Jim Dickerson of Clinch County, one of only nine coaches in GHSA history to win five state titles in football, announced his retirement Thursday evening at a meeting of the Clinch County board of education.
Dickerson led the Panthers to the Class A public-school championship the past two seasons, each time defeating Irwin County in rematches of games that Clinch had lost in the regular season.
Dickerson’s record in 15 seasons as the Panthers’ head coach was 152-44-1. He won seven region titles and coached 62 all-state players, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.
A Clinch County graduate, Dickerson has spent almost his entire life in Homerville. He played on the Panthers’ first region-championship team as a nose guard in 1980 under coach Donald Tison.
Dickerson then played two years at Georgia Southwestern and finished up at Valdosta State. He came back to Homerville as a student teacher and volunteer assistant on Tison’s staff in 1988, when the Panthers won the first of their seven Class A championships.
Dickerson joined the staff full-time the next season, became defensive coordinator in 1994 under Cecil Barber and head coach in 2004.
Dickerson will remain at the high school through the school year.
The Clinch County News first reported the story.
Most GHSA state titles as a head coach:
14 – Wright Bazemore, Valdosta
11 - Larry Campbell, Lincoln County
7 – Nick Hyder, Valdosta
7 – Jess Simpson, Buford
5 – Jeff Herron, Oconee County/Camden County/Grayson
5 – Charlie Grisham, Carrollton
5 – Ed Pilcher, Thomas County Central
5 – Jonathan Gess, Eagle’s Landing Christian
5 – Jim Dickerson, Clinch County
About the Author
