Booth retiring after 25 years at Central

By Jamie Wachter

April 27, 2008 12:36 am

— THOMASVILLE — Thomas County Central tennis will never be the same.
When the Central girls face Starr’s Mill at 8:30 a.m. Monday in the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs, longtime coach John Booth’s career might come to and end.
After 25 years of guiding the Yellow Jackets’ tennis program — racking up 17 region titles, four Final Four appearances and around 600 wins — Booth is retiring at the end of the season.
“It wasn’t a lightning bolt from the sky or anything,” Booth, 60, said about the decision to step down. “When I lost those three (Superintendent Dr. Larry Green, Principal Frank Delaney and head football coach Ed Pilcher), I felt like it was time to step aside.
“The big three wheels in your education community are the superintendent, principal and head football coach, especially if you’re in south Georgia. So, bam, bam, bam. There’s three in a row, and those are guys that have always been there.”
Still, to some, losing Booth is a bigger blow.
“There is no other,” senior tennis player Kellie McClune said. “It’s coach Booth. I would be shocked if anybody could find another man like him. He’s amazing.
“He’s coach Booth. He’s iconic.”
Added fellow senior tennis player Brooke Johnson: “He’s irreplaceable and so, good luck to the team next year, because they’re not going to find a coach like him.
“He’s one of a kind.”
He also built a one-of-a-kind program at Central. In his first season at the helm of the Jackets, Central achieved its first winning season. The accomplishments continued to grow from there, as did the family feel surrounding the tennis program.
“He’s like a dad to every single player, and he loves each of them like they’re his own,” said assistant coach Lari Carlton, who played for Central from 1999-2002. “He remembers everything he does. He can remember every match I ever played, and he can remember the score, which is amazing.
“He wants them to win so bad, not for him but for each other. He looks at it like a parent, not a coach.”
That outlook is something that Booth has promised every parent who has come through the Central program over the years.
“Parents gave me their most valuable asset,” he said. “You can always buy or build a bigger house, a prettier house or remodel. You can keep your cars up-to-date. It’s just money.
“But, with children, as a parent you put 20 years of your life into them before turning them over to me. I always said I would treat them as my own, which means I’ll love them when they do good and bust them when they do wrong.”
The close-knit family feel is also what Booth credits for the Jackets’ success over the past 25 years.
“That family thing, I honestly think that’s why we won so many matches,” he noted. “You can’t ask them to respect you. Either they do or they don’t. If they love you, they’ll die for you. They’ll do super things — they’ll win matches they shouldn’t, they’ll score touchdowns they shouldn’t.”
Still, Carlton knows who was at the center of that will to win.
“You can’t teach heart, you can’t give someone heart, but he does make you want to win,” she said. “He makes them want to play, not just for him, but for themselves.”
Booth’s ability to inspire extends past his players, too. Although they coach at rival programs, Thomasville coach Phil Slaughter admits that Booth is more a mentor than a rival. As does Bainbridge coach Pauncho Hufstetler, a former Central star.
“I know Thomasville and Central have always had a big rivalry, but as far as ours goes, he’s been more than just an opposing coach,” Slaughter said. “He’s been a friend and a mentor.
“It’ll be a different feeling when we face Central again with coach Booth not being there. I’ll miss playing against him.”
Added Hufstetler: “Coach Booth is one of a kind, he’s got that dominant personality and I’m not sure that’s my style. But, I expect my kids to work hard and play the right way, just like he did.
“It was always good to be able to lean on him and bounce some ideas off him.”
That advice includes a Booth specialty — breaking the tension with a well-placed story. He is, after all, an admitted “showboat.”
“I love teaching,” he said. “I love the classroom. When I walked through that door and looked at that new crop there, it was kind of like a buzz. I enjoyed it.
“Of course, I guess I’m somewhat of a showboat and enjoy the spotlight. But when I’m teaching, I am the star. I have the floor. If you liked the last one, wait until you hear the next one.
“I was the star and they couldn’t go anywhere for 55 minutes.”
After 25 years, they still haven’t left. Neither have the stories — whether it’s an interesting tidbit on Warren Harding to get a history class to remember the former President or healing Jesse Finder by taping a pair of aspirin to his head.
“As a 53-year-old former student, the best thing I’ll say about John is his dedication,” Times-Enterprise publisher Norman Bankston, who played under Booth at Valdosta in the early 1970s. “He wasn’t only dedicated on the football field, but also in the classroom. History was always my favorite subject, but his stories moved not only me, but all students, due to his desire to drive home the basics of history.
“John didn’t just care about football players or his students, he cared about all students. Those qualities made him the great leader that he still is today.”
Said Johnson: “The one thing that I’ll always remember about him are the stories. I think everybody will agree with me that he’s always got stories to tell and they’re always interesting — even the second or third time, I like them just as much.”
Added McClune: “Any story he tells sticks with you.”Booth retiring after 25 years at Central

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