ATLANTA — Thomas Davis knows what high school football can do for a player’s life.

“Growing up in a small town like Shellman, Georgia … you never really imagine or expect to be able to reach some of the heights that I’ve been able to reach in my life,” he said Saturday at his induction into the third class of the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

From Shellman and Randolph-Clay to the University of Georgia, to a heralded 16-year NFL career for Davis, who called it a blessing.

A player has to be talented, but “Somewhere along the way, you got to get a blessing from the man above,” Davis said. “I’ve absolutely received that.”

Davis’ talent at Randolph-Clay shone through even though the Red Devils were winless his freshman and sophomore seasons. He carried them to a first round state tournament appearance in 2000.

He received a single Division I college football offer, from the University of Georgia. Davis didn’t get that directly from football; he said the offer came at a basketball game, a sport much better for Randolph-Clay, who have the GHSA boys record for most consecutive wins.

Davis didn’t know if playing multiple sports would help or hurt his chances. “I wanted to do whatever I could to get that scholarship offer,” he said.

He encouraged everyone to keep fighting for their dreams. “We have so many living examples that have gone through and gotten the job done.” That Davis was one of Georgia’s last offers that year motivated him, as did coming from Randolph-Clay, the last public high school in Georgia made up of two counties’ students populations.

More than one member of the Georgia High School Hall of Fame shared Davis’ experience of overcoming odds to become football stars in college and in the NFL.

Despite a stellar high school career at Griffin, Jessie Tuggle had only two collegiate offers, both Division II. Tuggle first became known locally by accepting one of those offers, that of Valdosta State.

All Tuggle did was excel for the Blazers, starting all four years and making three All-Gulf South teams and being named a Division II All-American. Small, compared to other linebackers, Tuggle went undrafted by National Football League teams. Mike Cavan suggested Tuggle to the Atlanta Falcons, who signed him as a free agent.

Tuggle made the Falcons that summer. Soon, “The Hammer” was perhaps the most beloved player on the team, leading the NFL in tackles four times, making five Pro Bowls, and earning a reputation as one of the league’s hardest hitters.

Before making the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame, Tuggle’s honors include his number being retired by Valdosta State, the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor and the College Football Hall of Fame.

Though he was considered too small by scouts to even be a Division I linebacker, amazingly Tuggle also played a bit on the offensive line at Griffin.

“It taught me how to be tough on the inside,” Tuggle said, admitting he always played with a chip on his shoulder because of the claims about his size.

Tuggle said his head coach at Griffin, Lloyd Bohannon, taught him to “Take care of the little things, you usually achieve some of the big things you want to go after.” Bohannon made Tuggle play against bigger players from the start, helping show him that size made no difference.

Hie is obviously proud of his time as a Griffin Bear, pointing out that Griffin has more NFL players than anywhere else in Georgia.

“It’s an honor to play for the Griffin Bears,” Tuggle said. “It’s an honor to play for this great state that I’m representing right now in the Hall of Fame.”

At Valdosta State, Tuggle said he wanted to prove he was the best linebacker in the state of Georgia. That carried over to the Falcons, where he wanted prove himself the best at his position in the NFL.

Tuggle’s efforts paid off in not just the personal honors, but finally Atlanta made its first Super Bowl.

“Getting the Falcons to the Super Bowl in 1998 was a dream come true,” he said. “Because I’ve been one of the fortunate guys who grew up right here, on a dirt road in Griffin, Georgia, who went to Valdosta State” and played for the Falcons in the Super Bowl.

Anyone whose team opposed Joe Burns and Thomas County Central in high school probably still has nightmares about him. Burns ran for 5,006 yards in four high school seasons, topping 2,000 as a senior after nearly getting there as a junior (1,940).

He was named All-Classification Player of the Year by the Georgia Sports Writers Association in 1997 and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a year after GSWA Class #A honors and the AJC’s Offensive Player of the Player. Three of Burns’ four years saw the Yellow Jackets win state titles under head coach Ed Pilcher.

Burns continued being a Yellow Jacket in college, playing for Georgia Tech, where he currently the school’s fourth leading all-time rusher. He played four NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills.

Asked about Pilcher’s impact on him, Burns said, “Coach Pilcher was an amazing man. He taught me so much, he taught me how to deal with adversity” and helped Burns learn how to deal with pressure.

Pilcher, who also head coached at Early County, Bainbridge and Berrien, died in late 2022. Burns said he was told Pilcher was in bad condition and was stunned. He called his former coach and the two talked. “[Pilcher] was asking about my kids, my wife,” said Burns. “It really let me know what he instilled in us … Everything he was going through, he answered the phone and encouraged me when I was trying to encourage him.”

Burns started the Rising Seniors Foundation to help prepare players for college. He reflected on his own high school days, which Burns said were all about sports and doing “just enough in the classroom.”

“I know the importance of the academic part of it now,” he said. Burns said it warms his heart to know he has impacted lives.

Few players with ties to the immediate area were inducted in 2024, but another was Lauren Hargrove, who led Fitzgerald to its first state title in 1948. Hargrove, considered one of the state’s best recruits of his era, signed with Georgia, where he held the single-game rushing record for more than 20 years.

Hargrove’s award was accepted by former Fitzgerald drum majorette Margaret “Dynamite” Hair.

Americus’ Leonard Pope, who played for current Tiftarea Academy head coach, Erik Soliday, was inducted as well. Dr. Eric Holland, another of Pope’s former Americus coaches, made the trip over from Rome to support Pope.

The oldest inductee to be there in person was Silas Jamison, who was the starting quarterback on Washington High of Atlanta’s 1958 state championship team and the 1959 runners-up. Jamison played four seasons with Philadelphia Phillies Minor League teams.

Players ranged from Everett Strupper, who played for Riverside Military in 1913, to Alec Ogletree, whose senior year at Newnan was in 2009.

Four players from the Georgia Interscholastic Association were inducted, including Jamison and Jack Pitts.

Pitts, who played for the 1965 Trinity (Decatur) team that defeated Tift’s Wilson High in the Class A state finals, was seen as Georgia’s top quarterback prospect. He was recruited by no Southeastern Conference teams because of segregation.

Becky Taylor is a member of the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame committee.