Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2021
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 3B
A tribute to Bobby Bowden
Editor’s note: College football coaching
legend Bobby Bowden, 91, who is second
in the sport in all-time wins at the NCAA
Division I level, announced recently that he
has been diagnosed with a terminal medi
cal condition.
Anyone familiar with Bobby
Bowden’s coaching record is
aware that his winning consisten
cy was the hallmark of a remark
able career in which he seldom
raised his voice in anger, was al
ways eager to give a kid a second
chance and forever embraced his
Christian faith without any back
sliding.
He is a man of simple tastes,
one who was happy to coach
football, play golf and stand in
a pulpit somewhere on Sunday,
making audiences appreciate the core val
ues of living a forgiving and selfless life.
The box score of his professional life
“runneth over” with championships, acco
lades and lofty tribute. There are signature
features to his life that you won’t find in the
record book, however. Owing to a real es
tate deal that went bad, he made speeches
by the hundreds in his latent years to pay
off the loan and to spread the word of God.
When he spoke, Bowden walked on the
light side, forever championing the effect
that humor had on audiences. He had a
standard fee, which was modest by most
standards. The only requirement was that as
part of any appearance, that he could use a
state plane so that he would always be able
to return home before midnight. That char
ter rate was very reasonable, which allowed
for a number of speeches less
than two hours from Tallahassee.
He could return for a good night’s
sleep in his own bed.
Bowden’s daily routine called
for a nap after lunch. It was as
much of a benchmark in his life
as apple juice was for his daily
breakfast. He had an indefatiga
bility that belied his age. Once
when he finished a noon speech
in Atlanta, he asked for place to
take a 30-minute nap before driv
ing to Athens for a nighttime ap
pearance. Finding a friend with a
conference room in his office complex al
lowed Bowden to sit down in a nice leather
chair, prop his feet up in an adjoining chair
and get in his nap. He awoke fresh, smiling
and eager for his next assignment.
When the big money came along for
coaches, it was something of a godsend
but in the end, he was disappointed that he
could not continue for a couple more sea
sons. There is nothing in the Bible that says
a Christian can’t be a competitor.
In his sundown years, impatient alumni
thought the game had passed him by. They
forgot about his remarkable run in the ‘80s
and ‘90s when his Seminole teams were
ranked fifth or higher in the national polls
for an incredible 14 seasons in a row.
They forgot about his two national cham
pionships and near misses for a couple
more. They forgot about the 12 Atlantic
Coast Conference titles he collected in his
career. Only Joe Paterno of Penn State won
more games with Bowden ranked second
all time.
One of the most refreshing vignettes in
his career was his emotional attachment to
his first team at South Georgia College in
Douglas. That was his initial head coaching
assignment. He was also athletic director,
basketball coach and baseball coach.
Of all the teams he coached, the 1956-58
South Georgia teams were, perhaps, his fa
vorite. The players began a reunion in 1972
when he played in his first bowl game, the
Peach, in Atlanta. Bowden never missed
one, even this past spring, before he was
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He told
one of his players on that team, Vernon
Brinson, who is a Georgia graduate, that he
wanted to attend the reunion.
The group, which has dwindled down to
less than a dozen met in Douglas in July.
Even though it is only 112 miles from Tal
lahassee to Douglas, Brinson chartered a
plane to pick up the coach and his wife,
Ann, and flew them to Douglas for the
weekend. He and the Tiger alumni had. as
usual, a joyful time. Among the highlights
was going to the football field walking
around the premises and reminiscing.
“He was his old self,” Brinson said,
“smiling, laughing, telling stories and mak
ing everybody feel good.”
When Bowden was inducted into the Col
lege Football Hall of Fame in 2006, Brinson
bought a banquet table and hosted several
members of the South Georgia contingent
to be present for Bowden to receive high
honor. For the genial Seminole coach, that
gesture was as significant as the induction
ceremony itself.
Of all the coaches I have become associ
ated with over the years, I don’t think I have
ever known one to be more benevolent, less
self-centered and having lived a cleaner life
than this man.
Slap him in the face, slam the door on
his thumb and you would not get a word of
profanity. Likely he would winch and say,
“Dadgum,” his favorite expression. He is
one of the very few coaches who has nev
er tasted alcohol — not even a champagne
toast when one of his teams won the nation
al championship.
Bobby Bowden has always preached
what he practiced.
Loran Smith is a syndicated columnist
around the state and a University of Geor
gia sports radio announcer. He can be
reached at loransmith@sports.uga.edu.
Champions crowned during racing at Lanier Raceplex
Photo by Kyle Funderburk
Caleb Heady receives a championship check from Johnny’s Pizza.
By Kyle Funderburk
kyle@mainstreetnews.com
For the first time in
nearly a decade, Lanier
Raceplex has crowned a
group of stock car track
champions.
The Lanier Speedway
INEX Racing Series
wrapped up its four-race
series on Thursday, July
29. Caleb Heady cap
tured the legends car
series’ grandest prize;
the professional division
championship.
He won the title by fin
ishing second to William
Sawalich in Thursday’s
main event.
Heady and Sawalich
both ended the season
with two wins each, but
Heady had the more con
sistent campaign with a
P2 and P3 finish in his
record.
Nicolas Denton became
Lanier's first track cham
pion since 2011 when he
beat rival Ben Morabito
by less than a car length
in the bandolero bandits
division race.
In the bandolero out
laws division, Clay
Hocutt appeared to have
the championship won,
racing second place be
hind Kyle Bacon.
But the youngster got
greedy exiting turn four
late in the race and he hit
a cone, causing severe
damage to his car.
Hocutt was unable to
finish the race, and Ba
con cruised to claim vic
tory in the race and the
points standings.
The most exciting race
of Thursday’s series fina
le came from the semi-
pro division.
Micheal Gannon final
ly got the better of rival
Cameron Bolin, beating
him in a three-wide pho
to finish to take home the
victory.
However, it wasn’t
enough to steal the cham
pionship from Bolin who
won the first three races
in the series.
LANIER RACEPLEX
CHAMPIONS
The Lanier Speedway
INEX Racing Series
champions were:
•Professional: Caleb
Heady
•Masters: Bill Ple-
mons
•Semi-Pro: Cameron
Bolin
•Young Lions: Parker
Eatmon
•Outlaws: Kyle Bacon
•Bandits: Nicholas
Denton
ROUND FOUR
RACE WINNERS
The top fives in the
final Lanier Speedway
INEX Racing Series
were:
PRO DIVISION
•PI: William Sawalich
•P2: Caleb Heady
•P3: Gavin Graham
•P4: Cale Hall
•P5: Jake Bollman
MASTERS DIVISION
•PI: Scott Mosely
•P2: Bill Plemons
•P3: Joshua Mullins
•P4: Benjamin Jones
•P5: Philip Young
SEMI-PRO DIVISION
•PI: Michael Gannon
•P2: Cameron Bolin
•P3: Jarrett Wagman
•P4: Graham Campbell
•P5: Jeremy Mullinax
YOUNG LIONS
DIVISION
•PI: Parker Eatmon
•P2: Isaac Bevin
•P3: Donovan Strauss
•P4: Ethan Nascimento
•P5: Laney Buice
OUTLAWS DIVISION
•PI: Kyle Bacon
•P2: Sebastian Asztalos
•P3: Caleb Bradley
•P4: Jacob Bradley
•P5: Gianni Esposito
BANDITS DIVISION
•PI: Nicolas Denton
•P2: Ben Morabito
•P3: Baylor O'Neil
•P4: Darren Krantz
•P5: Neal Dulin
Considering
((TM*R) )) buying or
selling?
770-867-9026
www.maynardrealty.com
July 28, 2021
Crossword Answers
FADS
R__OS_
MEAN
K3fO
N
AIDE
WEED
I
N
S
N
A
p
N
N
E
A
L
F
L
O
T
R
O
T
O
N
D
T
I
T
M
I
S
E
L
K
s
L
Y
SNUB
0 W
Z A R D
EVUE
AJ__s
I N K
L L
EARS
FLEA
YELP
City of Winder 2021 Qualifying Fee and Election Notice
Pursuant to O.C.G.A §21-2-131(a)(l), the governing authority of the City of Winder
announces the following qualifying fees for the local offices to be filled in the
2021 Municipal General Election:
OFFICE FEE
Council Member, Ward 1 $180.00
Council Member, Ward 3 $ 180.00
Council Member, At Large (To Succeed Chris Akins) $180.00
The qualifying period will be: Monday, August 16, 2021 - Thursday, August 19, 2021
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday, August 20, 2021 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at
the Barrow County Elections Office located at 233 E. Broad St Winder.
The Municipal General Election will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. If a Runoff
is necessary, it will be held on Tuesday, November 30, 2021. The polling locations will
be open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.
“UPDATE: Barrow County will have a Special SPLOST Referendum Election on
November 2, 2021 in conjunction with the City of Winder Election. Voters will vote at
their assigned COUNTY Polling Location**
The Voter Registration deadline to be eligible to vote in the City of Winder Election is
October 4, 2021.
If you wish to vote by Absentee Ballot contact the Election Office at 770-307-3110.
Applications for an absentee ballot will be accepted August 16, 2021 — October 22, 2021.
No applications will be accepted or processed after 4:00 pm on October 22. No ballots
will be issued after the close of business on October 22, 2021. A voted absentee ballot
must be returned to the Elections Office no later than 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 2,
2021.
Advance Voting will be held at the Barrow County Elections Office located at 233 E.
Broad St. Winder, Georgia 30680 on the following dates:
Tuesday, October 12, 2021 - Saturday, October 16, 2021 - 9:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.
Monday, October 18, 2021 - Saturday, October 23, 2021 - 9:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.
Monday, October 25, 2021 - Friday, October 29, 2021 - 9:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.
Legends
High School football begins soon and we
are already hard at work on your Pigskin
Preview. Market your business to over
5,000 homes that will see this edition.
Homes Deadline Run Date
5,000 Aug 11 Aug 18
1/8 Page Ad $95
1/4 Page Ad $185
1/2 Page Ad $355
Full Page Ad $625
Add $50 for spot color or $170 for full color
Call Susan Treadwell at 678-863-1014