GHSF Daily asked Georgia head coaches to answer these four questions. We'll report from a different head coach each day.
Mike Forester, Mount Pisgah Christian
1. What is the most memorable game you've been a part of as a player or coach? "When I was playing at Ole Miss, we were playing Alabama, and it was on Bear Bryant's birthday [Sept. 11, 1976], and we beat them 10-7. I can't get that one out of my mind. They were playing with a lot of guys - Jeff Rutledge, Ozzie Newsome -- that a couple of years later would win a national championship. They were kind of young, and we surprised them. We weren't very good. We were always 5-6, 6-5. But we could get ready for these big games, especially if we got them at home." [Forester was a defensive end at Ole Miss from 1973 to 1976. Ole Miss also defeated SEC champion Georgia 21-17 that year, as well as in 1975, both in Oxford. The Alabama game was in Jackson.]
2. Which high school coach would you want your son to play for, and why? "I hate to talk about an Alabama coach, but I'd definitely want him to play for Fred Yancey, the head coach at Briarwood Christian [with whom Forester worked for 20 years]. Another is Kenny Dallas, the defensive coordinator at Eagle's Landing Christian. He spent some time with us [at Briarwood] when he was head coach at Landmark Christian. Their emphasis is not just on the game of football but the character of the players. They're great coaches and great men. I'd love for my sons to play for them."
3. What is your pet peeve as a coach or favorite saying/motto? "I love that quote from Vince Lombardi: 'I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious.'" [Forester's father, Bill, played for Lombardi's Packers in the 1960s and made four Pro Bowls as a linebacker.]
4. Which GHSA policy or high school football rule would you most like to see changed? "I wish every school had a 25-second play clock in their end zone. There are times when you want to hurry up, hurry up, and times when you want to milk the clock as much as you can. It would help with game management."
Produced by Georgia High School Football Daily, a free e-mail newsletter. To join the mailing list, click here.
About the Author
