VALDOSTA — On Saturday, Valdosta High football fans got a chance to meet new VHS head coach Rance Gillespie at a meet and greet session held at the Mildred Hunter Community Center.

Gillespie made a positive impression on the crowd, drawing several rounds of applause.

The new head coach is happy to be at Valdosta.

“The first thing I’d like to say is what an honor it is for me to be your Valdosta High School football coach,” Gillespie said. “What we’re going to try to do with this football program is we’re going to try to develop a football program that you will be very proud of, that will build on the traditions that have been established here at Valdosta High School, that this community has been so proud of for so long.”

Gillespie said that he wanted to build a program that helps each player become successful in life, as students and as athletes.

“Those are the three things that we’ll base our program on,” he said.

He also said that positive attitudes would be a big part of building the program.

“To me, your attitude is made up of three things,” he said. “No. 1 is gratitude ... (No. 2) maintain humility. And No. 3, enthusiasm. And what I mean by that is, hey, it’s a game. I think a lot of us lose track of that along the way. It’s supposed to be fun. Approach it that way. Enjoy the process; at most, you’re only going to get 15 opportunities, 15 Friday nights, to play the game. So find a way to enjoy the process, and have a lot of enthusiasm.”

Gillespie asked the fans to support the program and the players, saying, “To get this (program) headed back in the right direction is going to take a lot of positive energy.”

Gillespie mentioned that, in the past, his teams have held mandatory study hall for one hour before practice, with each position coach supervising his players to make sure they study. He has already instituted a mandatory study hall for any football player who is failing a class at Valdosta.

“We’re going to make a commitment to academics,” he said.

After he was done speaking, Gillespie answered a few questions from curious fans. Then he visited with the fans, taking time for each one of them. He didn’t leave until the last person was gone.

Gillespie was joined at the event by his wife Claudette and his daughter Kennedy.

“As important as it is to be a coach, I’m first a husband and a daddy,” Gillespie said. “That’s important values to me.”

Valdosta Mayor John Fretti was among those in attendance.

The event was sponsored by the Valdosta Touchdown Club. Before the event, the Touchdown Club cooked hot dogs for a group of local kids.

Gillespie said things have gone well so far at Valdosta. He was hired as the Wildcats’ head coach on Dec. 23, and began his duties at the school earlier this month.

“It’s been great. It’s real exciting to watch the kids, and how excited they are. So far, it’s been super,” he said. “The spirit and enthusiasm that’s been demonstrated to me and my family and our staff has been unbelievable.”

Since arriving in Valdosta, Gillespie says he has been busy trying to put his program in place, trying to teach his system to the players, getting the offseason program implemented, getting to know the players and getting to know the community, among other things.

“It’s been a busy three weeks,” he said.

He indicated that his Valdosta teams would use a pro style offense and a multiple defense.

Gillespie said spring practice would be held in May. He said that waiting until May would give the coaching staff time to get on the same page. He says he has hired all but one assistant coach. Only one new assistant coach, defensive coordinator Alan Rodemaker, is currently on campus.

Legendary Valdosta coaches Wright Bazemore and Nick Hyder were big proponents of the feeder system, and so is Gillespie.

“As far as the feeder programs are concerned, I have already met with the two coaches (at Valdosta Middle and J.L. Newbern Middle). I think that is the lifeblood of our program,” he said. “What I have done in the past with the rec departments is, during the summer, we have held a coaching clinic, where we get the rec department coaches to come to the high school for a day, and we go over some fundamentals that we teach in our program that we would like to see established at a very young age. I know that that has been something that has gone on here for a long, long time, or did in the past, and I think that is something that, if you can do that ... when I get them, it sure does make it a lot easier.”

Gillespie mentioned that he had heard a rumor that Warner Robins and Northside High Schools may have bigger enrollments than originally anticipated next year, and may have to stay in Class AAAAA. But he did not know if that would happen or not. The schools were moved down to AAAA when the GHSA reclassified last fall.

Valdosta has already set a tentative schedule for next year.