THOMASVILLE —
Bitterness is not in Mike Singletary’s blood.
A thankful attitude is still freely flowing, however.
Six years after being removed as Colquitt County head football coach, Singletary, now an assistant with Thomas County Central, will face off against the Packers Friday at Thomas County Stadium.
“There’s not any hard feelings with me,” Singletary said. “They gave me a chance to be a head coach there. I didn’t win enough ball games to make them happy. I don’t have any hard feelings, in terms of the opportunities they gave me to be there and do the things we were able to get done over there.
“It was a great 19 years that I was there.”
Singletary tried to shrug off the showdown as just another game — tried being the operative word.
“There’s a little difference,” Singletary admitted. “I’d be lying to you if I didn’t tell you there’s a little difference. The biggest difference is I want to make sure our kids play the best they can play, because it’s a reflection of the group I’m a part of now.”
It will mark the third time Singletary will have coached against the Packers. Singletary and the Yellow Jackets split with the Packers in 2006-07. Singletary admitted coaching tonight’s game will be a whole lot different than the ’06 version.
“The first time I was here when we played them, those were my kids. Those were kids that came through my program,” Singletary said. “These kids have never been a part of anything I’ve ever done.
“It’s not nearly like that first game that we played.”
Singletary has been with Central, his alma mater, since 2006, coaching inside linebackers. That followed a six-month stay at Sonoraville, which came after a 19-year stint in Moultrie. Singletary was a head coach for five years, compiling a 32-22 record. He succeeded legendary coach Jim Hughes after serving as an assistant for 14 years. As Singletary reminisced about his time on the Colquitt County sidelines, certain memories came to mind.
“I’ll remember the 10-year stretch I was the defensive coordinator there. We averaged playing 13 games a year,” Singletary noted. “Of course, we won it once. We played for it once and lost. We made it to the (Georgia) dome six times in that 10-year period. Those are the things I’ll remember.
“You can’t spend over half of your life somewhere and it not be special,” Singletary added, “for the simple reason that; (a) we were always pretty good and (b), we beat Valdosta nine times out of an 11-game stretch at one time. That was back when nobody was beating Valdosta very much. It’ll always be special.
“It won’t always be home, but it’ll always be where I think I did my best quality of work.”
Local Sports
Related Photos
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Thomas County Central insided linebackers coach Mike Singletary watches as the Yellow Jackets warm up at the start of Wednesday’s practice. Clint Thompson/Times-Enterprise
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