Our Boys

The legacy began 100 years ago, when Ocilla beat Fitzgerald ... in football! It was a point in time when progressives in the region had drubbed Ocilla industrially. For many reasons, Ocilla, a little-known farming town, could not compete with anyone for growth and manufacturing jobs. Then Ocilla Hi started up football, and ... wham! Nobody saw Ocilla coming. At last, she had found her equalizer. The economic impact of football in Ocilla was nil, but from 1923 to 1928, the little school's band of outmanned but plucky lads gave boys from these bigger, faster towns the business in what was called the "great game." Somehow, although they never won all their games, the "clean" Ocilla team, generally known as the Terrapins, hailed as one of most feared outfits in the conference. A lot has happened since those days, when boys wore leather hats. Ocilla Hi is defunct and now it's Irwin County High School, but football remains richly woven into the cultural fabric of this small town in rural Georgia. Our Boys A team. A town. A history. A Way of life is an impassioned look at the sport that put Ocilla on the map. What they said about the book: - "Well written" - Derrell Young, ICHS class of 1971-72 - "Great book" - Jack Smith, ICHS class of 1965-66, who later played for the Philadelphia Eagles. - "As someone who enjoys looking back as much as I do looking forward at what high school football in Georgia is and what will be, this trip to Ocilla and Irwin County was an education and a treat to experience as David led the tour." - Jon Nelson, Senior Correspondent, GPB Radio, Author of Nobles Strong.