Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday
September 6,
2006
Ledford has heart attack, recovers for season
By Kay Ross
Sports Editor
rrossl@my.westga.edu
Being the head
coach of a college
football team comes
with its challenges, but
this summer head coach
Mike Ledford was faced
with anew challenge.
It had nothing to do
with recruiting, game
planning for the season
opener, or even deciding
how to run fall camp.
Instead it had everything
to do with his health. On
July 2X, 2006 Ledford
suffered a heart attack.
Ledford and his wife
Dianne had planned on
going to the Braves game
the last weekend in July.
It was the last weekend of
the summer for Ledford,
and his players were set
to report for fall camp the
next Monday.
Ledford decided to cut
the lawn before heading
to Atlanta for the game,
and as usual in Georgia
at this time of year it was
extremely hot.
Ledford began by
using the push mower to
cut the areas of the lawn
that the riding mower
could not get to. Ledford
never made it to the riding
mower though as he
began to feel nauseated.
He decided to escape
the heat and headed for
the garage for some water.
Shortly after making it
to the garage he began
Wolves sweep Rams away in home opener
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Sports
to have chest pains. It
was then that Ledford
realized exactly what was
happening.
“You’ve got to be
kidding me. I'm having
a heart attack,” Ledford
said to himself. Ledford
recognized all of the
symptoms: chest pains,
nausea and shortness of
breath.
He walked upstairs
to his wife Dianne who
advised him to lie down
and cool off. The pain only
got worse and instead of
calling an ambulance and
waiting for paramedics
to arrive, Dianne ushered
him to Tanner Medical
Center where he was
taken directly to the
Emergency Room.
Once in the
Emergency Room, the
doctors began evaluating
the situation and asked
Ledford how great the
pain was on a level
from one to ten. “1 was
finally able to get out in
a very meek voice, ‘7’,”
Ledford said.
Just two minutes after
being in the Emergency
Room, everything became
fuzzy and Ledford went
into cardiac arrest.
At this point the
doctors in the room knew
exactly w hat to do, pulling
out the delibrillator and
essentially bringing
Ledford back to life.
Much like a
concussion, Ledford
was unaware of exactly
what had happened.
Ledford then spent the
weekend in the Intensive
Care Unit at Tanner
before making a trip to
St. Joseph’s Hospital in
Atlanta where a strut was
put in his heart.
“Knowing the
symptoms from being a
health teacher, not being
a smoker or overweight
and not waiting on an
ambulance saved my life,”
Ledford latersaid. Afterall
was well, Ledford figured
out that he had completely
bit through his tongue,
which surprisingly hurt
more than the heart attack
itself.
"It is times like those
that make you realize how
many great people there
are in Carrollton and as
part of the UWG family,”
said Ledford. “The
people at Tanner were
fantastic and I just can’t
say enough," continued
Ledford.
During Ledford’s
absence assistant coach
Spencer Riley ran the
team and guided the team
through their first week
of fall camp.
However, Ledford
was not gone long as
doctors gave him clearance
to return to work just one
week and three days after
suffering his heart attack.
Ledford realized the
severity of the situation,
but knew all along that he
was in God’s hands. "The
good Lord blessed me,”
said Ledford.
Ledford does feel
the situation set him back
for most of fall camp but
now feels he is where he
should be and looks to
have a great season as
A glance at Coach Ledford's career
•Entering his fifth season as UWG’s head coach,
Ledford has a career record of 15-27
•Finished tied for second in the GSC in 2005 behind
Central Arkansas with a 7-2 conference record
•Was an assistant coach at UWG for four years before
becoming head coach, spending three seasons under
-a
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Photo courtesy of uwg.sports.com
Coach Mike Ledford
By Kay Ross
Sports Editor
rross I @my.westf>(i.edu
The UWG volleyball
team made their home
debut last week against
Albany State in a
dominating fashion,
winning the first three
games of the contest on
their way to sweeping
the Lady Rams. The first
match was no contest as
the Wolves ran away by
a count of 30-18. Carolin
Schoeneck got things
going as she slammed
eight kills set up by
Micque Parker.
The second game
proved a little more
difficult, but in the end
the Wolves ousted Albany
State by a score of 30-28.
In this game the Wolves
pulled out to an early lead
but the Lady Rams came
back to even the contest
at 13 apiece. From this
point forward it was a
dogfight but the Wolves
mustered enough to take
the pivotal second game
of the match.
The Lady Rams
refused to go away in
game three as they fought
tooth and nail with the
Wolves in an attempt
to force a fourth game.
However, halfway through
the game UWG’s key
head coach of the Wolves.
“UWG is a great
place to work and live and
I am glad to still be a part
of it,” said Ledford.
The Wolves will head
to Greenville, South
Glenn Spencer and one
season under Gary Otten.
•A native of Knoxville, TN,
Ledford graduated from
Tennessee Tech in 1975.
•While at Tennessee Tech
Ledford played QB from
1970-1974.
•Before arriving at UWG
in 1998, Ledford spent
one year at Gardner-Webb
as an assistant coach
•Ledford also has
experience in the prep
ranks, with two coaching
stints in Georgia; one at
Northwest Whitfield for
three years and another at
Groves High School for
one year.
players Juliana da Silva
and Carolin Schoeneck
took over, sparking a 15-
5 run capped off by back
to-back aces to finish the
Lady Rams off.
Schoeneck led the
team in kills with 18
followed by da Silva and
Paige Ely with 11 and
10 kills, respectively. As
impressive as the Wolves
were in their home debut
on their way to sweeping
Albany State, it was
done with efficiency as
the team finished the
match with a .325 hitting
percentage.
With their first home
win under their belt and
a season record of 3-2,
the Wolves confidently
traveled to Wingate,
North Carolina for the
Wingate Invitational. As
confident as the Wolves
were they were quickly
humbled in the first
match of the tournament
by Wingate. The Wolves
fought hard and went five
games, only to lose in the
final match 15-8.
“We had opportunities
to win the match, but
we just weren’t able to
capitalize,” said head
coach Regan Adams.
“We struggled a little
bit with our passing, but
we will right the ship in
our matches tomorrow,”
Sports Editor- Ray Ross
Phone Number- 67X-H39-6527
Fax- 67X-H39-652H
Email- rrossl@my.westga.edu
Carolina this Saturday
to take on Dl-AA power
Eurman at 6:00 p.m. For
more information visit
www.uwgsports.com for
schedules, rosters and
statistics.
Adams said Friday after
the match.
The Wolves did have
their opportunities as they
took tw'o of the first three
games but failed to win
another to close the match
out. Even more frustrating
the Wolves fell to Wingate
again in the finale 3-0.
The Wolvesrebounded
after the opening loss
though, winning 3-0 over
Queens (NC) and 3-1 over
UNC-Pembroke.
“We played much
better today,” said head
coach Regan Adams. “I
was especially happy with
our serving and how both
Queens and Pembroke
had trouble receiving
them,” continued Adams.
The Wolves finished the
tournament at .500, going
2-2 and have a season
record of 5-4.
The Wolves return
home to host Augusta
State tonight at 6:00 p.m.
in the HPE Building. This
weekend the Wolves will
travel to Huntsville, AL
for the UAH Invitational
where they are slated to
face Harding, Henderson
State, Christian Brothers,
and Arkansas Tech.
For more information
visit www.uwgsports.
com where you can find
schedules, rosters, stats
and more.