FOOTBALL

Willie Smith, Class of 1992, was a four-year letterman in football and track during his time at Lakeside. He captained the Vikings football team during his junior and senior seasons, and was a captain of the track and field team as a senior. Smith played running back on Lakeside’s quarterfinal team as a junior and was instrumental in leading the Vikings to the 1991 state title as a senior—earning All County and All State honorable mention and the prestigious Viking Award. Smith received appointment to U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD and was a three-year letter winner and starter at Navy that helped the Midshipmen achieve a 9-3 season, the most wins in a season for Navy since 1978. Smith was a member of the 1996 Navy team that won the Aloha Bowl —marking the school’s first bowl appearance in 15 years and its first winning season in 14 years. He graduated from the USNA with a minor in Japanese and a degree in Economics. Smith then served onboard two nuclear powered submarines after enrolling in the Naval Nuclear Power School. Following his service, Smith enjoyed a career in sales with Johnson & Johnson and consulting with Accenture and Ernst and Young and received an MBA in Finance from Emory. Smith is now an entrepreneur with several business and real-estate interests.

Scott Gold, Class of 1988, was a multi-sport athlete during his time at Lakeside but his career as an offensive lineman on the Viking football team built his legacy. He was a two-year letter winner in track and played soccer and basketball from 8th to 10th grade. He was a three-year varsity letter winner in football and a team captain his senior season. During his junior and senior seasons he was named most-valuable offensive lineman, and was an all-state selection as a senior. His football accomplishments earned him multiple Division 1 scholarship offers and he elected to stay at home and play at Georgia Tech on a full scholarship. As a Yellow Jacket, Gold was a two-year letter winner and a member of the 1990 team which won the ACC Championship, the Citrus Bowl and THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. (There aren’t five downs in football, Colorado.) He graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in business. According to Gold, he could not have done any of this without the support of his mother Dorothy, who was very active in everything Lakeside. He has four children: Taylor, Jay, Tyler and Averee. His first wife, Rhoda, passed away in 2007. She influenced Gold to get involved with the church. Gold has since been remarried to Julie. She is his rock and makes him a better man. “I owe everything to the Lord; he makes it all possible. Without him I am nothing!”

Kevin Whitley, Class of 1988, was a two-sport athlete for the Vikings, playing on the football and basketball teams. He earned all-state and all-region recognition as a defensive back on the football team and helped Lakeside win region titles during his junior and senior seasons as the Vikings carried a 23-4 record over the same span. Following his varsity career, Whitley accepted a scholarship to play football at Georgia Southern. Whitley became the first player in Georgia Southern history to play in three national title games—winning two of them (1989-90)—and start at three different positions (safety, nickel and cornerback). He landed a free agent contract with the New England Patriots in 1992 and then went on to play for the Toronto Argonauts for the next three years—earning the team’s Rookie of the Year award in 1993. Following his playing career, Whitley entered the coaching profession and spent 18 years as a high school head coach—compiling a 160-55 overall record and leading his teams to seven region titles. He then joined the Georgia Southern coaching staff in 2019 as the cornerbacks coach, and helped lead the Eagles to a nation-high total in interceptions and turnovers. Whitley served as interim head coach for eight games in 2021 and is currently the cornerbacks and assistant head coach for his alma mater.

Steve Campbell, Class of 1981, was a multi-sport athlete for the Vikings and played on the baseball, football and soccer teams. He was named starting fullback on the varsity soccer team as a sophomore, and during his senior season was voted team captain and led the Vikings to a state championship and an undefeated season. He was voted Most Valuable Player and played in the All-Star game at Fulton County Stadium. On the football field, he was named co-captain on Wayman Creel’s 1980-81 football team where he played strong safety and was named All-County with seven interceptions. Coach Creel had a major influence on his life and was a great man, according to Campbell. He received a scholarship and played one year of football at Carson-Newman College before transferring to West Georgia to focus on soccer. That was the same year West Georgia won the Division 3 National Championship. The next season, Campbell joined the football team and earned a varsity letter after working his way through the depth chart. The same season, 1983, Carson-Newman won the NAIA Football National Championship. “Missed it again,” he said. Campbell has one daughter, Elie, who is a 2021 graduate of the University of Georgia and is the best thing that’s ever happened to him. He’s lived quietly on Lake Oconee since 1994 and enjoys jet skiing, golf, tennis and skiing in Utah.

James Wurst, Class of 1979, was a two-sport athlete during his time at Lakeside. He began playing basketball and football in the eighth grade, and went on to receive the prestigious Viking Award in both basketball and football as a senior. During his senior season, Wurst was a member of Lakeside’s 1978 Region 8-AAAA championship winning team and caught 30 passes for over 600 yards and 12 touchdowns. His excellent season earned him Lakeside’s Outstanding Student Athlete recognition as well as DeKalb All-County honors. After being recruited to play collegiate football Wurst signed a scholarship to play wide receiver at Clemson, and later transitioned to play tight end beginning in fall of 1979 through fall of 1982. He had the privilege of playing on Clemson’s 1981 National Championship team and graduated in the spring of 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering. After Clemson, Wurst began his engineering career working for Duke Power Company, which would later become Duke Energy. He has spent over 38 years working for the company. Wurst has been married to Karen Lundy Wurst of Spartanburg, SC for almost 40 years. They have two sons: Trey and his wife, Laura Wurst, grandchildren Madeline and Gabriel all of Charleston, SC; and son Daniel Wurst of Seneca, SC.

Jim Blankenship, Class of 1969, was a multi-sport athlete during his time at Lakeside, playing running back on the football team and competing on the track and field teams. He was a three-year varsity letterman on the Vikings football team and received the Most Valuable Running Back Award along with the Green Beret Award during his senior year. He was also a three-year letterman in track and field where he received the Best Effort Award. After graduating from Lakeside, Blankenship continued his education at Jacksonville State University in Alabama where he received a four-year football scholarship. He continued to play running back and was a member of the 1970 Mid-South Conference championship team, the only team to go undefeated in the school’s history. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business and minored in economics as a Gamecock and later moved back to Atlanta to begin a 50-year career in real estate development which included apartments, condominiums, residential and commercial shopping centers around the perimeter of Atlanta. Blankenship is President of JEB Associates, LLC and is now semi-retired. Blankenship and his wife Ramona have three children: Jimmy, Epris and Lauren. He feels extremely blessed by the many lasting relationships that were formed due to the opportunities given to him while playing football in high school and in college.