John "Buck" Cravey, the only head football coach to win state championships in both the GHSA and GISA, died Tuesday at the age of 76, the Macon Telegraph has reported.

Cravey won 270 games, 17th-most in state history, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.

In 1969, he won the only state title in the history of Vidalia High, where he coached from 1967 to 1972 and then 1975 to 1992.

Cravey left Vidalia to coach at Briarwood Academy in Warrenton and then Pinewood Christian in Bellville in the Georgia Independent School Association. Pinewood won a state title in 1997.

Vidalia’s football field is named in Cravey’s honor.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Kennesaw State coach Jerry Mack helped the Owls achieve bowl eligibility for the first time in program history on the strength of a stout and experienced offensive line. (Dave Williamson/Kennesaw State Athletics)

Credit: Dave Williamson/Kennesaw State

Featured

Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. It was the first day the Federal Aviation Administration cut flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com