Some sad news surfaced out of Macon last Monday when it was learned that legendary coach and athlete Bobby Brown had passed away after a long illness. Brown starred at Lanier High School in the early 1950s and went on to sign a professional baseball contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Though he would eventually play ball at Mercer, it was as a coach that Brown will most be remembered. He coached at Willingham High, Lanier High, Mark Smith High, Stratford and FPD, leading his teams to four state titles and eight region championships.
In other Macon news, local golf talent Russell Henley recorded rounds of 67, 68, 66 and 69 to shoot a 10-under 270 and win the Georgia Amateur Championship on Sunday. His score of 270 set a new Georgia Amateur record. David Noll Jr., the tournament’s past champion, finished third with an eight-under 272. Henley became the first Georgia Amateur Champion to win on his home course in nearly 40 years.
Andrew An, a former Mercer men’s golf star, just added to his long list of accomplishments, most recently being named a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America. An, who graduated in May with a degree in accounting, was also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 2008 Men’s At-Large Team on May 22. As for his play on the course, An claimed individual medalist honors at the Larry Nelson Collegiate hosted by Kennesaw State and was second on his team during the 2007-08 campaign with a 75.5 stroke average. Also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee during his time with the Bears, An was only one of 96 athletes in Division I to earn the Cleveland Academic honor.
FALCONS GIVE BACK
The Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation, one of the most active team-led foundations in professional sports today, announced last week that it will grant more than $300,000 to improve fitness among Georgia’s youth. The grant will fund a variety of summer sports and fitness programs, which will serve more than 3,000 kids across the state. The money will also be used to expand “Falcons Fitness Zones” activities for the underserved youth in five metro Atlanta neighborhoods.
In some not-so-exciting Falcons news, imprisoned quarterback Michael Vick has announced he will seek bankruptcy protection, citing he owes between $10 and $50 million to creditors. Last Monday, the troubled signal caller filed Chapter 11 papers in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Vick is in the middle of serving a 23-month prison sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan.
On the national sporting front, the PGA implemented their Anti-Doping Program two weeks ago and Davis Love III and Charles Howell immediately experienced the new policy. During the AT&T National last week, Howell was handed a pink slip requiring he be tested as he was signing in. The TOUR does not disclose who gets tested and Howell was most likely not the first. The National Center for Drug Free Sport will notify the tour’s administrator once the results have been completely analyzed.
RECRUITING NOTES
In general, the State of Georgia is a highly attractive recruiting territory for colleges looking to score major football athletes, and the last few weeks have been no different. Several teams over that time period have raided the state, as at least seven athletes have committed to play football outside of the state’s borders. The biggest winner has been UCF, who earned commitments from a total of three Georgia athletes. In one day, Troy Davis (Berkmar), Tay Irvin (Troup) and Jim Teknipp (Henry County) decided to bring their games to Central Florida. Following suit, on July 7, Brandon Jacobs (Parkview) and Shane Mularkey (Greater Atlanta Christian) chose Auburn and North Carolina, respectively, while three days later Antonio Foster (Valdosta) announced his commitment to Tennessee and Blake Southerland (Greater Atlanta Christian) committed to Vanderbilt.
Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com.
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