LaGrange Grangers Football History

LaGrange Football, a cavalcade of legends since 1908

"The tradition and excellence that is LaGrange High football has been built, re-defined and enhanced for over 100 years by some of the greatest coaches in the history of high school football in the Peach State," says Scott Sickler, LaGrange football historian. "LaGrange football is simply put a century of a cavalcade of legends. Every great LaGrange team that's ever won a championship has been the product of two things — 1) superb coaching; and 2) great team defense. We hang our hat on defense first at LaGrange. You always have a chance for great success if you build your team around great athletes on defense and intimidating the opposition. It's been a winning formula for Granger football for decades. A Granger always believes we can win any game, anywhere at anytime. It's the Granger swagger. LaGrange defense is "agile, mobile and extremely hostile."

New Granger coach Donnie Branch put it best: "Tradition at LaGrange is huge and very important to our program and the success we've enjoyed through the years. It's an honor to be at LaGrange High and I've been fortunate to work for some great coaches in Gary Guthrie and Steve Pardue. LaGrange has had great football for over a century and the Granger Nation is second to none in the state of Georgia. We look to build upon what's been done in the past and get things rolling again in winning championships. That's what Granger football is all about — championships and being the best."

Great coaches in the early years from Amos Teasley and Bernie Moore (later the second commissioner of the Southeastern Conference), to the glory days of legendary hall of fame coach Oliver Hunnicutt (1942-71 with two state championships in 1955 and 1958). Another hall of famer — Jimmy Hightower (1971-79) — was best known for his great success at Americus High in the 1960s with Dan Reeves and Chan Gailey, later NFL greats to the modern era of Danny Cronic (1980-83), as Cronic's '83 Grangers went 14-1 and knocked off No. 1 in the nation in the Clarke Central High Gladiators of Billy Henderson at Callaway Stadium in one of LaGrange's all-time greatest wins. After Cronic, Guthrie took over (1984-1993) and led the Grangers to region titles in '85, '86, '89 and an undefeated GHSA 4A and USA-Today national championship season in 1991 in what was simply a magical season for LaGrange. Steve Pardue led the Grangers from 1994-2010 and enjoyed the most successful run in over 100 years of LaGrange football. Pardue led LaGrange to state titles in 2001, 2003 and 2004 and also was an assistant to Guthrie on the '91 state and national championship season. Two of Pardue's teams — 2001 and 2004 — were nationally-ranked and the '04 team with a super fast, super physical and super intimidating defense is not only one of the greatest in school history but ranks with the best ever in Georgia history. LaGrange's '04 champions are one of only 11 teams in GHSA history (1947-present) to have won every game in a season by at least 11 points. Pardue's '04 GHSA 3A state champions were nationally-ranked in six polls and named as the Georgia High School Daily newsletter as the GHSA 3A Team of the Decade. Veteran WACO coach Rick Tomberlin called LaGrange's '04 defense "the best I've ever seen in my career."

One of the highlight's in LaGrange's illustrious football history came in 2003, the 100th anniversary of LaGrange High School, when LaGrange defeated No. 1-ranked Peach Co. 16-7 in Fort Valley, Ga. to cap an amazing 14-game run to the GHSA 3A state in what was expected to be a rebuilding season after losing a plethora of talent from the standout 2002 team. Once again it was amazing team defense which backboned the Grangers to another state championship in 2003 and perhaps the sweetest of all of LaGrange's official or unofficial 11 state championships (1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1930, 1955, 1958, 1991, 2001, 2003 & 2004).

LaGrange has accomplished what few programs in Georgia ever have in winning state titles and alumni on NFL world championship Super Bowl teams (Tyrone Poole with New England Patriots in 2003, 2004).

With 671 official wins, LaGrange is (believed to be well over 700 wins as 8-10 years of records in the early 1900s are missing) among the Top 50 winningest high school football programs in the USA (among 13,000 teams) and one of just four schools in Georgia (Valdosta, Warner Robins and Thomasville others) to ever have claimed a high school football national championship.

Coach Branch is the 13th head coach in LaGrange's history which officially began in November 1908 against old rival Newnan High.