Jay Ratliff

VALDOSTA — Jay Ratliff was one of the finest players to ever wear a Lowndes High football uniform. Thursday night, he returns to his alma mater.

Ratliff will be the keynote speaker at Lowndes’ football banquet Thursday night. The Dallas Cowboys’ nose tackle will address a Viking team that won a state championship in December.

Tonight’s festivities will begin with hors d’oeuvres at 6 p.m. in the Lowndes High cafetorium. The program will begin at 7 p.m. Anyone is welcome to attend, and there is no cost for the event.

Tonight, the 2007 Lowndes football team will be honored for its accomplishments. The Vikings had a special season, winning their final 14 games after losing their season opener, and won the state championship.

A former Lowndes High star will be there to help honor the team.

Ratliff was a prep All-American tight end for Lowndes in 1999. He was a three-year starter for the Vikings, and earned All-Region honors all three years. His senior season, he caught 46 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns for the state’s top team.

Following his high school career, Ratliff headed to Auburn, where the coaches moved him to the defensive line after his freshman season. He started two years at defensive end, before moving to defensive tackle as a senior. His senior year, he helped the Tigers go 13-0 and finish No. 2 in the nation, Auburn’s best finish since 1957.

Ratliff was drafted by the Cowboys, one of the NFL’s most storied franchises, in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Ratliff was a solid contributor his first two seasons in Dallas, playing a lot, and led the team with three fumble recoveries in 2006. He gave the team versatility, with his ability to play any position on the defensive line.

“Ratliff’s the most versatile guy on the defensive line, not even a question. He can play any position on the defensive line,” Dallas defensive end Chris Canty said, in a quote posted on Ratliff’s Myspace page.

Then the 6-foot-4, 298-pound Ratliff got his chance in 2007. When starting nose tackle Jason Ferguson went down with a torn right biceps tendon, the Cowboys inserted Ratliff in the lineup. He responded with a 30-tackle, three-sack season, and helped the Cowboys go 13-3, the best record in the NFC, and win the NFC East.

The Cowboys liked what they saw out of their third-year defensive lineman. On Dec. 14, 2007, they gave Ratliff a five-year contract extension worth $20.5 million, meaning he’ll be in Dallas for a long time.

Like the current Lowndes seniors, Ratliff ended his LHS career by winning a state championship at Martin Stadium. The 1999 Vikings defeated Brunswick, 17-0, for the Class AAAA state title, while the 2007 team routed North Gwinnett 34-6 for the AAAAA crown. The front page of The Valdosta Daily Times the next day had a big photo of Ratliff celebrating the victory with his brother Willie, a defensive tackle.

Ratliff is one of two Lowndes alumni currently playing in the NFL. Randall Godfrey, Class of 1992, is a linebacker for the Washington Redskins.