“Jan the Man” Walks the Talk!

The measure of a Dawg's heart

Last week, the winningest high school football team in the nation held a special moment for one of its players.

James Eunice was named a Bulldog by Georgia head coach Mark Richt. (himweb.blogspot.com)

James Eunice finished his senior season playing wide receiver and special teams for the Wildcats of Valdosta High School in deep South Georgia, just a few miles from the Florida line. Valdosta has been named "Titletown," in no small part because of the high school's six national championships, 23 state championships and 40 regional championships. The school has produced 11 NFL stars and hundreds of college players. Eunice was never expected to be one of those, but that didn't stop players and parents from giving him a standing ovation at their annual football banquet.

Eunice didn't lead the Wildcats in receptions or tackles, but, as his coach, Rance Gillespie, put it: "He was the kind of kid that you wouldn't notice on day one or two, but if you were with this team for a month and saw his leadership and enthusiasm and the character he exhibited, you would realize how vital he was to the program."

So, it came as no surprise that Eunice had aspirations of playing at the college level. He was never going to be a Heisman candidate, but what he lacked in skill he more than made up for in heart.

An honor student who had been accepted at the University of Georgia, Eunice contacted Bulldogs coach Mark Richt and declared his intentions to walk on as a freshman. Richt encouraged the young man. After all, Valdosta teammates Jay Rome and Malcolm Mitchell would be Bulldogs in the fall. Eunice was a winner, a leader and a solid, outspoken Christian — the kind of kid Richt liked having around — so there was a chance he could be an asset in Athens.

In the end, James Eunice made it. He became a Bulldog without ever attending a practice.

On Jan. 15, Eunice went duck hunting on Ocean Pond, a private hunting and fishing club in nearby Lake Park. He never came back. His body was discovered Jan. 31. The 17-year-old had drowned accidentally.

Georgia will keep his memory alive. Next September, Eunice will be listed as No. 23, a receiver, on the Georgia roster. Sadly, he will never play a down, never slip a Georgia helmet over his short-cut reddish hair, and never paint his pale cheeks with too much eye-black, as he did back home in Valdosta.

At the funeral, teammates told stories of a young man who displayed strength and confidence beyond his years — a two-sport athlete who let his faith show through his actions, never pushing his religion on others, but leading by example; the kind of student-athlete the NCAA and SEC would have loved to see on the field and in the classroom.

Fighting emotions throughout, Rome and Mitchell brought a box to the altar during the service. A letter from coach Richt was read aloud, one in which he shared his heartbreak upon the learning the news. The letter ended with Richt writing: "James made the team." Rome and Eunice then opened the box and pulled out a red Bulldog jersey with Eunice's name emblazoned above No. 23. 

"I'm going to play for an incredible man," Rome said after the service. "Coach Richt is just incredible. He's the best. Just to know that he had that in his heart. Just to do that for James and his family meant a lot to me, and I know it meant a lot to the family."

The highlight of the Valdosta football banquet was a video tribute to Eunice, one that showed him captaining the Wildcats, catching a pass, bouncing on nervous feet as he lined up for a kickoff, and mugging for the camera. It ended with a close-up of the Georgia jersey.

"I don't know how well (Coach Richt) knew James, but just to do something like that, not really having a full knowledge of who the person is, shows that he cares about people, and just is a caring person," Mitchell said. "It made me proud to be a Bulldog."

Richt remains the head coach at Georgia not because of his record, or his legacy, his genius football knowledge or his one-of-a-kind play-calling skills. He isn't the greatest motivator, disciplinarian or the most creative offensive mind in the country, or even in the conference. He is, however, a great human being.

The coach won't discuss what he did for fear that the focus will be on him and not on James and the Eunice family. "That is the kind of person Mark Richt is," Gillespie said. "In terms of character, there is none better. James would have fit in well at Georgia. He would have fit in well with Coach Richt."