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College. His decision, however, didn’t go
well with his high school coach, John
Waters. Jessie said you could have sold
Coach Waters for a dime after he learn
ed of Jessie’s decision. But until this day,
Prather said that that was the best choice
he had ever made.
Listed as the 13th string quarterback
on a team that practiced four times a
day, Jessie endured the heat and hard
work while some of the players went
“AWOL” and chased down the nearest
bread truck to get back home.
Jessie Prather was the number one
quarterback by the seventh game of his
freshman year. The team’s points per
game went from 14 to 35 points per
game. South Carolina State’s total offen
sive yards doubled with Jessie calling
99% of the team’s offensive plays.
Jessie, during his sophomore year at
South Carolina State, led the Bulldogs to
the 1976 National Championship of the
Mid Eastern Athletic Conference. He
was voted Most Valuable Player that
year, leading the team in scoring and he
made the NASA, District 6, All Con
ference Team.
Prather was a 3 Vi year starter at South
Carolina State. From head coach Willie
Jeffries, Jessie developed tremendous
discipline, unity and skills that he tries
to inspire in the youth he coaches.
Coaching is a joy for Jessie Prather.
Some coaches coach because they have
sons or daughters involved, and when the
By Barbara McRae
From our last issue, we were asked to
read Romans 7:15 -- taken from the NIV
ZEBRA VOL. 2 ISSUE 10
children move on, the coaches bow out.
Not Jessie. He has worked with Athens
youth for twelve years preparing them
for high school and college academic and
athletic endeavors.
Coach Prather says his greatest
satisfaction is having former youth come
back and thank him for the impact that
he had on their lives. Especially those
now attending colleges, like Keke
Wright, Rip Kendricks, Orlando Muckle,
Reginald Lewis, Odell Collins, and
Toran Smith, to name a few.
Coach Prather doesn’t stress winning
as being the most important goal in
Athletics as participation and giving
100% of oneself at the 12-14 age level.
He wishes however, that the weight limit
Getting Rid Of
Study Bible... Apostle Paul states “I do
not understand what I do. For what I
want to do I do not do, but what 1 hate
I do.”
It just amazes me that the more I read
the Bible, the more I realize there are no
changes; what happened then is happen
ing now. We are slaves to sin. The scrip
ture often refers to the human race as
slaves. They are owned by and subject
to the will of someone else. They must
obey or else - whether the master is a
person, an influence or a habit.
We seldom enjoy the destructive lives
we often live; but we are “sold as a slave
to sin” (Verse 14). We get angry at our
could be raised in the Youth Leagues so
that more kids could participate in youth
football.
The Jersey number 10 stands out
among great quarterback heroes here in
Athens; Bobby Cross, Amp Arnold,
Fran Tarkenton, Homer Jordan, Tom
Gary, and yes, you, Jessie. But Jessie
you’re # 1, I’m sure, in a lot of hearts of
our youth today. To the Willie Hulls,
Tommy Lays, Pete Fairs, Aaron Heards,
Don Pernos, John Jeffreys, Willie
Popes, Ike Whiteheads who have work
ed so diligently with our youth, the ball
is passed to all the Jessie Prathers. The
community has a debt that can never be
paid in full. A super role model for all
youth. Run Jessie run!
The Addiction
spuuscs. We overeat, we drink too much,
we spend too much, we put things off
and we criticize our neighbors. No mat
ter how hard we try, we have to agree
with Paul. The good we want to do, we
do not do - and we practice the very evil
we hate. Why don’t we do things that are
good for us and that would make our
lives better? Because by nature, we are
not free. We are slaves to the law of sin
and death. As long as we are under the
law, we will fail -- as much as we try and
as good as our intentions may be.
The persons who trust Christ as Savior
are out from under the law of condem
nation. They are “In Christ.”
INSPIRATION
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