Just a few days after his state championship loss, Lowndes High School head coach Randy McPherson announced his retirement from coaching the football program.
One of the best coaches in the state, McPherson guided the 2019 Vikings to a 14-1 season, in which they ranked as high as No. 5 in the country. For 18 years, he patrolled the Lowndes sideline and guided the Vikings to some of the greatest success the school has seen on the football field.
Valdosta is a city with a rich football history, with legendary coaches such as Wright Bazemore and Nick Hyder (both Valdosta High School coaches) having a stadium named after them. McPherson stands out as one of the best, having coached some of the best defenses in all of Georgia. He developed a lot of great talent on the defensive side of the ball, including NFL players Telvin Smith, Kenny Moore, Greg Reid, and Josh Harvey-Clemons.
He took over a Lowndes program on the rise in 2002 and in just three years guided them to the first of three state championships. That 2004 Vikings team is considered to be one of the best in Georgia high school history. McPherson didn’t stop there and finished his career with a 252-55 record, a staggering 82% winning percentage. Our 2019 ITG Next Coach of the Year will be remembered as one of the best in the history of Georgia, and we congratulate him on a great career.
Written by: Kyle Grondin
