MILLIANS: Our greatest sports figures

Published 12:00 pm Friday, June 28, 2024

Several years ago Sports Illustrated compiled lists of what it called the “Greatest Sports Figures” from each of the 50 states. 

The lists contained players, coaches and administrators from just about every sport. 

For example, Ty Cobb, Herschel Walker and Bobby Jones were highest on the Georgia list. Further down were Bill Elliott and Paul Anderson, who won weightlifting gold in the 1956 Olympics. 

So, here’s my Sports Illustrated-like list for Milledgeville’s Greatest Sports Figures.

JAVON BULLARD – A three-star recruit out of Baldwin, Bullard developed into a star in the Georgia secondary, winning two National Championships. He was the defensive MVP in the 2022 semifinal game against Ohio State and the national title game against TCU. He’ll be a rookie with the Green Bay Packers this season. 

J.T. WALL – After playing fullback for coach Mark Richt at Georgia, he was selected in the seventh round by the Steelers in the NFL draft. In 13 seasons as the John Milledge head coach, Wall has won five state titles, had five undefeated seasons and, at one point, had a 62-game winning streak.

WALLY BUTTS – Born in Milledgeville, he was a three-sports star at GMC. Mercer University offered him scholarships in football, basketball and baseball. As head coach at Georgia, Butts had a 140-86-9 record, winning four SEC titles, six bowl games and a shared national championship in 1942. 

EARNEST BYNER – The former Baldwin running back played at East Carolina, before being selected by Cleveland in 1984 NFL draft. He accounted for more than 13,000 total yards, mainly with the Browns. He won a Super Bowl playing for the Washington Redskins. 

FREDDY LAYTON – He was a legend, running the recreation department and winning multiple state championships as coach of the Milledgeville all-star teams. He went on to coach at GMC and other high schools.

TASHA BUTTS – The Baldwin star was named the state girls’ player on the year in 2000. She played for the Tennessee Lady Vols and in the WNBA. After serving as an assistant coach at several schools, she was named head coach at Georgetown. She passed away with breast cancer before her first game as head coach.

DONALD HARTRY – The youngest of five Hartry brothers, Donald was named a McDonald’s All-American in 1982, the only Baldwin player to earn that honor. He went on to play at Georgia and was a member of the Bulldogs’ only Final Four team.

JAMES LUNFORD – The Baldwin Gymnasium was named in his honor. He won more than 800 games in his 40-year career, taking six Baldwin teams to the final four and winning one state championship. He later coached basketball at GMC.

ANDREW PRESTWOOD – Andrew graduated from John Milledge in 2017 and scored 2,000 points in his high school basketball career, leading the team to one state runner-up and one Final Four finish. The night he reached 2,000 he scored 40 points (out of the team’s 53) to help the Trojans win the program’s first region championship since 1991. Four of his siblings – Maggie, Jacob, Jared and Marcus – scored more than 1,000 career points. 

LEROY HILL – He was the ACC Defensive player of the year in his senior season (2004) at Clemson, when the linebacker had 19 tackles for loss and eight sacks. The Baldwin product played eight seasons in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks. 

CHARLES HERTY – The Milledgeville native was an internationally-recognized chemist who revolutionized the southern forestry and naval stores industry. He formed the first varsity football team at the University of Georgia.

GARY HARDIE – A three-sport star at GMC, he went on to play football for coach Pepper Rodgers and baseball for coach Jim Luck at Georgia Tech. He set a single-game rushing record for a Tech quarterback. He played in the Mets organization before injuries cut short his baseball career. 

RUSTY KIDD — Kiddstarted at quarterback for Baldwin as a freshman and sophomore before transferring to Baylor Prep School in Chattanooga. He signed with Tennessee, but injuries limited his career.

COMER GHEESLING – A good athlete at Baldwin High who was known for his speed, Gheesling was the director of the Milledgeville recreation department for 15 years. 

JIMMY DILLARD/DANNY ROGERS – They were both great players in Milledgeville youth baseball lore and were stars for the Baldwin baseball team.

WOOD BROTHERS – Chris and Clay Wood were excellent all-around athletes in recreation ball and in high school at GMC. 

RONNY SIMPSON/JIMMY HARDIE/MIKE PUCKETT – They were the stars of the 1965 GMC football team – a squad many consider to be GMC’s best ever. Simpson (halfback), Hardie (quarterback) and Puckett (line) had college careers and later served as GMC head coaches.

KENNY WHEAT – A tackle at GMC, Wheat went on to play at the University of South Carolina and become a successful businessman in Columbia.

SIDD OAKLEY/BOBBY BROWN – I once asked the late, great Larry Allen to name the best local players he’d ever seen. He quickly named the pair of Baldwin High linemen.

There are so many great sports figures from Milledgeville. I’m sure I missed some. Email me and I’ll include them next time.

Rick Millians, a 1970 Baldwin High graduate, retired after working at newspapers in Georgia, Ohio and South Carolina. Reach him at rdmillians@aol.com.