Good morning!
Happy Friday, hope everyone is keeping cool as the Dawg days of summer continue to count down. Here is card #142 from the Georgia’s Finest football card set:
Last season I pointed out Chick Shiver’s card from this set. He’s from mine and ee’s hometown of Sylvester, GA and is related to 2 of my dear friends whose mother was a Shiver.. Well, Mr. Lawhorne is very well known around Sylvester. His father was mayor of Sylvester for over 20 years. Tommy arrived at UGA in Coach Dooley’s first year. He later attended Johns Hopkins for his medical degree and practiced in Columbus. He’s now retired to Sea Island. Here’s a Loran Smith article on Tommy if you’d like to read more: Bulldawg Illustrated.
Go Dawgs!
I knew Tommy many years ago, he used to date my sister. His family is a class act. He was not on the Dawg’s radar and they were watching film on a linebacker from Americus in the game against Worth County. By the time they finished they had forgot about him and all eyes were on the linebacker from Worth. As they say, he was a great player but an even better man.
I remember when he played. He was very good and had Steve Kiner (long NFL career) and D.D. Lewis (college football hall of fame and Dallas Cowboys legend) not played at the same time could have been all conference.
Dooley had some very good players who mm were very good students. Lawhorne was teammates with Billy Payne.
Lawhorne was also teammate in 1968 with future All American Dr. Tommy Lyons, Denver Bronco then renown surgeon.
Not to leave anyone out, but from the top of my head I knew Jeff Lewis when he was a starting linebacker. He graduated summa cum laude and graduated summa cum laude from UGA Lumpkin School of Law. Of course Terry Hoage is a playing and academic legend.
I am around to be an alumnus of UGA.
Damn Good Dawg. A true Worth County legend.
So the card says he’s from Tifton but played for Worth County? I guess he moved?
He definitely is from and grew up in Sylvester.
I assumed that was where he was born?
…and, I’m not entirely sure the local Sylvester hospital had a Delivery Room at that time?
I would peg his birth being around 1946/47. What little info I can find on the original Worth County Hospital indicates it opened in the 40’s or 50’s. It may not have even been in existence when he was born. So, they had to go to Tifton for the delivery.
And, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my dear, departed Granny worked in the kitchen of that hospital before moving over to the high school cafeteria where she was when I was in school. I got to ride the bus to the high school after class and ride home with her. Man, I miss those days.