Rodney Walker, who made Ga. high school football history with son Chip, dies
Rodney Walker, one of only 15 Georgia high school football coaches to win 300 career games, died Friday.
Walker, 79, coached in the state from 1972 to 2011 and won the 1984 state championship with West Rome in his only year with the program. He recorded region championships with West Rome, Stephens County, Peach County and Sandy Creek and spent his final seasons coaching at Mary Persons.
“I had the opportunity to work for coach Walker during his last five years of coaching at Mary Persons and for me, like many others, he made a lasting impact,” said Jeremy Rayburn, now the athletic director at Thomasville. “There have not been many situations since those years that I have not sought out his advice and direction. Many of us lost a mentor and a friend today, while high school football in the state of Georgia lost a true legend.”
Fitzgerald coach Wesley Tankersley said in a Facebook post: “He was not only a great coach, but someone that his players loved and respected. It is safe to say that I would not be the coach I am today without this relationship.”
While at Sandy Creek, Walker coached Georgia Tech and NFL great Calvin Johnson. After his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Johnson said that Walker was the first to show belief in the young receiver’s potential in football.
“His true legacy was never just about championships or wins,” the Sandy Creek football Facebook post reads. “It was about the standard he set and the way he poured into young men every single day. He built a culture rooted in toughness, discipline, accountability, pride, and love for one another.”
When Walker left Sandy Creek in 2004, his son, Chip Walker, took over the program, winning state titles in 2009, ’10 and ’12.
“As long as I’ve been coaching, (the 2009 championship) was the biggest thrill I’ve ever had,” Rodney Walker said in an interview with the AJC in 2010.
The 2009 championship marked the first time a father-son duo won titles in Georgia.
“We’re in the record books,” Rodney told Chip after the game.
Chip Walker has been the coach at Newnan since 2017.
“My dad was a great man, a great dad, a great leader, a great papa, a great husband, a great coach and mentor to many,” Chip Walker said. “He won a lot of games and championships, but the relationships with his players, coaches, and the communities he worked in were always most important to him. He loved Georgia high school football. In the end the only thing that mattered was he knew where he was going next and we did too. I know where’s he at right now and I love him.”
About the Author
Caitlyn Stroh-Page is the senior sports editor high school sports and college football at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Her resume includes stops at Sports Illustrated Kids, Scout.com, The (Macon) Telegraph, the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader and the Athens Banner-Herald. A South Georgia native, Stroh-Page lives in the Athens area.
