How About Those Dawgs?...

My hat is off to Coach Grant and the 2005 Brundidge Bulldogs! What a year!...

From The Messenger:

Fourth state title could be Grant's last

By Jaine Treadwell, The Messenger

On a chilly December night, Wayne Grant led his Pike County High School Bulldogs to a Class 3A state championship.

It was the fourth time Grant had taken his Bulldogs to the top.

Many among the Bulldog faithful wondered if they were seeing the stoic leader on the field for the last time.

Speculation about this being Grant's final season on the Pike County sidelines has swirled all season.

After the game, he said he wasn't sure what would happen.

"I've got until Dec. 31 to decide," he said. "I'll make up my mind before Christmas. I'll let you know."

Ron Ingram, The Birmingham News sports editor, posed the question himself.

"He said this might be his last game," Ingram said, with a I-hope-not tone in his voice. "I love Wayne Grant. His teams outwork and outhustle their opponents. I've never seen a team that works any harder to get where they are."

Ingram didn't discount the fact that Grant has been blessed with "incredible" talent at Brundidge.

"Oh, he's had some great ones - Fred Baxter, Cornelius Griffin, Nick Walker, Chris Nickson - to name a few," Ingram said ."But Wayne Grant has the ability to take exceptional players and surround them with average players and field outstanding teams - championship teams. That's what great coaches do and he is one great coach."

Ingram said he has been impressed with the offensive output of the 2005 Bulldogs.

"Only three other teams have scored more points than this team," he said. "Going into tonight's game, Pike County has scored 676 points and realistically, they could have scored 800."

As good as the offense is, Ingram said the defense is probably better.

"The defense is tough," he said. "They'll hit you and they'll hit you hard. The offense has been good because the defense is so good. Together, they're an outstanding team."

Ingram said Grant is a tough coach and he has his team in condition.

"I don't know of a better conditioned team," he said. "But, he knows how to handle kids. They know that he's going to push them to be the best they can be, but he knows how far he can push them. He never pushes too far."

As tough as Grant is as a coach, Ingram said he's all about kids and what's best for them on the field and off.

"He bonds with these kids," Ingram said. "I think it started when he was a young coach and one of his players drowned on a team trip to the beach. He bonded with those kids then and he bonds with them now.

"If you're looking for a coach who will go out and play a round of golf with the sports boosters, it's not Wayne Grant. But if you're looking for a coach that cares about his players and what kind of men they will be and one that pushes them to as far as they can go, he's your man."

On Dec. 1 2005, Wayne Grant and the 2005 Bulldogs went as far as they could go. They are state champs.