Former College Basketball Team to Reunite After 50 Years at Homecoming
The 1968-1969 Brunswick Junior College Buccaneer men’s basketball team is coming home. The team will celebrate its 50th reunion during the College of Coastal Georgia’s homecoming weekend on Saturday, February 16.
Six members of the team will be recognized twice during the weekend’s festivities: during the homecoming tailgate, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., on the lawn of the Student Activity Center and at the men’s basketball game against Thomas University, beginning at 4 p.m. in the Coffin Gymnasium.
The 1968-1969 team was an all-freshman basketball team. They held the record for defensive play, keeping their opponents’ average at 68.8 points, and earned a .500 season. They played against teams from Georgia Southern University, Georgia Military College, Brewton-Parker College, and Daytona State College, formerly Daytona Beach Junior College.
Teammates Harry Dougherty, Jimmy Hires, Mike Cave, Gregory Lewis, David Jones, Robbie Cone, Steve Dillard, Earl Calloway, Jim Tungate, and Ron Ford were led by Coach Bob Woodward. Woodward taught and coached at the College for nine years. He passed away in 2011.
“The 50-year reunion of the Brunswick Junior College Buccaneer basketball team is a milestone,” said David Jones, a member of the ’68-’69 team. “It was the group who were the first to play in Coffin Gym under the guidance of Coach Bob Woodward. Several of us were from the local area of Southeast Georgia. We were either teammates or competitors in high school. We introduced a few players from the Midwest to our Southern way of living—one from Ohio and two from Indiana. We look forward to a weekend to reminisce about old times.”
Several players went on to play at four-year institutions including Cone, who played for Georgia Southern, and Dillard, who played at McNeese State University in Louisiana.
For College of Coastal Georgia Head Coach Jesse Watkins, the team’s reunion reflects true brotherhood.
“It’s truly a blessing to have a group of guys who want to reunite after 50 years back where their friendship first started,” Watkins said. “Someday I hope to get my former teammates to do the same. This goes to show how special this place can be.”
Watkins hopes his current basketball team understands the special bond between teammates and the college they represent.
“I know by experience of how much the College of Coastal Georgia (formerly Brunswick Junior College) and my teammates meant to me. We all stayed in touch and we celebrated birthdays, weddings, disappointments, and achievement,” he said. “We became a family at Coastal Georgia. That’s what I want my team to experience from this—the value of being a family away from home.”
Students and alumni are encouraged to come out and catch up with the team at the homecoming tailgate and stay for the basketball game.