Character counts. Those who best know Pierce County High School head football coach Jason Strickland attest to his adherence to that notion. Since arriving on the PCHS campus in early 2017, Strickland has continued preaching that message, and the Bear faithful anticipate great dividends.
“His players tell me that he is not only teaching them to play football, but also how to be good men,” Dara Bennett, PCHS principal, said. “Coach Strickland is an excellent communicator who is always positive and very supportive of all programs at the school. I am honored to have him at PCHS. Friday night lights should not disappoint this year as he puts his stamp on Bear pride.”
PCHS plucked Strickland from a star-studded pool of applicants following a five-year stint at Fitzgerald High, where he guided his teams to the state title game each of the past two seasons. When Sean Pender resigned the top post in Bearville this past winter to accept an offer at Brunswick High, Strickland immediately joined the PCHS faculty, spending the remainder of the school year implementing his new protocol. His wife Michelle subsequently joined the PCHS staff this fall.
“The big thing that brought us here was the vision of what the future looks like,” Strickland said. “What you’re hoping for with any stop is that you’ve got great administrative support and great community support. I don’t know that we’ve been any place where that has been stronger than what we’re seeing here in Pierce County.”
Bearville makes the third head coaching stop for Strickland, who served at Lamar County before Fitzgerald. The Clinch County native graduated from Valdosta State University before entering the coaching ranks. He then spent 12 seasons at five schools before landing his first head coaching gig, but Strickland speaks fondly of each rung on his ladder of experience. It started in 1996 when Jeff Lee hired him as an assistant for an upstart team at Twiggs County.
“We spent some time there and got that program started,” Strickland said. “Then we went to Jones County when Jeff took that head job. We lived in Gray for three years and had a heck of a run. I wound up at Jefferson County High School as an offensive coordinator, then at Westside (Macon) for legendary coach Robert Davis, one of the winningest coaches in history. Then it was a place you all are familiar with – Charlton County under coach Rich McWhorter; he’s like my big brother. We spent three years down there, then I got my first head coaching job at Lamar County. Then we went to Fitzgerald, and now we’re back down south again.”
Under the tutelage of Davis and McWhorter, Strickland gleaned wisdom from a pair of legends who now boast 625 combined wins. Additionally, Charlton won back-to-back state championships in 2005-06 thanks to a coaching staff that included Strickland. He subsequently took those blueprints for success with him to his first head coaching job at Lamar County in 2008, although success did not come quickly or easily.
Michelle Strickland said: “We went 1-9 that year, and it was a struggle. However, the next year Jason came up with a slogan. T-shirts were made, and let me tell you, it changed. We had a brand new stadium and turf. We opened up to Spaulding County, which was a powerhouse. The whole crowd dressed in blue for a “blue-out,” and we beat them. It was incredibly exciting, and it was the first time we actually felt relief from all of the pressure and hype.”
Leading with the slogan “Suddenly It Changes,” the Trojans went on a run of 26 wins over the next three seasons under Strickland, culminating in 2011 with an undefeated regular season and a quarterfinals berth. Opportunity ultimately summoned the Stricklands once more in 2012, and this time the path led to Fitzgerald. It wound up being a successful passing of the torch to Strickland from Robbie Pruitt, the school’s all-time winningest coach, but it wasn’t easy.
“Not only did we follow, but we moved into a community that was clearly divided by the death of a football player,” Michelle Strickland said. “Jason coined the term ‘We are Fitzgerald,’ and embraced all student-athletes, regardless of sport. He also began the ‘Great Day of Service’ in order for our players to give back to the community by cleaning up yards, building wheelchair ramps, painting houses, etc. Our community became closer through these selfless tasks.”
Dividends on the field included a quarterfinals berth for the Purple Hurricanes in Strickland’s first season. By year three, they played in the semi-finals. Each of the past two seasons, Fitzgerald played for the state title. Strickland’s cumulative mark at Fitzgerald was 54-14-1, and he brings an overall ledger of 81-32-1 to Bearville.
“Kids can tell who is authentic,” McWhorter said. “Jason doesn’t act like anyone else but himself, and the kids are drawn to that. He is going to bring a work ethic, discipline, and a demand for character, and the kids are going to see a better version of themselves through that. I think the kids and the coaches appreciate a guy who is not going to compromise.”
Strickland said: “One thing I can reassure people is we had a great group of kids at Fitzgerald, a tremendous administration there as well, and a tremendous community. But there was some uniqueness about Pierce County that made us want to get in this area…. I think our vision marries well with the administration in what we feel this can be. We feel this can be one of the elite establishments in the southern part of the state.”
Owner of a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in curriculum design, Strickland spends all day, every day in the PCHS weight room along with offensive line coach Jason Wicker. Previously named Georgia Strength Coach of the Year, Wicker was Strickland’s first hire at PCHS, and the two began immediately in Bearville in February.
“I like to be around students,” Strickland said. “I like to know what’s going on in their lives, who their girlfriends are, who broke up with them today at lunch, and how are things going on at the house. I think one of my strong suits has been being able to develop those relationships.”
Michelle and Jason, who recently celebrated their 17th anniversary, are the pet parents of two dogs – Levi and Lacy – and are avowed beach fanatics. A veteran coaching both sides of the football, Strickland works predominately with quarterbacks. His Wing-T offense is the first of its kind in Bearville since the turn of the century. However, he wants the Bears faithful to recognize much more than new offensive and defensive schemes.
“When we walk through the front door of the school, there is a big carpet there that says ‘Excellence is the Standard’; we’ve got to make sure we’re aiming for that on a consistent daily basis,” Strickland said. “I can’t sit here and predict what number of wins we’re going to have. However, I do know this: I want that standard of excellence to be something we strive for in the weight room, in a math class, walking down the street on a Saturday afternoon, and certainly on the football field. If we take care of those things off the field, I think Friday nights are going to come our way.”
“Jason usually tells me stories that relate to character education because he knows that he is not only molding men on the field, but off the field as well.” – Michelle Strickland
“I knew right away this was a guy I wanted on my staff. This was a football guy, and I don’t mean that lightly. There are football coaches that wake up in the morning and the first thing they are thinking is ‘How do I get better?’ and that’s the way Jason is. It was immediately after he started working for me that I knew he was going to be a great head coach.” – Rich McWhorter
“I love the guy; he’s like my brother. When he is done coaching high school football, it won’t be one of these things that he’ll get his 30 and then retire. He’ll be one of our state’s best coaches. – Rich McWhorter
Jason Strickland
Pierce County High School
Blackshear, Georgia
Story by John DuPont
Photography by Jennifer Carter Johnson
