Earlier this month, the Atkinson County Rebels baseball program honored former head coach and Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Famer Brad Porter.
Now retired, Coach Porter finished with a 504-249 career record and was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame in December of last year. Coach Porter served five programs as head coach during his 27-year high school career — Madison County (Fla.), Atkinson County, Coffee, Tiftarea, and Valdosta. He was also an assistant coach in the college ranks for three years, giving him 30 years in the coaching profession.
While at Atkinson County, Coach Porter posted a 90-35 record in four years, won two region titles, and made the playoffs all four years. The Rebels advanced to the Elite 8 in 2002 and the Final Four in 2005. In three seasons, the Rebels won 20 or more games. Additionally, he coached the Lady Rebels’ softball team in 2001, taking the girls to the Sweet 16.
Coach Porter left Atkinson County to lead the Coffee Trojans, where he coached for seven seasons. Coffee made the playoffs six of those years and won a region championship (tied with Lowndes) in his second year.
“This is incredible. It’s very humbling. It makes you realize how fortunate and blessed you’ve been to be around this game and all these kids for nearly 30 years. I’ve had the opportunity to coach with some great assistants and be in the company of some great players,” states Coach Porter. “It’s such a great experience to see the kids go out and do what you ask them to do and get better and mature in both baseball and life. I always wanted to represent the players and the hard work they do to the best of my ability. When you see it click, when they finally get it, it’s such an amazing feeling.”
Coach Porter and his wife, Kimberly, have a son, Cole, who plays baseball at Berry College.
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