Celebrating Bowl Season!
August 22, 1961 Tuesday morning Ft. Stewart Football Camp. Right before Hal Stafford was hit on the right thigh and was out half the season. Locals in the photo: Gary Sinrich, Butch Fulton, Hal Stafford, Charlie Bowers, Carl Dykes, Lamar Carter & David Aspinwall
Bowl season is here and like any good Georgians, we’re rooting for UGA as they face off against Penn State in the TaxSlayer Bowl. In the south, football is a religion and while I as a girl, never played the sport, I did attend many a football game. When our high school team won, we cheered in victory and hung our heads in shame with every defeat and collectively resolved to do better next time. I, unlike many here, didn’t go to a college with a football team and while I’m not a “sports” girl, I do enjoy the highs and lows, the pride and the spirit involved in having a team to root for.
Football has of course, played a major role in Liberty County. Several of our native residents that played high school football may reminisce from time to time about the days of playing football for Bradwell Institute and the BI Lions, as they once were known.
Our current City of Hinesville Mayor-Elect, Allen Brown, was on the team and has fond memories of his teammates and coaches.
“The Bradwell Lions of the sixties and seventies were a force to be reckoned with; most every year making the playoffs under Coach Hokey Jackson and later Coach Clifford Johnson,” said Brown. “The biggest year was the 1965 State Championship led by Candler Boyd, Phil Lindsey, Hardy Cone and Bill Stanford. Bradwell beat Manchester 13-9 and finished 14-0. Bradwell’s new football stadium was recently named Hokey Jackson Stadium.”
The CVB got way into the football spirit this year, and you can find us on the inside front cover of the program for the TaxSlayer Bowl. We couldn’t keep all the fun of the game to ourselves so we gave away eight tickets to the game; four during our Business After Hours with the Chamber and four in a Facebook contest. We’re hoping the winners will have a great time during their getaway to Jacksonville.
Liberty County Junior Football League
Formerly the Gator Bowl, it’s history goes all the way back to 1944 when Maurice Cherry found the streets of Jacksonville lifeless following the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. He wanted some revitalization and football proved to be the key. Football was a welcome respite for war-weary Americans and a bowl campaign was initiated through the Lions Club. History is a bit fuzzy as to how it got the name Gator Bowl but it is now a 70-year tradition in which we’re happy to be a small part.
I currently live close enough to Olvey Field, that during football season, I can hear the marching band, the announcer and cheers from the crowd echoing through my neighborhood. To me, it’s a comforting sound. It’s the sound of high spirits, energy and youth. I’m not a football girl so to speak but the sounds from the game bring back fond memories and remind me that football season for many is the most wonderful time of the year.
-Amanda Scott, Program Manager for the Liberty County Convention & Visitors Bureau
The Right Blend Blog is written by three different authors employed by the Liberty County Chamber/CVB. As we are able we rotate weeks and each write about our individual experiences, opinions and let our writing reflect our personalities and creativity. All content provided on The Right Blend blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.
