THOMASVILLE — The 1974 Thomasville Bulldogs football team made history with its 12-1 season, second straight state championship and first national title. Fifty years later, the team will reunite to celebrate its national championship.
The 50th anniversary celebration is scheduled for Oct. 4 at Veterans Memorial Stadium during Thomasville’s region game against Worth County.
“We’re getting together for our 50th reunion on Oct. 4 and be recognized here at halftime during the Worth County game,” said Randy Eason, who was a senior split end on the ’74 team. “After 50 years and the things we came through, it’s not just about being national champs or back-to-back state champions, it’s the camaraderie built during the tough times of integration.
“Everybody is ecstatic about getting together. There’s been great response. We’re going to get together at the Scott School to meet with the current team and have pre-game with them. They’re going to go off and get dressed, and we’ll hang around and have fellowship with each other.”
The ’74 Bulldogs were coached by the legendary Jim Hughes, led by running back William Andrews, who later played with the Auburn Tigers and Atlanta Falcons, and defeated Lakeside Atlanta 26-20 in the state championship game. Eason described the close bond shared amongst he and his teammates.
“Time has gone by so fast. It’s amazing how we’ve all kept in touch because of the closeness we had at that time,” Eason said. “We didn’t have any superstars on the team outside of William (Andrews). We just played together as a team. That’s carried over into the close relationships through the years.
“In fact, I lost a daughter, she had cancer in 2023. One of my teammates knew her from when he worked at the high school, and he did the service for me. We still lean on each other.”