Kyle Chandler

6-21-14

We had a young guy on our '79 GWA championship football team. When you looked at this youngster, you wouldn't have seen a future in athletics. He was about 5'6" and weighed 112 pounds. In our entire season of play, his statistics showed one tackle assist. I once heard that he felt "picked on" during his freshman year on the football team. (When I see him now, I can't tell that any of our players damaged his good looks.) Something traumatic in his life occurred in his life the next year--his father died and he was hurting very badly. He had to be a man on their little farm, and it was frustrating for him. This young guy disappeared from our school. Every now and then we would hear something about him. Recently he got in touch with me, and related how proud he was to have been a part of our teams. We had planned to visit him and his family, at his ranch when we were in Dallas,Texas, for the Final Four, but he was in Florida filming a movie. Sometimes it is not easy to recognize eaglets early in their life. This young fellow spread his wings and became one of the most famous, all-time great football coaches--even if the outcome of his games is known before his TV presentation. Can you believe this young eaglet is now the famous KYLE CHANDLER, the coach on the TV series FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS? It is always a personal thrill, when we are at a UGA football or basketball game, and Kyle's picture is flashed on the big screen, and they list him as one of their famous former students!