In January 2016, Valdosta High School head football coach Rance Gillespie decided to part ways with the Wildcats, accepting a position as co-offensive coordinator with the Eagles of Georgia Southern University. He will be sharing coordinator responsibilities with David Dean, who vacated his head coaching position with the Valdosta State University Blazers.
As the hunt for Gillespie’s predecessor began and the applicants were narrowed, tensions were high amidst the Valdosta community and Wildcat faithful. However, the discussion about who should be the next football coach, whether held in public or whispered amongst friends, was about something that some found to be unexpected or irrelevant: race. Should the next coach be a black man or a white man?
Was race a factor in who was being considered to sit at the helm of the nation’s most storied high school program? Should it be? What qualities must a coach possess in order to be considered a qualified candidate? Is ethnicity one of those qualities?
Back in March, we sought to address this elephant in the room. Much like the movie Remember the Titans, racial reconciliation is not found by ignoring or dismissing the issue; it is found in open dialogue, loving actions, and a level of comfort in being uncomfortable while handling such complex issues. The goal of the community should be unity, not division, and with the selection of Alan Rodemaker as head coach, it is our hope that the Wildcats will remain as strong as ever, on and off of the field.
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In the Game / June 2016
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The Wildcat Tradition: It’s All About the Black and Gold
Written by James A. Washington and Cole Parker
