History & Awards

site still adding over 70 years of history
 
The Touchdown Club of Atlanta was founded in the fall of 1938. The organisation of the club was the result of the efforts of Al Voorhees, Geo. M. Phillips, Ben Sinclair, Forrest Fowler, Fred Moore, Everett Strupper, James P. Cheeves, and Herb Bonner.

The club was founded with the following three objectives as written in 1938:

  1. Promoting the best interests of the American game of football.
  2. Fostering of good sportsmanship.
  3. Social Activities.

With these objectives set, the club began meeting weekly in Fall of 1939 for the purpose of getting first hand reports of the games that took place around Atlanta and the South. Members and representatives of the various college and high school teams would speak on the games they attended. The Club would feature a college coach as a guest speaker each Monday for a luncheon.

On January 19, 1940, the Touchdown Club of Atlanta held its first annual dinner at the Ansley Hotel. Over 700 guests out of 6,000 applicants were delighted to hear Elmer Layden of Notre Dame as the guest speaker. Elmer Layden was one of the four fabled 1924 “Four Horsemen of Notre Dame”, so dubbed by the greatest sportswriter of all time, Grantland Rice. After Elmer Laden inspired the crowd, the Club gave its first ever award to Georgia Tech’s Howard Ector as the most valuable player in the Southeastern Conference. After the dinner program was concluded, the 700 guests were invited to view the “moving pictures” of four bowl games; The Rose, Cotton, Sugar, and Orange Bowls. Each game viewing was opened by comments by one of the coaches in each game; Coach Neyland whose Volunteers were in Pasadena for the Rose, Coach Neely whose Clemson team won the Cotton, Coach Dawson and the Tulane Green Wave who lost a squeaker in the Sugar, and lastly Coach Alexander and the Ramblin Wreck who came home with the Orange Bowl Trophy.

This event even rivaled the opulent & star studded opening of “Gone with the Wind” at the Fox Theater in Atlanta just one month prior.

The Touchdown Club of Atlanta and our traditions have carried on since this date in 1940. Over the years and decades, the Club has seen Atlanta grow from a sleepy small town to a world class city. From Leather helmets, no face masks, platoon football and the single wing all the way to Jumbo-trons, sideline flat-screens & iPads and the spread option the Club has been here. Through World War II, Korea, the Civil Rights movement and integration – all the way through today and the first African American president – the Touchdown Club of Atlanta has stayed true to the mission as stated in 1938. 

To date we have honored over 1800 individual players, coaches, and officials over the prep and collegiate ranks. Some of the men we have bestowed honors upon may live on forever in anonymity – many men we have honored will be forever remembered as legends. The one element they all have in common is that on one Friday or Saturday night on some grid-iron cathedral awash in lights from above, in the state of Georgia or across the country, they put forth such an effort, in the greatest game on earth, that they will live on forever in the memories of those who witnessed it and through the Touchdown Club of Atlanta.

The Touchdown Club of Atlanta has extensive archives dating back to 1938, consisting of photographs, newspaper clippings, Touchdown Club programs from weekly &  annual events as well as decades of handwritten notes passed down from board to board. In order to complete our research “Into the Archives” the Georgia High School Football Historians Association is invaluable. There is no other resource like it in the nation for High School Football. See ghsfha.org for more information.

George Pribish

George Pribish

Robert Edwards

Robert Edwards

Phillip Ironside

Phillip Ironside

Nick Jackson

Nick Jackson

Travon Walker

Travon Walker

Steele Chambers

Steele Chambers

Treylon Sheppard

Treylon Sheppard

Adam Carter

Adam Carter

Matt Kemper

Matt Kemper

Derrick McClendon

Derrick McClendon

Dante Walker

Dante Walker

Malik Washington

Malik Washington

Max Brosmer

Max Brosmer

Eric Godfree

Eric Godfree

Mike Collins

Mike Collins

Chris Hinton

Chris Hinton

Kyle Holt

Kyle Holt

Keyon Brooks

Keyon Brooks

Jamious Griffin

Jamious Griffin

Gerry Romberg

Gerry Romberg

Paul Standard

Paul Standard

Dominick Blaylock

Dominick Blaylock

Harry Miller

Harry Miller

Chandler Byron

Chandler Byron

Colby Wooden

Colby Wooden

Jimmy Smith

Jimmy Smith

Adam Clack

Adam Clack

J.D. Betrand

J.D. Betrand

Mataio Soli

Mataio Soli

Juan Powell

Juan Powell

Ramel Keyton

Ramel Keyton

2018 PreSeason All Star Team

2018 PreSeason All Star Team

November 6, 2017 with Aaron Murray

November 6, 2017 with Aaron Murray

2017 Awards Banquet

2017 Awards Banquet

Niketa Battle

Bill Stewart

Kingsley Enagbare

Kingsley Enagbare

Chris Rodriquez

Chris Rodriquez

October 2, 2017 with Bob Stoops

October 2, 2017 with Bob Stoops

Warren Erickson

Warren Erickson

Phillip Jones

Phillip Jones

Jamaree Slayer

Jamaree Slayer

Dante Black

Dante Black

Heath Webb

Heath Webb

Jason Carrera

Jason Carrera

Adam Anderson

Adam Anderson

Jarren Williams

Jarren Williams

Octavious Battle

Octavious Battle

Johnny White

Johnny White

September 18, 2017

September 18, 2017

Damien Wimes

Damien Wimes

Collin Foster

Collin Foster

Brenton Cox

Brenton Cox

Chauncey Williams

Chauncey Williams

Justin Fields

Justin Fields

Daniel Brunner

Daniel Brunner

2017 Pre-Season Metro All-Stars

2017 Pre-Season Metro All-Stars

2017 National Signing Day

2017 National Signing Day

Erk Russell

Erk Russell

2016 Awards Banquet

2016 Awards Banquet

2016 Metro Atlanta All-Stars

2016 Metro Atlanta All-Stars

Niketa Battle

Jordan Tucker

Jordan Tucker

Trey Sermon

Trey Sermon

Matthew Combs

Matthew Combs

Netori Johnson

Netori Johnson

Davis Mills

Davis Mills

Jimmy Smith

Jimmy Smith

Jonathan Stewart

Jonathan Stewart

Ryan Glover

Ryan Glover

Calvin Clark

Calvin Clark

Mark Bradley

Mark Bradley

Chris Bolton

Chris Bolton

George Rogers

George Rogers

Doug Bogue

Doug Bogue

Darrell Bailey

Darrell Bailey

David Allen

David Allen

Matt Dickman

Stanley Pritchett

Stanley Pritchett

Will Taylor

Will Taylor

Caleb Mitchell

Caleb Mitchell

Greg Manior

Greg Manior

Jack Franklin

Jack Franklin

Chad Phillips

Chad Phillips

Tylan Morton

Tylan Morton

Aaron Sterling

Aaron Sterling

Zay Malcome

Zay Malcome

Minton Williams

Minton Williams

Ed “Charlie” Pritchett

Ed “Charlie” Pritchett

Howard Daughtry

Howard Daughtry

Archie Quick

Archie Quick

Marvin Hurst

Marvin Hurst

Lathrop Holder

Lathrop Holder

Jim Carroll

Jim Carroll

Johnny Shelton

Johnny Shelton

Jimmy Ney

Jimmy Ney

Preston Ridlehuber

Preston Ridlehuber

Jon Kilgore

Jon Kilgore

Jim Cavan, Jr.

Jim Cavan, Jr.

Frank Pickle

Frank Pickle

John Carson

John Carson

Mike Herron

Mike Herron

Claude Sessions

Claude Sessions

Raymond Cobb

Raymond Cobb

Steve Slay

Steve Slay

Nick Bach

Nick Bach

Justin Shaffer

Justin Shaffer

Caylin Newton

Caylin Newton

Franklin Brooks

Franklin Brooks

Billy Moran

Billy Moran

Charlie Waller

Charlie Waller

Max Mason

Max Mason

Jimmy Van Buren

Jimmy Van Buren

Bobby Griffis

Bobby Griffis

Johnny Hunsinger

Johnny Hunsinger

Opal Moon

Opal Moon

Chappell Rhino

Chappell Rhino

George Maloof

George Maloof

Solon Page III

Solon Page III

Max Boyd

Max Boyd

Amani Billups

Amani Billups

Ayoola Ogun-Semore

Ayoola Ogun-Semore

John Small

John Small

Brady Tindall

Brady Tindall

Earthwind Moreland

Earthwind Moreland

Kemari Averett

Kemari Averett

Lawton Grant

Lawton Grant

Bobby Greer

Bobby Greer

Bobby North

Bobby North

Frank “Moose” Miller

Frank “Moose” Miller

Pierce McWhorter

Pierce McWhorter

2016 Pre-Season All Metro Team

2016 Pre-Season All Metro Team

Frank Bearden

Frank Bearden

Jeff Witt

Jeff Witt

Duke Robinson

Duke Robinson

Matt Johnson

Matt Johnson

TJ Pitts

TJ Pitts

Don Shockley

Don Shockley

Brett Upson

Brett Upson

Bill Railey

Bill Railey

Justin Forte

Justin Forte

Paul Duncan

Paul Duncan

Larry Sherrill

Larry Sherrill

Ross Bogue

Ross Bogue

Jayson Williams

Jayson Williams

Bradley Warren

Bradley Warren

Taalib Tucker

Taalib Tucker

Nick Hogan

Nick Hogan

Johnny Gilbert

Johnny Gilbert

Stephen Gowland

Stephen Gowland

Travis Barr

Travis Barr

T. McFerrin

T. McFerrin

Brent Hallman

Brent Hallman

Corey Moon

Corey Moon

Frank Caputo

Frank Caputo

Sergio Render

Sergio Render

Gordon Beckham

Gordon Beckham

Reggie Perry

Reggie Perry

Chris Scott

Chris Scott

Tony Pastore

Tony Pastore

Brandon Young

Brandon Young

Brian Truelove

Brian Truelove

Anderson Russell

Anderson Russell

Tray Blackmon

Tray Blackmon

Mitch Hyatt

Tyler Queen

Tim McFarlin

Steve Davenport

Chuma Edoga

Arthur Holmes

Quarte Sapp

Tommy Jones

Natrez Patrick

DeShawn Waller

John Ford

Kir’vonte Benson

Brent Buddle

Kenneth Brinson

Tyler LaFlamme

Mark Adams

Kaleb Kim

Spencer Ashley

Korey Mobbs

Pat Jasinski

Rakeem Myricks

Paul Standard

Sonny Harris

Andrew Butcher

1955

1954

1953

1952

Dickie Ray

Dickie Ray

Gene Chandler

Gene Chandler

Shannon Jarvis

Shannon Jarvis

Charles Wiley

Charles Wiley

Ja’Tavien Weems

Ja’Tavien Weems

Mike Muschamp

Mike Muschamp

Michael Pitts

Michael Pitts

Will Bearden

Will Bearden

Adam Clack

Adam Clack

Marquez Daniels

Marquez Daniels

Quaderman Sloan

Quaderman Sloan

Phillip Jones

Phillip Jones

Ford Higgins

Ford Higgins

Major Bellamy Jr

Major Bellamy Jr

Nick Davis

Nick Davis

Hakeem Enis

Hakeem Enis

Quintarius Neely

Quintarius Neely

Franklin Pridgen

Franklin Pridgen

Derrick Brown

Derrick Brown

Taylor Trammell

Taylor Trammell

Tomon Fox

Tomon Fox

Ron Gartrell

Ron Gartrell

Russell Halimon

Russell Halimon

Mark Fleetwood

Mark Fleetwood

Antwuan Jackson

Antwuan Jackson

Jack Chambers

Jack Chambers

Jason Carrera

Jason Carrera

Patrick Farley

Patrick Farley

Elijah Holyfield

Elijah Holyfield

Tim Floyd

Tim Floyd

Nigel Adams

Nigel Adams

Julian Rochester

Julian Rochester