Coaches have an everlasting impact on the players they instruct.
And so to honor that fact, a fellowship dinner was held to honor a group of past football coaches from South Pike High School on Friday at Golden Corral.
Former head coach Greg Wall and assistants Lester Swanigan, Clarence Morgan, Mac Honea and Julius Williams were all honored at the event, and past players and cheerleaders were also in attendance to celebrate their accomplishments.
During Wall's tenure from 1974-1995, the Eagles posted an impressive 189-48-2 overall record. Those teams went 54-8 in district competition and 21-8 in postseason play.
Wall is the winningest coach in South Pike's football history, with the next closest individual being 133 victories behind him.
"We had a lot of great players to go along with a great staff, so that always helps," Wall said of his tenure. "And the coaches stayed together from '74 to '95, which is rare. Our teams were just mentally tough and disciplined."
The program notably finished under .500 in the previous two years before Wall become head coach, and he bucked that trend by securing a winning season in his second year at the helm. The dynasty quickly developed from that point onward.
"He just made playing football fun, and he was also the kind of coach that you wanted to play for and didn't want to let down," Anthony Williams, a former South Pike running back, said of Wall. "He built his program with care so that all these people would want to come back to see him."
Morgan and Honea have since passed and thus were honored in spirit at the dinner.
Williams coordinated with former players and coaches to set up the event. Former Eagles from as far as California, Texas and Indiana were in attendance, with Williams leading the evening's festivities.
"One of the best things about coaching was seeing these kids go on to college and earn degrees," Wall said. "And now to see them again from all over is great."
After everybody ate and reintroduced themselves with each other, nearly a dozen former players took to the microphone to share past stories and memories of their times at South Pike.
The speeches ranged from the men thanking the coaches for acting as father figures in their younger years to players recalling the not-so-fond memories of getting chewed out by their elders.
"He was genuine in everything he did," Williams said about Wall. "Coach really cared about us doing well in everything, because he knew life went way beyond high school football."
The jovial night produced just as many laughs as tears, and it was truly a special moment for the Eagle community both past and present.
"It just really makes me feel good for us to all get together again," Wall said. "With two of the coaches having passed away, this is such a special moment."
Before leaving, each former player also signed custom-made books for their coaches. They jotted down their name, years they were at South Pike, what position they played, a quick note, and most importantly, their phone numbers so they could stay in touch.
