How the Guyton family helped build a South Georgia football powerhouse
The Guyton family name is all over Thomas County Central football.
It’s even draped on the stadium. 1991 Super Bowl champion Myron Guyton’s banner hangs under the navy letters reading “Welcome to the Jackets’ Nest.”
About 50 feet to its right, another banner recognizing Leonard Guyton III is tied to the bleachers. A senior starter on the Yellow Jackets’ offensive line, Leonard III is carrying his family’s legacy this season.
Leonard III became the newest family member to play for the Yellow Jackets in 2025. Three Guyton generations, several state champions and one Super Bowl winner have helped Thomas County Central cement its brand in South Georgia.
“The Guyton family is such a pillar in the athletic story of Central,” Thomas County Central football coach Justin Rogers said.
Guytons face high expectations at Thomas County Central, and Leonard III was no different when he transferred from Pelham, where his father coached for his first three seasons.
“You can’t have the last name Guyton and then come in there like you don’t know how to play football, you can’t tackle, can’t block, can’t run, you’re weak, can’t lift weights, nothing like that,” Leonard III said.
“If you don’t meet the standard, then people will talk bad about you. But if you meet it, they’ll talk good about you, also.”
For Leonard III, the move was a homecoming. He grew up going to Central games, rooting for relatives, working as a ball boy. Now he gets one shot to help the Jackets win a seventh state championship. They’re 5-0, ranked No. 2 in Class 5A, and open region play Friday against Lee County.
A state championship in 2025 would be the perfect full-circle moment for the Guyton family.
At least one Guyton played in each of Central’s five 1990s titles. Leonard III’s father, Leonard Jr., was the starting quarterback for two of them. The only championship without a Guyton came in 2023 — though his sister Kirsten was on the sideline as a cheerleader.
Myron, Leonard Jr. and Leonard III count at least eight family members who’ve worn Central’s uniform since the 1970s. Myron, the youngest of seven, idolized his older brother, the first Guyton to play for Central.
“I wanted to be just like him,” said Myron, who later played seven professional seasons, five for the Giants and two for the Patriots. “(Thomas County Central was) my professional football team.”
Myron didn’t lead the Yellow Jackets to any state championships.
But he takes pride in another number from his time. He says he’s one of 20 teammates to play college football and one of three to play in the NFL.
He has since been inducted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and Thomas County Central’s Hall of Fame.
He’s a Thomas County Central booster now, though he isn’t as personally involved in the program as some of his other relatives, like Leonard Jr.
Myron’s nephew and the father of Leonard III also fell in love with Thomas County Central at an early age.
He recalls when his parents divorced and he moved inside the city limits of Thomasville, which would be zoned for Thomasville High.
“I remember looking at my mom as a young boy going, ‘Mama, if I can’t play at Central and I’ve got to go to Thomasville High, I’m moving in with my granddaddy,’” Leonard Jr. recalled. “I was serious, and she knew it.”
It was a good decision for Leonard Jr., who led the Yellow Jackets through part of the best decade in program history. He won state championships in 1994, 1996 and 1997 and left Thomas County Central with a career record of 51-6.
Leonard Jr. starred at Carson-Newman, became a two-time All-American and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2024.
But for all his success at the next level — including a Carson-Newman Hall of Fame induction in 2024 — Leonard Jr. seems to most enjoy talking about his high school days.
“What was more for me was the stories, the sleeping in the gym, that camaraderie with the teammates,” Leonard Jr. said. “And that’s what I know just from the old days of Thomas County Central Football, being athletic, but more so being a community and being Central.”
Thomas County Central endured a 25-year championship drought after Leonard Jr.’s senior year. The Yellow Jackets slowly faded out of South Georgia’s spotlight in the early 2000s before a mediocre decade in the 2010s.
Then, coach Justin Rogers took over in 2022, turning a 5-6 program into a 12-1 region champion in his first year.
The 15-0 state championship season followed in 2023, bringing a deeper sense of identity back to the Thomas County Central community.
“You knew Thomas County Central was going to come at you, and I think it’s good now just to see the community erupt again,” Leonard Jr. said. “I mean, now I go to Walmart sometimes just for a social event because if somebody sees you, they’re going to talk about football.”
Myron said he feels plenty of love from Thomas County Central, but he’d like to see other former players get more.
“I didn’t win a championship, and I’m in the Thomas County Central Hall of Fame,” Myron said. “There’s no way I should be in the Thomas County Central Hall of Fame before (Leonard Jr.).
“They should know who Leonard Guyton is because he won championships. You should bring him back and let him speak to the kids now.”
Leonard Jr. will always love his alma mater. He still hesitates wearing another school’s colors as an assistant principal at Cairo High School because it shares the same dominant color (red) as Thomasville High.
He still loves his hometown team, especially as his son cements his legacy in the same uniform.
This fall, the family is especially grateful. Leonard III broke his ankle on the third day of spring practice and needed surgery but rehabbed in time for his senior season. His first start came in a 56-0 win at Cairo — where his dad now works.
“It felt amazing, really, because when I broke my ankle, I didn’t think I was going to be able to play again,” Leonard III said. “I was crying because I felt like it was a season-ending injury, and then when he told me I’d be able to play by the time the season started, I was very happy.”
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.
