Longtime Calhoun football coach retires

Published 8:00 am Friday, February 8, 2019

DALTON, Ga. — While Hal Lamb was wildly successful as Calhoun High School’s head football coach during his 23 years there, Dalton head coach Matt Land always thought of Lamb beyond the gridiron.

“First and foremost coach Lamb is an outstanding man as far as a father, husband and son. That’s where it starts for me,” said Land, whose Dalton teams went 1-7 against Calhoun from 2010-2016. “As far as a coach, I always admired his knowledge of the game and the fact that his teams always were so well prepared. The great thing about those Dalton vs. Calhoun games was we knew it was going to be a well-played ball game, because his teams were always very disciplined.”

Lamb retired Thursday as Calhoun’s head football coach, stepping down after 21 years and three state championships. The news was first reported by the Gordon Gazette. Lamb is not completely leaving the school as he will remain involved with Calhoun athletics in a part-time role as assistant athletics director.

Also on Thursday, Calhoun renamed its football facility Hal Lamb Field at Phil Reeve Stadium in honor of Lamb’s retirement. Clay Stephenson, an assistant under Lamb since 2004 who coached wide receivers for the past several years, is taking over as head coach, according to the Gordon Gazette.

At Calhoun, Lamb’s teams amassed a 238-52 record (an 82 percent winning percentage) while winning 18 region titles and state titles in 2011, 2014 and 2017. He coached 103 all-state players. Calhoun lost 22-7 to Peach County in the Class 3A semifinals this past season, the team’s only loss.

Beginning in 2001, Lamb’s team won their region’s championship for 18-straight seasons. Calhoun moved from Class 2A to Class 3A in 2014, but the region championship streak continued through the classification change. Lamb amassed 233 of his wins at Calhoun and leaves as the school’s all-time winningest coach. Johnny Gulledge, Lamb’s predecessor who coached Calhoun from 1989 to 1998, is the second-winningest coach in Calhoun history with 55 wins.

“He’s been involved in this sport in a lot of ways,” Land said. “We certainly hate to see him remove himself from the coaching ranks.”