Today's interviewee is Christopher Chilton, athletic specialist for DeKalb County Schools. DeKalb is the only school system in the state with multiple schools that has what amounts to a sports information department. Chilton, a former multi-sport athlete at DeKalb's Lakeside High, has worked in his home county's athletic office for some 20 years.
Christopher Chilton, DeKalb County Schools athletic specialist
1. DeKalb County maintains statistics and produces media guides in each sport. Why do you believe that's important? "DeKalb County served as the forerunner for many advancements in athletics in metro Atlanta and Georgia. Boys and girls soccer basically got their beginnings in Georgia in DeKalb County. So did boys and girls gymnastics, fast-pitch softball and wrestling. DeKalb County dominated these sports in the beginning and for many years thereafter. Phil Schaefer [the retired broadcaster and Georgia Sports Hall of Fame member] took a position with the DeKalb County Athletic Department in 1981 and was asked to produce media guide books for football, basketball, baseball, soccer and track. He also began keeping statistics in many sports including football, basketball, baseball and soccer. This information was sent out to local news media and colleges across the Southeast and the entire country to both promote sports in DeKalb and increase the chances of student-athletes landing scholarships. DeKalb County has since added media guides to the remaining nine sports of cross country, fast-pitch softball, volleyball, swimming, wrestling, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse and tennis. The purpose of these is to promote student-athletes to local news media. We also have started to post the media guide books on the DeKalb County website for colleges to view on a quicker and easier basis. We also now provide statistics for cross country, fast-pitch softball, football, volleyball, basketball, swimming, wrestling, baseball, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis and wrestling. Results from the major meets such as county, region and state are also provided in track. The purpose of providing these statistics is again to promote the student-athletes. We feel like this is a service that is a positive for all parties, from the athletes to the colleges to the local media looking to provide coverage of DeKalb County sports. The history of sports in DeKalb County is a long and treasured one. We try to preserve that for all to learn."
2. What's your background in sports and DeKalb County, and how did you get to this point in your career? And did attending Lakeside High at its zenith as a sport power play a role in your love of sports? "I basically have lived in DeKalb my entire life, with the lone exception being the time I spent obtaining two degrees at the University of Georgia. I grew up playing all the major sports, including baseball, basketball, football and tennis, and developed a true passion for athletics. After obtaining my second degree in broadcast journalism, I knew a profession in sports was my major goal. I worked in radio, television and newspaper while in college with the intent of discovering which would be the best professional path to follow. That turned out to be newspaper work for 11 years. I covered high school sports in Douglas County for 15 months and then DeKalb County for 10 years. It was there that I met Phil Schaefer and developed a true appreciation of the work and information he provided.
"Attending Lakeside High School at the time I did was a special experience. Lakeside was recognized across the state as the premiere athletic and academic high school. An article in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution around 1982 pointed out the fact that Lakeside at that time had won more state championships than any school in the state. This included private schools. It truly was an honor and privilege to attend such a prestigious school, and I was able to learn many facets of life that I carried over to college and my professional pursuits."
3. Or maybe that last question can be part of this one: What do you like about high school sports that now makes it your career? "Having played baseball and basketball in high school, I learned the value of sports. Both individually and as a team, it taught me that these are experiences that need to be cherished for the rest of your life. You learn so much about working together toward a common goal. That teamwork can be so helpful when you land in a professional career. High school sports is the beginning. It is not tarnished as much as college and professional sports. It is in most cases truly played for the fun moments."
4. How many high school football games do you figure you've seen, and can you point to a most memorable game? Or the best player you've seen? "The number of high school football games is a lot. I attended probably 10-12 a year in high school, maybe another two-three a year while in college and then every Friday night and some Saturdays over the last 29 years. I figure that works out to maybe 15 a year or around 435 total. All together probably over 500 games total. There have been many memorable games.
"Lakeside beating [defending state champion] Clarke Central 17-15 in the subregion playoffs in 1978 is one that will always stand with me. Mark Fleetwood kicked a 40- or 41-yard field goal in the last few seconds to win it. The ball cleared the goal post by maybe 10 inches. I can still hear the P.A. announcer and other Clarke Central people in the press box shouting in disbelief. I also will always remember Lakeside taking a heavily favored Thomasville team - led by future Atlanta Falcons star William Andrews - to the wire in the state championship game in 1974. Thomasville led 26-6 at halftime, but Lakeside came back to 26-20 and might have won if not for a penalty in the last minute that took away a long pass play inside the Thomasville 10. I've also seen many state championships in my 28 years covering or working in sports in DeKalb County. This includes Tucker [two], Cedar Grove [two], Lakeside [one], Dunwoody [one] and Southwest DeKalb [one].
"Best player is really a tough call. There have been so many. Charlie Garnham was an outstanding running back at Lakeside in the mid-70s. Melvin Dorsey came in as a senior to Lakeside and was truly a special running back. Quincy Carter and Cosey Coleman at Southwest DeKalb. Roddy Jones of Chamblee still holds the all-time rushing record in DeKalb County. Henry Harris at Columbia in the early '80s. Old-time followers of Lakeside will tell you that Jack Bowen is the greatest player ever from that school. He played on the state championships in 1970 and 1972. From a talent stand-point, I probably would have to go with Quincy Carter out of the ones that I saw, with Melvin Dorsey also being right there. Again this list is a long one that could be debated for many days and nights."
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