For many years under former Thomson legend the late Luther Welsh and as the current Grayson Rams head coach, Jeff Herron made the Wing-T offense the staple of Camden County football. The buck sweep, the belly, and an aggressive 3-5 defense helped Herron win three state titles and put the Wildcats on the map nationally.
Last season, the Wildcats only completed 20 passes.
Current Camden County athletic director Gary Blount will retire at the end of the year. Welton Coffey II will assume the athletic director duties. Coffey spent time as an assistant under Herron and spent the last three seasons as head coach at Camden County, finishing 27-16 during his time at the helm. He will take over as athletic director during the 2017-18 school year.
Camden County had a number of strong applicants, but North Gwinnett’s Bob Sphire emerged as the leading candidate. Sphire is known for a wide open, fast paced offense, a definite departure from the ground attack of the Wing-T that the Wildcats used so well.
Sphire wasn’t necessarily looking to leave North Gwinnett at the end of the season, but programs like Camden County High School’s, with a storied past and surrounded by a larger supportive base and natural beauty, can be intriguing.
On the recommendation of Camden County Schools Superintendent Will Hardin, the school board hired Sphire to be the next head football coach at Camden County High School. Sphire, originally from Kentucky, attended Western Kentucky University and was head coach at Lexington Catholic in Lexington, Kentucky, before coming to Georgia to be the head coach at North Gwinnett High School. Before Sphire’s arrival, North Gwinnett had never reached a 10-win season. A ball of energy and enthusiasm, Sphire was popular among the student fan base of North Gwinnett. The students even created a group called the “Bob Squad.”
During his 11 seasons at North Gwinnett, Sphire completely revolutionized the program with his fast-paced, quick hitting, “pass first, pass often” spread offense. After making it to the quarterfinals in his first season guiding the Grizzlies in 2006, Sphire embarked on 10 winning seasons.
Led by quarterback Michael Tamburo, North Gwinnett made it to the AAAAAA state championship but lost to Lowndes in 2007. Tamburo was named the No. 1 junior prospect in 2007 and one of the top 15 quarterback prospects in the nation in 2008. He finished his career with 6,496 yards passing from 2006 to 2008. He originally signed with Boise State, but after redshirting he ended up finishing his eligibility at the University of Georgia.
When the Grizzlies did meet Camden County in 2009, Herron’s Wildcats blanked North Gwinnett 35-0 on their way to win the 2009 state championship over Northside Warner Robbins 31-3.
Tamburo was among five all-state quarterbacks that Sphire coached, including his son Hayden who is currently at Murray State. North Gwinnett returned to the AAAAAAA title game in 2013 but ran up against an ultra-talented Norcross team led by Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara and Georgia defensive end Lorenzo Carter. Sphire finished his tenure with North Gwinnett, holding a convincing record of 110-28 and a .797 winning percentage. The Grizzlies also won five region titles under Sphire. Twenty-seven North Gwinnett players have move on to play Division I college football, and five have gone on to play in the NFL.
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Written by: John Wood
Sphire Brings the Air Raid to Camden County
