Macon Touchdown Club

Hello Fellow Macon Touchdown Club Members,

I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. These last three months have been very trying times for all of us. The COVID-19 Pandemic has caused all of us to make tremendous changes in our day to day lives. Here in Georgia, businesses are opening back up, and people are going back to work. Hopefully, within some time, things will get back to normal, and we will be able to look forward to High School and College Football.

The Officers and Directors of the Macon Touchdown Club are working out details and trying to determine what our meetings will look like in the Fall. We are working with Lonnie at the Methodist Home for Children, to provide a safe environment for our meetings. Our first meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 14^th, with Mark Schlabach, as our first speaker of the year. We are looking forward to a great list of speakers, in what will be the 75^th Year of the Macon Touchdown Club.

The Macon Touchdown Club Middle Georgia Kick-off Classic is scheduled for Saturday, August 22^nd, and we will be asking for volunteers to assist at the game.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone in a few months.

Stay Safe, and we will have more communication in the coming weeks.

Bryant Longshore

Executive Director

Larry Mimbs

President

Davey Keys

Vice President

Russell Deese

Secretary

Garland Tyner

Treasurer

Website               https://www.macontouchdownclub.com

Facebook            https://www.facebook.com/macontouchdown1

Twitter                 @macontouchdown1

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Year Number 74 of the Macon Touchdown Club has come to an end. It was another great year, with great speakers, great local athletes, great fellowship, and a great venue at the Methodist Home for Children. As a club, we are truly blessed.

I want to say a special Thank You to all of the sponsors, that without their support, we could not do the things that we do for local high school football.

Chick Fil-a of Middle Georgia
Wild Wing Cafe
Sheridan Construction
McGriff Insurance Services
Sellers Construction
Langford Allergy, LLC
Howard Sheppard , Inc
OrthoGeorgia Orthopaedic Specialists
Chick Fil-a of Tom Hill Sr. Blvd and Bass Road
Carter Mechanical
Tommy’s Cafe
Cadence Bank
Greer Wealth Management – Raymond James
Bland Roofing
Smith Brown Groover, Inc.
Kenneth Kay, DMD
Coldwell Banker – SSK Realtors
Waites & Foshee Insurance Group

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We are officially SOLD OUT.

Thank You for all the support that you have shone to the Macon Touchdown Club.

It is going to be a great night, honoring young athletes for performance and academics, and coaches for what they do for the athletes that are under there watch.

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These players will be receiving awards at our Annual Spring Jamboree on March 2nd.

Super Seven Players of The Year

David Daniel               Woodstock High School
Terrence Ferguson    Peach County High School
Shawn Hardy             Camden County High School
Amarius Mims          Bleckley County High School
Micah Morris            Camden County High School
Zamon Ross              Schley County High School

Elmo A. Richardson Player of the Year

Brock Vandagriff       Prince Avenue Christian High School

Bobby Pope State Coach of the Year

Jeff Ratliff                 Gatewood School

Ortho Georgia Co-Back of the Year

Dexter Williams      Mount de Sales Academy

Ortho Georgia Co-Back of the Year

Jaylon Barden         Westside High School

Ortho Georgia/Bill Turner Lineman of the Year

Jerome Denson      Southwest High School

Ortho Georgia Special Teams Player of the Year

Elizabeth Rodenroth   Howard High School

Marvin Davis Co-Coach of the Year

Mike Chastain       Jones County High School

Marvin Davis Co-Coach of the Year

Keith Hatcher       Mount de Sales Academy

Bobby Gene Sanders Memorial Scholarship Awards

Wesley Allen                  Tattnall Square Academy
Harrison Bonfim          First Presbyterian Day School
William Deal                 Stratford Academy
Conner Gilbert             Mount de Sales Academy
Britton Jones                Jones County High School
Christian A. Lane         Central High School
Kieran MacKinnon      Stratford Academy

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On Monday night, March 2nd, the Macon Touchdown Club will be holding its annual Spring Jamboree.

We are fortunate to have University of Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart as our feature speaker this year.

As always, we will meet at The Methodist Home For Children, in The Rumford Center. The address is 304 Pierce Avenue, and the meeting begins at 6:00 pm.

Guest Fee is $40.00, and includes dinner, club activities, recognition of local and state high school athletes, recognition of local and state high school coaches, and the speaker.

Tickets can be picked up at U Park Em U Sell Em, located at 3306 Vineville Avenue, between the hours of 9:30AM and 6:00PM starting on Monday, February 17th. Tickets will be sold as first come, first serve.

Purchase your tickets from Russell Deese, cash and check only, made out to Macon Touchdown Club. For information, you can call Russell at 478-550-0524.

For non-members and guests of members, a ticket must be presented at the door for admittance.

For more information, please contact Lloyd Perkins at 478-256-6374, or email to info@macontouchdownclub.com.

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On Monday night, November 25th, the Macon Touchdown Club will welcome Coach Brett Gilliland of the University of West Alabama as our featured speaker.

Record setting quarterback and University of West Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame member Brett Gilliland is the 21st head football coach at his alma mater. The winningest coach in school history, Gilliland is 37-21 in charge of the Tiger program and showing no signs of slowing down.

Now entering his sixth season as the Tigers head coach, Gilliland returned to West Alabama from Kennesaw State, where he was coaching quarterbacks. Previous coaching stops include Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern.

In just his fourth year as head coach at UWA he led the Tigers to a 10-3 record and the 2017 Gulf South Conference championship and a third round trip in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Under Gilliland, the Tigers became just the third team in school history to win at least 10 games and the first since 1975. He followed that with an 8-4 mark in 2018 and another playoff trip.

Following his playing days at UWA, Gilliland began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Georgia Tech before moving on to the offensive staff Georgia Southern. While at Georgia Tech, Gilliland was a part of three Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Coastal Division Championships (2006, 2008 and 2009). In 2007, Gilliland worked with Yellow Jacket quarterbacks after assisting with the receiving corps in 2006, including Biletnikoff Award winner and current Detroit Lions star Calvin Johnson. Gilliland coached the running backs for two seasons at Tech, a group that included Doak Walker semi-finalist Jonathan Dwyer. Dwyer was the ACC rushing leader and player of the year in 2008.

In three seasons at Georgia Southern, Gilliland worked with the running backs (2010), tight ends and tackles (2011) and wide receivers (2012). He took over the recruiting coordinator duties following the conclusion of the 2011 season. With Gilliland on staff, Georgia Southern posted a 31-12 (.721) overall record, won two Southern Conference titles (2011, 2012) and made three consecutive NCAA Football Championship Series (FCS) semifinal appearances during Gilliland’s time as an Eagle.

Gilliland was a regional finalist for the Harlon Hill trophy in 2003. He earned all-region recognition from the Football Gazette (2002). He concluded his career as the Tigers’ single-season (3,213) and career passing yards (6,689) record holder.

In 2012, he was inducted into the UWA Athletic Hall of Fame. At the conclusion of his playing career, Gilliland had posted four of the top 10 single game passing performances in school history, including a then school-record 470 yards against Valdosta State in 2002.

A two-time member of the All-Gulf South Conference Academic list, he was a two-time winner of the Asa Green Scholar-Athlete Award, an award presented to the UWA student-athlete with the highest grade-point average on the football team, winning it in 2001 and 2003.

A 2003 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District IV selection, he also was honored twice with a Gulf South Conference “Top Eight” award before graduating magna cum laude from UWA in 2004.

Gilliland and his wife, Amanda, are the parents of a son, Rece (8), and a daughter, Ella Kate (3). His father, Ronnie, was a member of the UWA 1971 National Championship Football team.

As always, we will meet at The Methodist Home For Children, in The Rumford Center. The address is 304 Pierce Avenue, and the meeting begins at 6:30 pm.

Guest Fee is $30.00, and includes dinner, club activities, recognition of local high school athletes, recognition of a local high school, and the speaker.

For more information, call Lloyd Perkins @ 478-256-6374

https://uwaathletics.com

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On Monday night, November 18th, the Macon Touchdown Club will welcome Coach Jeff Monken of Army as our featured speaker.

Jeff Monken heads into his sixth season at the helm of Army West Point football in 2019 after being named the 37th individual head coach in program history on Dec. 24, 2013.

Monken shows a 71-44 career record as a head coach and a 35-28 mark at Army. The Black Knights have enjoyed success over the past three seasons with a 29-10 record, including back-to-back wins over Air Force, three-straight wins over Navy and three consecutive bowl-game victories.

Just a season ago Monken led the Cadets to a historic year as his squad became nationally ranked in early November for the first time in 22 years (1996). They remained in the Top-25 throughout the rest of the season and finished ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 20 in the Amway Coaches Poll. The year was highlighted by a program-record 11 wins, marking the first time in Academy history the Black Knights registered 10-plus wins in back-to-back seasons. Army also won the Commander In Chief’s trophy in consecutive seasons for the first time in program lore, while also garnering the Lambert Trophy for the first time in 60 years. The Black Knights became the first three-time winner of the Armed Forces Bowl as well that season after they routed Houston, 70-14, on Dec. 22. The 70 points put up by Army in that contest tied an FBS record for points scored in a bowl game.

To cap the 2018 season, the Cadets won 13 games in a row at home and finished their second-straight season going unbeaten at Michie Stadium. They held five consecutive opponents to 14 or less points to end the year as well and finished 11-0 when leading at the half. Army closed the year ranked first nationally in third down conversion percentage (.571), fourth down conversion percentage (.861), and time of possession (38:33), while also sitting second in rushing offense with 312.5 yards per game.

Twelve cadet-athletes were named to the Phil Steele’s All-Independent Team, and Monken received national praise after winning the George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award and the Vince Lombardi Award for National College Coach of the Year. He was also named a finalist for the Paul “Bear” Bryant and Eddie Robinson Awards for Coach of the Year.

As always, we will meet at The Methodist Home For Children, in The Rumford Center. The address is 304 Pierce Avenue, and the meeting begins at 6:30 pm.

Guest Fee is $30.00, and includes dinner, club activities, recognition of local high school athletes, recognition of a local high school, and the speaker.

For more information, call Lloyd Perkins @ 478-256-6374! GO ARMY!

http://www.goarmywestpoint.com

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