52 years of Friday nights: How ‘Papa Win’ has earned ‘legendary status’
MADISON — Two Putnam County football coaches watch through a rain-peppered window in the visiting coaches’ box.
Early against Morgan County, one anxiously rocks back and forth in his chair.
The other, Charlie Winslette, hardly moves.
Winslette, 74, is in his 52nd season as a high school football coach. The three-time The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Coach of the Year is in seven Georgia-based halls of fame. He was nominated by legendary former Georgia football coach Vince Dooley for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Winslette is finished winning as a head coach, but he’s still chasing victory with Putnam County as an assistant.
“I don’t like rain games,” Winslette said before kickoff. “Your quarterbacks and skill players have a tough time protecting the football.”
As predicted, the War Eagles fumbled three times on their first three plays.
Later in the drive, Putnam County faced a third-and-7 on its own 28-yard line. Winslette’s play-calling days are behind him, but he saw success as his team broke the huddle.
“There ain’t nobody on the outside,” Winslette said.
Sure enough, Putnam County beat Morgan County to the edge and broke off a 46-yard run.
Three plays and another fumble later, Winslette saw the first touchdown of the game before his own quarterback did.
“There he is,” Winslette said as his quarterback turned around to a see a wide-open tight end. “... Attaboy.”
Winslette could have retired 14 years ago and received penalty-free benefits from the Teachers Retirement System. Eligibility for full pension is the career end zone for many educators.
But Winslette didn’t consider retirement.
“There’s nothing any more exciting than a high school football Friday night,” Winslette said. “I know when I do finally quit, I’m going to still want to be there on a Friday night.
“But I want to be some way in the game. I’m upstairs there in the booth, and I help with the offense. I help with the defense. I do what I can, but I do realize my role has changed.”
Winslette said he’s had many nicknames over the years. Some, he added, weren’t worth boasting about, but he admitted to liking the one he has at Putnam County.
At least, he likes it enough to keep it on his headset.
“Papa Win.”
While the moniker serves as a shortening for Winslette, it also points to a remarkable career, highlighted by two state championships and a 260-134-3 record in 34 years as a head coach.
Winslette started his football life leading Putnam County to its only state title in 1967 as an AJC all-state tackle. He was an assistant coach for several years before his first head coaching job at Fayette County in 1977.
He also coached at Statesboro, West Rome, Greene-Taliaferro, Coffee, Tift County, Stephens County and Gatewood, and he finished his head coaching career at Greene County in 2011.
Winslette won region championships at four different schools, one of 11 coaches in Georgia high school football history to do so.
He is one of four head coaches in Georgia high school football history to lead three different schools to a state championship game.
His age and the wisdom that comes with it have given him a unique voice.
“When you’re that old, kids are going to look at you like you’re a grandfather figure, right?” Putnam County coach Joel Harvin said. “Kids are just young kids. We have to remind them about who he is, because other than that, he’s just Coach Winslette.
“When you explain it to those kids, it’s like, ‘What? Coach Winslette has done all that?’ That level of respect is if coach Winslette says something, obviously he knows what he’s talking about.”
Harvin added that Winslette doesn’t only coach his players. He also called Winslette an “encyclopedia” during coaches’ meetings.
“It’s like legendary status, I’m sitting in the room with a legend,” Harvin said. “By no means does he ever try and interfere and tell us what to do.
“It’s my ninth year being a head coach, but there’s still times that I can ask him about certain things, and he’ll tell me stories about stuff that happened in 1985, early 1990s, stuff like that that were very similar situations.”
How Winslette helped UGA find a first-round NFL draft pick
Harvin isn’t the first coach to tap into Winslette’s football knowledge. Former UGA coach Ray Goff can thank Winslette for one of his most impactful decisions coaching the Bulldogs.
Winslette tells the story of how he helped Georgia High School Football Hall of Famer Robert Edwards become an NFL running back.
Winslette first heard of Edwards when he was coaching Greene-Taliaferro in the early 1990s. He saw Edwards’ film when he was primarily a linebacker at Washington County but would occasionally line up as a running back.
“I never saw him gain less than 10 yards,” Winslette said. “Not only couldn’t they tackle him, but they couldn’t two-hand touch him. He was hell on wheels.”
At the time, Georgia Southern was the only school recruiting Edwards. Upon Winslette’s recommendation, that changed, and Edwards signed to play for Goff and the Bulldogs.
Edwards played cornerback his freshman season at UGA. Winslette interjected with Goff again before Edwards’ sophomore season.
“(Goff) said, ‘I think we’re going to have a pretty good football team this year, but we don’t have a running back,’” Winslette said. “I said, ‘Your damn running back’s playing cornerback.’”
Edwards moved to running back and rushed for 325 yards and six touchdowns that season.
Goff was fired before Edwards rushed for 1,708 yards and 21 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Georgia. The New England Patriots drafted Edwards with the No. 18 overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft.
An enduring resource for Georgia coaches
Winslette’s football IQ remains well-respected in the UGA community. It wasn’t long ago that Georgia coach Kirby Smart called on Winslette to prepare for a bitter rival.
Winslette’s high school season was done when Smart asked for assistance defending Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense. Winslette’s son, Matt, was an All-American center for Georgia Southern when the Eagles ran the triple-option en route to a 14-1 season.
“I watched every game he ever played,” Winslette said. “So, you know, I knew the offense pretty well and was able to go up and help Kirby and them the whole week.”
Winslette relishes these opportunities. He shares more stories about players and coaches he’s helped than stories about his wins.
“It’s just good to have been in the business long enough to have enough influence, I guess,” Winslette said.
These days, Winslette supervises in-school suspension at Putnam County High School. He works about 30 feet from Harvin’s office, which is convenient for what Winslette actually spends his time doing: assisting in game preparation. Winslette said he watches at least four full games every week, analyzing opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
He’ll also draw up packets of schemes and plays to go over with Harvin every week.
“The biggest thing is he’s constantly in coach mode,” Harvin said. “And he’s going to give us the breakdown of every team. He’s going to figure out how old every kid is. He’s going to make the scout reports, and it’s all on his own.”
About the Author
Jack Leo is a sports writer and reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jack worked for the AJC throughout his four years studying journalism and sports media at Georgia State University and the University of Georgia. He's now focused on telling stories in the grassroots: bringing comprehensive coverage of high school sports for AJC Varsity.
