And a deep-pocketed booster club provided the funds that the school system could not. Legendary coach Robert Davis was lured away from Warner Robins 20 miles south after 24 years and three state titles there. He was attracted by a fat raise from the school and a new burgundy Ford F-150 pickup truck from the boosters. Overcrowding has forced some pupils into 20 classrooms set up in modular units in the parking lot. Westside's popularity has sparked plans for another new high school.
Educators are upfront about using sports as a carrot to the private school segment.
Since making a true commitment, we can see a lot of people coming back to the public schools and taking a chance. County superintendent Gene Buinger had seen football galvanize a community. He hired Davis and urged that head coaches have a major say in picking assistants as well as coaches in the middle-school feeder programs. After Davis came on board, two other coaches followed to Bibb Maurice Freeman to Southwest Macon and C.B. Cornett to Central Macon. Both also had won state titles, Freeman at Brooks County and Cornett at Macon County.