. He didnt get it done at Valdosta..good coach or not. So they got rid of him... SPorts now a days is a "what have you done for me NOW"...everybody knows of his success at WACO...use ex Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan as an example. Very successful at Denver before his last few years so they axed him...Valdosta is a program rich in tradition and to them it didnt seem like he was gonna get it turned around,,,at least in a short amount of time. Programs like that dont give you long because they dont believe in rebuilding...I , along with MANY people consider Roger Holmes one of the top, if not the top coach in the state.


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## Outlaw Dawgsey Wales (Oct 21, 2009)

*I believe Valdosta may go after*

Pardue coach at LaGrange High.He's dug in like a tick.He won't be leaving


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## ChiefOsceola (Oct 21, 2009)

bnew17 said:


> I dont believe i have "gotton ahead of myself" while i know Tomberlin is a good coach...guess what. He didnt get it done at Valdosta..good coach or not. So they got rid of him... SPorts now a days is a "what have you done for me NOW"...everybody knows of his success at WACO...use ex Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan as an example. Very successful at Denver before his last few years so they axed him...Valdosta is a program rich in tradition and to them it didnt seem like he was gonna get it turned around,,,at least in a short amount of time. Programs like that dont give you long because they dont believe in rebuilding...I , along with MANY people consider Roger Holmes one of the top, if not the top coach in the state.



Holmes is a great coach no doubt.  As is Robbie Pruitt @ Fitzgerald.  But so is Rick Tomberlin.  All I'm saying is that Valdosta doesn't have the athletes (thanks to people moving out into the county and redistricting and Valwood building up) that they used to have.  Dublin is beginning to see some of the same but on a lesser scale.  A lot of my friends that I went to school with are sending their kids to West Laurens just because they believe it's the better school nowadays.  In the early 90s, Dublin led the state with the highest graduation rate of any high school.  It's not that way anymore.  Eventually kids moving to other schools takes a toll.  Look at the band.  They used to be 200+ members...which was HUGE for a school the size of DHS.  Last game I went to (the state championship against Charlton Co a couple of years ago) the band looked to be MAYBE 50 members.  Holmes is still doing great and is clearly a great coach...but you can't keep losing student #s and expect to stay on top forever...as is the case with Valdosta.

I understand the "gotta win NOW" mentality...especially with a program with Valdosta's history.  The days of Bazemore and Hyder are gone though.  Parity...that's what they call it.


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## maker4life (Oct 21, 2009)

GeorgeWBush said:


> If you knew what you were talking about you would realize that is one of the problems in the first place. Tomberlin, and his assistants have not tried or even been to a middle school game since he has been here.  We asked him the Wednesday before the Lowndes/Valdosta game if the varsity was going to practice at our stadium on Thursday since Lowndes now has the same turf.  His response was "We can't parctice at the stadium, the middle school will be playing a game there."  Our response was "the middle school season ended two weeks ago."  He had no clue that their season was even over.  We asked him to go see the middle school players numerous times and his response was that he did not have time.  I think you will find it ironic that on the day he was let go(Tuesday Oct. 13), we invited the middle school football team to the Varsity cookout we hold every Tuesday after practice so they could spend time around the varsity coaching staff and players.  He would not go see them, so we brought them to him. We did not know he was going to be let go or we may not have invited them to that cookout.  If you are not close to the program, you have no idea what has been happening on the inside!  He is not a AAAAA coach.  He may know how to coach in AAA or what ever class Washington County is in, but you bring Washington County to Valdosta on any Friday night and we will see how they match up to a AAAAA football team.
> It looks like you are from Douglas, we'll see ya'll Friday night.




Yeah that could never happen . I mean that'd almost be as crazy as saying a little AA school like Brooks County could hang with one of the big bad 1-AAAAA teams .


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## MudDucker (Oct 22, 2009)

ChiefOsceola said:


> .Unfortunately for Valdosta, the GHSA has cracked down on the schools so the Valdostas of the world aren't able to go wherever and recruit as much as they used to.



Spoken like someone who had their behind whooped by the Wildcats and is jealous.  Valdosta has never did any recruiting back in the old days.  Didn't have to.  The problem they had was folks wanting to move to town to get their kids in the program.

I played in the system, there were no kids who suddenly showed up in town to play. There were some kids in the county who moved into the city to play, but most of their parents had played for Valdosta.


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## ChiefOsceola (Oct 22, 2009)

MudDucker said:


> Spoken like someone who had their behind whooped by the Wildcats and is jealous.  Valdosta has never did any recruiting back in the old days.  Didn't have to.  The problem they had was folks wanting to move to town to get their kids in the program.
> 
> I played in the system, there were no kids who suddenly showed up in town to play. There were some kids in the county who moved into the city to play, but most of their parents had played for Valdosta.



Nope...never played against the Wildcats, so therefore never lost to them.  I don't dislike the Wildcats at all.  I was down there for the whole Titletown deal and thought Valdosta certainly deserved it.  VHS has a storied history and deserves all the accolades from the past.  Lowndes is clearly "the" team now though.

I've heard many stories from locals (VHS folks who were quite proud of it) who talked about Wright Bazemore bringing kids to town for the sole purpose of playing football.  These same people talked about how he'd arrange jobs for their parents in Valdosta.  We're not talking about kids moving from the county into town.


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