Locust Grove coach says resignation ‘my decision,’ calls GHSA ruling ‘crazy’

Garry Fisher, the football coach who led Locust Grove to its first region championship before the Georgia High School Association stripped the team of eight victories in January, resigned Wednesday, saying he wanted to spend more time with family.

Fisher said the decision was his and had nothing to do with the GHSA’s ruling, which he said he “despised.”

“It was one of the things that would’ve fueled me to continue, not contribute to me stepping down,” Fisher told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The GHSA ruled after the season that two Locust Grove players, before enrolling last spring, were part of a 7-on-7 team run by Locust Grove coaches. That would violate the GHSA’s follow-the-coach rule, making them ineligible for one year.

Fisher contended the players did not play in 7-on-7 games until enrolled, no later than March, and were approved to play by the GHSA before the fall season.

“I really despise what the GHSA did with that decision,” Fisher said. “All of the kids in our program moved here to Locust Grove. We built a program where kids wanted to move in. It’s a great school environment. Everything we did was on the up and up. For the GHSA to come back after the season and say we played a kid we influenced (to transfer) is crazy.”

Fisher said he would remain a teacher at the Henry County school and had the support of his principal, Anthony Townsend.

“I’m fully on board at Locust Grove as a teacher, and it’s fully my decision,” Fisher said. “It was nothing where I was fired. Principal Townsend is a great administrator to work for. He wanted me to return as head football coach, and I just told him I’d help in any other capacity but couldn’t make that commitment.”

Fisher has six children — three young teenagers and three college age —including a football player whom Fisher has not seen play at the University of Chicago.

“I’ve been coaching the past 24 years straight,” Fisher said. “It’s my job. It’s my passion. I love coaching ball. But I just came back from the winter break after spending time with my family and talking with the little ones, and it’s time for me to spend time with them.”

Fisher got the Locust Grove job in 2022, inheriting a team that had gone 0-10. His first two teams were 1-19, but the 2024 team was 5-5, the first non-losing season since 2016. The 2025 team was 9-2 and lost in the Class 5A first round to Centennial.

Fisher is an Ohio native and former Bowling Green linebacker who spent 17 seasons on college staffs, most recently at Tennessee State as defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2019.