Former two-sport Clinch County state champ hired as Panthers football coach
Clinch County named Rance Morgan as its football coach Thursday to replace Jim Dickerson, who announced his retirement earlier this week.
Morgan is the school’s assistant principal and has not coached football since 2019, but he’s a former assistant coach at Clinch and Lanier County and a former all-state football player for Clinch.
Morgan was a defensive back on Clinch County’s 2002 Class A championship team. He also starred on Clinch County’s 2003 baseball championship team and played baseball at Georgia and Valdosta State.
Morgan most recently was on the football sidelines as Clinch County’s offensive coordinator in 2019, then went into administration. He will remain the school’s assistant principal, according to superintendent Lori James.
Dickerson, Clinch County’s coach in 2005-18 and 2024-25, established his alma mater as the top Class A public school football program this century by winning five state championships and assisting on one other.
Dickerson was on the coaching staff for each of the South Georgia school’s eight football state titles, the first in 1988.
Clinch County’s head coach has been an alumnus each season since 1974, starting with Don Tison Sr. He was followed by Cecil Barber, Dickerson and his son, Tison Jr.
About the Author
Todd Holcomb covers high school sports across the state. He rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025 and has worked with the AJC in varying capacities since 1985. He is a co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
