The Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame will induct the first-ever full football teams in its upcoming class at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta this October.While there are many additional teams which undoubtedly deserve to be inducted, and will be in the coming years, this year, two of the top teams in state history will be honored: the 1971 Valdosta team and the 1976 Warner Robins team. Both teams went undefeated, won the state championship at the highest classification, and were named national champions.

The 1971 Valdosta team was dominant….. on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, they allowed only 10.5 points per game. Offensively, they scored 48.4 points per game. The team’s 629 total points were the most ever scored in a single season at the time, and the record stood until 1994 when Washington County surpassed it by just one point. The team was led by a pair of Hall of Famers. Stan Rome, who was part of the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2022, finished his high school career with 4,477 receiving yards, a state record that broke the previous mark held by Mike Kemp of Tallulah Falls by 1,380 yards. Rome’s record stood for 51 years before being broken in 2022. The other Hall of Famer is Stan Bounds, who is being inducted this year. Bounds’ 1971 season was one of the best ever: his 31 touchdown passes were a state record at the time, making him the first player in state history to throw for more than 30 touchdowns in a season. That record stood for 31 years until it was broken in 1991. While 31 doesn’t sound like a lot today with 21 players reaching it in 2024 alone, he was also one of only six players to reach the 30-touchdown mark before the turn of the millennium.

The 1976 Warner Robins team was arguably just as deep and talented.
Their 614 offensive points were the third-most all time and made them one of only 11 teams to break the 600-point mark before 2000. Defensively, they were just as, if not more dominant, allowing only 86 points over 13 games and shutting out eight of their opponents. Their most impressive performance came in game nine, when they defeated Jordan 90–0. The 1976 Demons had two Hall of Famers of their own. Linebacker Ron Simmons was a force on defense, accumulating 130 tackles that season. On offense, James Brooks was the engine of the team, rushing for 1,816 yards in 1976 and scoring 70 touchdowns over his career, a school record that still stands today.