Marietta honors Lemon Street legacy with signature uniforms
Marietta’s cultural and athletic history can’t be told without Lemon Street High School.
And the football team’s legacy, alumni, family and the 1966 Georgia Interscholastic Association state championship were celebrated Friday night before the Marietta High School Blue Devils faced Etowah at Northcutt Stadium, the same venue in which the Hornets reached their pinnacle decades ago.
Marietta honored Lemon Street by donning special-edition uniforms that celebrated the team’s history and motto, “Be Somebody,” which was coined by the Hornets’ title-winning coach Ben Wilkins. The pregame on-field ceremony included multiple Lemon Street alumni and family.
“The history of Marietta, our school system’s history, its foundation involves Lemon Street,” Marietta athletic director Craig McKinney said. “Our kids were thrilled, over the moon (about the uniforms). We have a panel of Lemon Street alumni, a number of alumni that I speak with on a fairly regular basis, to make sure we honor everything appropriately with the right colors, logos.
“Coach Ben Wilkins’ motto was ‘Be Somebody.’ That’s always been Marietta High School’s, too, even though he was head coach at Lemon Street. It’s painted on our basketball court, it’s on our jerseys. That motto was to inspire all the kids in Marietta to do just that. It’s something that’s carried on throughout the generations and we’re just honored to be able to honor Lemon Street appropriately.”
The project had been underway since Marietta’s 2019 state championship campaign. The school considered it paramount that its past continue to be memorialized in state history, especially so younger students understand Lemon Street’s impact.
Marietta is expected to wear the uniforms in at least one game annually, McKinney said.
The vision was guided by alumni, the Blue Devil Booster Club and Marietta product Harrison Bailey, the quarterback of the 2019 state championship team whose donation helped fund the uniforms.
The jersey includes the school’s navy and gray colors accented in white, while the helmet features the No. 66, a nod to the Hornets’ championship campaign. The front of the jersey reads “Lemon Street,” while the back nameplate says “Be Somebody.”
Lemon Street, which was established in 1929 and adopted its most recognized name in 1951, was the first Black high school in Cobb County. The school became a cultural symbol, an institution that provided rare opportunities for minorities. It also brought the community together with its athletics in later years. While schools were segregated, people of different backgrounds would enjoy Lemon Street athletics because the teams became so prominent.
The school gained further recognition in the 1960s, becoming an accredited school, which was then rare for Black schools because of limited resources.
Wilkins’ Hornets reached immortality by defeating Douglass of Thomasville in the 1966 GIA state championship game. Marietta, meanwhile, lost to Valdosta in its GHSA state championship game a day later.
The next year, Lemon Street closed and merged with Marietta, which then earned its first state championship that season. Wilkins was an assistant to coach French Johnson. Marietta didn’t win another title until 2019. The ‘66, ‘67 and ‘19 titles are acknowledged above the home stands at Northcutt Stadium.
Those associated with Marietta want the current and coming youth to carry the Lemon Street legacy with them always and grasp how important the school was to Marietta’s makeup in athletics and the community.
“We had three alumni come and speak with our players (on Friday) when we showed them the uniforms to explain what the history was and how integration occurred and why it was a big deal in Marietta when the schools came together,” McKinney said. “Teaching them that history was something they need to understand. That as a Marietta High School student, as a Blue Devil, you are carrying the legacy, the tradition of every member of this community.”
About the Author
Gabriel Burns is a general assignment reporter and features writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After four years on the Braves beat, he's expanded his horizons and covers all sports. You'll find him writing about MLB, NFL, NBA, college football and other Atlanta-centric happenings.
