2744 and more Fantastic, Fascinating, Freaky, Famed, Favorite, Foremost, Fateful, Fabulous, Forgotten, Funny, & Phenomenal FEATS & FACTS ABOUT THE FINE FOLKS OF DUBLIN AND LAURENS COUNTY, GEORGIA By: Scott B. Thompson, Sr. @ 2021 THIS IS A COMPILATION OF THE OUTSTANDING ACTS OF NATIVE, SHORT TERM, AND LONG TERM RESIDENTS OF DUBLIN AND LAURENS COUNTY, GEORGIA. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS COMPENDIUM, ONLY ACTS OF STATEWIDE, SOUTHEASTERN, NATIONAL, AND WORLD ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE LISTED. VOLUME 2 WILL CONTAIN MORE FEATS ON A LOCAL LEVEL. THERE ARE HUNDREDS, PERHAPS THOUSANDS MORE ACTS WHILE NOTEWORTHY, DO NOT MEET THE CRITERIA SET OUT ABOVE. IF YOU HAVE MORE EXAMPLES OF FANTASTIC FEATS, PLEASE EMAIL ME AT SCOTTBTHOMPSONSR@YAHOO.COM THE LIST WILL BE POSTED ON THE INTERNET AND WILL BE UPDATED ON A REGULAR BASIS.

278. Anthony “A.J.” Johnson, former West Laurens wrestler, won his weight Anthony Johnson classification for the second year in a row.  (279) Johnson won 104 matches in a row and was named a High School All American and a NHSCA National Champion. (280)  wrestling for Lassen Community College, finished third in the 2003 NJCAA National Championships. (281)  Number one ranked junior college wrestler in the country in the174-pound classification. (282)    Before retiring, he was the No.1 ranked light heavyweight contender in THE official UFC rankings, (283) and was ranked #2 in the world by Sherdog and ESPN.(284) He also had the most 'sub-minute' KO wins in UFC History with 5. (285)  He appeared in the 2011 film Warrior as a fighter named Orlando "Midnight". (286)

287. Brian Mallette, former Dublin High School pitcher, pitched in the Major Leagues for the Milwaukee Brewers.  Brian was a member of the 1996 Kennesaw State National Championship team (287A). Played in the minor league systems of the Reds, Pirates, and Dodgers as well as a season in Japan.

 

288. Will Foskey, a standout catcher for Dublin High School, played for the Gulf Coast Braves and the Danville Braves in 2002 and 2003.

289. Quintez Smith, of  Dublin High School, was the AAA Georgia High School Player of the Year 2002. Named to the American Football Coaches and Daktronics Division II All America first teams. (290)  Smith, the CIAA Defensive Player of the Year,(291)  tied a Division II season record with four touchdowns on interception returns and lead the division in interceptions.(292, 293)  Smith set a NCAA Division II record with most return yards on interceptions (294)  and most receptions returned for a touchdown in a single game. (295) Smith was also named as a player of the decade of the 2000s in Middle Georgia (296.) 

297. Erik Walden, an All State Dublin High footballer, was drafted in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. (298). Member of the Georgia All Decade team 2000-2009  Traded to the Kansas City Chiefs to start the season. Named to the all decade team of the Sunbelt  Conference by CBS in 2009. (299)  Outstanding special teams player for the Miami Dolphins. Started for the  Green Bay Packers, making the former Irish standout  the school’s first football player to start an NFL game.  In January 2010 in his third start for the Packers, helped his team with 16 tackles, including 3 sacks, to make the playoffs.  In doing so Walden was named the NFC Defensive Player of the  Week. (300).  Traded to the Indianapolis Colts. Elected to the University of Tennessee Chattanooga Hall of Fame, 2019. (301)   

302. John Checkovich, who taught and coached at Dublin High School in 1965,was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, for his lifetime service to wrestling, which included his being thrice  named as South Carolina Coach of the Year and once as Southeastern Coach of the Year. (303)  

304. Kailey Johnston, of Laurens County, won the gold medal at in the Compound Individual Archery competition at the Junior Outdoor World Championship. Member of the gold medal winning Team USA. (305) Kailey Johnston, set an indoor world archery record in her age group from a distance of 25 meters. (306) 

307. Ruby Martin, of Laurens County, Georgia, retired in 2009 as the longest serving court reporter in Georgia’s history. 

308. Gov. George Michael Troup, a long term resident of Laurens County, was the last  person in the history of Georgia to be regularly elected by Georgia Legislature (1823) and the first person in the history of Georgia to be elected by the people of Georgia. (309) (First to be elected)  Georgia House of Representatives (1803-1805.) Georgia Congressman, 1807-1815 (310). United States Senator 1816-1817; 1829-1833 (311).  Graduate of Princeton University.  Presidential Candidate in 1852. (312) One of only three persons in the history of Georgia to serve in the state legislature, both houses of Congress, and as Governor of Georgia. (313) Known as a founder of state rights in America.  (314).  Threatened war against the United States on the issue of the removal of Native Americans from Georgia. (315)

316. Pvt. Elijah Curl, of Co. G,  49th Ga. Volunteer Infantry based in Laurens County, is given credit for killing Gen. Philip Kearney, USA at the Battle of Chantilly.  Kearney was the highest ranking Union general killed in the Civil War.  His death was lamented by both armies. (Confederate Veteran, Vol. 15)  

317. Col. Jonathan Rivers, who practiced law in Laurens County after the Civil War commanded the 49th Georgia Infantry during the Civil War.

318. Likewise, Lt. Col. William H. Wylly, another post-war Dublin attorney, commanded the 25th Georgia Infantry during the War as well.  

319. In 1869, Moses Guyton, of Laurens County, became the second Laurens Countian to be named as Valedictorian of the University of Georgia. 

320. The Rev. George Linder, once a Laurens County slave, was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1868 during Reconstruction.  Rev. Linder, a local Methodist Minister,  and the other 32 African-American legislators were among the first to serve in a state legislature in the newly United States of America. 

321. Bert Greene, a former resident of Eastman and Dublin, earned All-American honors at the University of Tennessee.  Son of local golf pro Herb Greene, Bert won his first P.G.A. tour event at the L&M Open in 1973.(322)  Played in several Master’s Tournaments in Augusta. (323) 

324. Former star pitcher for the East Laurens Falcons and Dublin, Irish Joe Isaac, was drafted in the 8th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1974 MLB Draft.