BASEBALL

McGuire, Class of 1979, played shortstop and pitcher on the Vikings’ baseball team and played receiver on the 1978 football team that made the North Georgia finals. He was a three-time MVP award winner, and also served as team captain. McGuire was selected to play in the Metro Atlanta High School All-Star game in 1979. Following graduation, McGuire earned a full athletic scholarship to play baseball at Georgia State University. He was a four-year starter and played second base for the Panthers. McGuire even earned a spot on the 1980 All Sun Belt Conference First-Team. He was a previous holder of six offensive records for the Panthers and was team captain in 1983. McGuire has been a Physical Education teacher and coach for thirty-five years. He is currently in his twenty-first year at The Westminster Schools. During his ten-year tenure as head varsity fastpitch softball coach, he was recognized as the Region Softball Coach of the Year four times and won the Georgia Dugout Club Assistant Baseball Coach of the Year Award in 2015 and 2019. His varsity baseball team won the AAA State Championship in 2016. McGuire and his wife Caroline have three children: Kelly, Courtney and Michael.

O’Neal, Class of 1974, earned four varsity letters as the quarterback of the Vikings’ football team, and was a two-year varsity letterman as a starting pitcher for the baseball team. He was a member of both the 1970 and 1972 State Championship football teams, and as a senior had a 9-1 record and won the prestigious Viking Award. After high school, O’Neal attended Middle Georgia College for two years where he continued his baseball career. He was the opening night starting pitcher at the JUCO World Series and helped lead his team to a final ranking as the No. 3 team in 1975. Later, O’Neal received a scholarship to the University of Georgia as a starting pitcher for the Bulldogs. His senior year, he was a captain of the team, helping lead them to the SEC Championship Series. He graduated from UGA with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education. O’Neal and his wife Susan have been happily married for 23 years. They have four children and five grandchildren. He and his wife still reside in the Lakeside area. He is currently the Vice President for Southern Champion Construction Company.
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Walker, Class of 1971, was a multi-sport athlete at Lakeside, playing football and baseball. During his senior year the Vikings went 13-0, and ended the season by winning the Football State Championship. His efforts on the field got him elected Captain of the defense, and he was awarded Scholar Athlete Lineman of the Week by Decatur-DeKalb newspaper and the Lakeside Touchdown Club Award. On the baseball team as a junior, he took over the team’s catcher position. During his senior year, he had a batting average of .560, and played in the East-West All-Star game. Walker was on the Dugout All-Star team and received the Braves 400 Club Award on top of being given the prestigious Viking award. Following his graduation from Lakeside, Walker received a full baseball scholarship to attend Georgia Tech. He would later transfer to Mercer University- Atlanta on a full baseball scholarship, and graduated with honors from Stetson School of Business and Economics. Now, Walker is retired and living on a small farm in Good Hope, Georgia with Anne, his wife of 42 years. Together, they have one son and three grandsons.