Ron Drummonds

TIFTON, Ga. — Tiftarea Academy returned to school last week from Christmas vacation, but has had to do so with heavy hearts.

Ron Drummonds, Tiftarea’s upper school principal, longtime coach and former headmaster, died Dec. 30 at the age of 64.

“A great administrator to work for,” said Tiftarea head football coach Tully Payne. “A fine a man as I’ve ever been around.”

Head softball coach Joe Barkman agreed.

“That was a super man,” he said. “He loved Tiftarea.”

Drummonds also assisted with football Tiftarea and was a mainstay on Georgia gridiron sidelines.

He took his first football head coaching position in 1980 in Madison County and afterwards led athletes at many different schools.

Drummonds won a state championship at Baker Academy in 1987 — 3-0 over Tiftarea — a year after guiding them to a runner-up finish. After being recommended by then-Tiftarea headmaster for Briarwood Academy, he took that school to a semifinals appearance in 1990. Drummonds also went to the semifinals with Gatewood School in 1999.

Besides those schools, Drummonds had stints at schools such as Calhoun County, Macon County, Coosa and Crisp Academy.

“He influenced so many lives in the game of football,” said Payne.

Tiftarea, though, became a home.

Drummonds worked with Scoggins in the 1980s, then came back as head football coach from 1993-95. A stint as headmaster came as few years later before a return to campus in 2015 as upper school principal and football assistant.

Payne credits Drummonds with the Panthers’ turnaround in 2016.

“He’s influenced me a lot,” he said.

Following the Sept. 2 Gatewood game, Tiftarea was 2-2, but had yet to score more than 15 points in any contest.

Payne said that Drummonds offered some gameplan advice.

“We decided to run the football,” he said.

Results were immediate. The Panthers scored 38 points against Terrell Academy in the game, followed by 34 against Southland Academy, both wins. Later in the season, Spence Massey rushed for 350 yards and five touchdowns against Westfield, Tiftarea’s first ever win in the series.

Barkman said he was proud to have gotten to spend two years working with Drummonds.

“One of the men I looked up to,” he said. “It was a privilege and honor to meet him.”

Besides dispensing coaching advice, Payne said he had many great stories about his experiences on the field.

“He knew just about everybody,” said Payne.

Payne said Drummonds’ influence was not limited to just staff, but students.

“He had a great influence on the kids,” said Payne. “The kids loved him.”

Both Payne and Barkman described Drummonds as someone they could always talk to.

Barkman said, “He was fair across the board. He had a kind heart.”

“Consistent year in and year out,” said Payne.

Payne said his death was “a shocker.”

“I’m going to miss him,” said Barkman. “I already miss him.”