Lindsey, Class of 1998, was a two-way starter on the 1996 Lakeside football team at defensive tackle and tight end, and made it to the state championship that season with a 13-2 record. As a tight end, Lindsey was a consensus All-State football player in the 1997 season and was ranked as one of the top 50 recruits in Georgia. Lindsey accepted a full scholarship to Auburn University where he was a four-year letterman. He earned Academic All-SEC honors in 2000, 2001, and 2002. During his time at Auburn, the Tigers won three consecutive SEC West titles. He graduated from Auburn with an undergraduate degree and a masters degree in education. After college, Lindsey taught and coached for 20 years in the southeast in Alabama and Texas. He coached in two state championships as an assistant coach and won the 2016 Class 5A State title as a defensive coordinator at Beauregard High School in Opelika, Alabama. He took the head coaching job at Lamar High School in Houston, Texas in 2018 and still serves in that role today. Lindsey has been selected District Coach of the Year in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023 at Lamar. He has been married to Dr. Tyanne Lindsey for 20 years and together they have three children: Maddie, Micah, and Mason.
Holloman, Class of 1996, lettered in football, basketball and track and field during his time at Lakeside. However, football was his passion for his sophomore through senior years. At Lakeside, he was the Most Valuable Player in DeKalb County as a senior and was the Most Valuable Defensive Lineman in 1993 and 1995. He lettered four times in football and twice in track and field. He was named the Most Valuable Offensive Lineman as a freshman in 1992. During his senior season he played in the Florida-Georgia All-Star Game in Orlando, Florida. At Clemson, Holloman, nicknamed ‘Hollywood’, played defensive end and during his sophomore season, he didn’t start but led the team in forced fumbles with three while registering four sacks, including two against No. 6 Florida State. As a senior in 1999, Holloman started every game for a Clemson team which led the ACC in sacks and ranked second in tackles amongst the Clemson front four, adding four sacks. He made a key interception against North Carolina with the game tied at 17, which marked the turning point toward Clemson’s 31-20 victory over the in-state rivals. Holloman lives in Dunwoody and works for a commercial insurance company. He enjoys going on mission trips to Cambodia, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Uganda and Mexico to serve others.
Weathers, Class of 1977, was a multi-sport athlete at Lakeside where he lettered in football and track and field. He excelled at track and field, and during his senior season he broke both the individual 440-yard and 220-yard region, county and school records. His sister – Leigh Wilson (Weathers) – held the girls 440-yard record at the same time as Rob. In 1977, he won the Viking Award and was named the Atlanta Track Club Track Man of the Year. He was the Male Athlete of the Year for North DeKalb County and led the team as a captain his senior year. In football, he was named the Defensive Player of the Year on the junior varsity team as a sophomore. As a junior he started on varsity as a cornerback under legendary head coach Wayman Creel, and as a senior was a captain. He attended Presbyterian College in South Carolina and played one year of football, then transferred to Georgia Tech where he ran one year of track before returning to Presbyterian to finish his college career, lettering in track. He served in the U.S. Army from 1981-1984, then worked at Xerox and was a merchandiser for Home Depot. He is retired and enjoys time in Lilburn with his wife Sandi. He is a cancer survivor and is thankful to be alive.
Parkerson, Class of 1975, was a multi-sport athlete who played three sports during his time with the Vikings including track, football, and baseball. Parkerson lettered two years in track, and was a three-year starter in football, winning a state championship in 1972 and a region championship in 1973. During his senior season, he played on the North team in the Georgia All-Star game. Parkerson also won the North Georgia championship in 1974. Parkerson was voted DeKalb Touchdown Club Lineman of the Week twice, and received the Best Offensive Lineman Award from the Lakeside Touchdown Club twice. He also made the All-Metro First Team and All-State First Team in his final season. Parkerson went on to sign a full scholarship with the Alabama Crimson Tide and played under legendary head coach Bear Bryant. For the Crimson Tide, Parkerson was a part of the Alabama team that won a Liberty Bowl against UCLA in 1976. Parkerson graduated from Alabama in 1979 with a BSBA degree and ventured into the manufacturing industry. Parkerson worked in manufacturing management for Smurfit Stone Container Corporation and retired after a successful career in the industry. He has been married for 45 years and has three children and five grandchildren. He is now living in the Hamilton Mill area.
Atkinson, Class of 1975, was a multi-sport athlete who played on the Vikings football and track teams. On the football field, he received two letters and another for track. At receiver and running back, he was a member of the Viking’s 1973 sub-region and the 1974 state runner-up teams. After graduating from Lakeside, Atkinson attended Washington & Lee University where he lettered each season in football and track. He was captain of the football team as a senior and the track team as a junior and senior. He was named Freshman Athlete of the Year, Football Offensive MVP for three seasons, Track MVP his senior year, and Senior Athlete of the Year. On the football field, he set every game, season, and career rushing record. He graduated with honors in Economics. In addition, he was a Distinguished Military Graduate and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society. Upon graduation, Atkinson became a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army, ultimately achieving the rank of Captain. Following active duty, he worked for Procter and Gamble Company, concluding as the Chief Purchasing Officer. After 36 years, he retired and became Chairman and CEO of Truvant, a packaging manufacturing company. He supports K9s for Warriors and causes that raise awareness and prevention of veteran mental health challenges.
Speer, Class of 1975, was a multi-sport athlete and played on the Vikings basketball, football, and tennis teams. On the gridiron, Speer was part of the 1974 state runner-up football team. On the hardwood, he was elevated to the varsity team for the 1973 playoff run that saw the team finish as state runner-up. After graduating from Lakeside, Speer decided to attend Georgia Tech rather than pursue collegiate sports at a smaller college. While at Tech, Speer enjoyed playing intramural sports, representing his fraternity Alpha Tau Omega. He served his fraternity as President during the 1978-79 school year. In 1979, Speer graduated from Tech with a Bachelor of Engineering in Economic Systems. Following graduation, he married his high school sweetheart Janet, also a 1975 Lakeside graduate, and moved to Miami to take a job with the York division of Borg-Warner as a sales engineer. Speer eventually moved back to Atlanta for job opportunities and to be closer to family. In 1988, he began working in the recruiting business, where he invested most of his career. Speer would go on to become a Partner with IBM as the Global Director for Solutions within the Talent and Transformation division. He is now a Consulting Executive with Engage2Excel in their Recruitment Solutions group, specializing in designing solutions for small-to-midsize companies.
Pate, Class of 1974, played five years of football and ran track for four years while at Lakeside. In his three years of varsity football, the Vikings went a combined 27-2. Pate was a captain on the 1973 Lakeside team and recipient of the prestigious Viking Award. He was also a member of the 1972 State Championship team, which is considered the greatest team in Lakeside history. After graduation, Pate attended Clemson University where he was a member of the 1974 and 1975 football teams, and was captain of the 1974 freshman team. He was president of his fraternity Kappa Alpha Order for two consecutive years, later serving as President of the Atlanta Clemson Club for three different terms. After graduating from Clemson, Pate joined his family’s architectural practice, which he later purchased and served as President and CEO. Pate was involved in the design of many noteworthy resort and hotel projects, including the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Resort on Grand Cayman Island, the Cloister Hotel and Spa on Sea Island and the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Studios. He is married to Mariann Martin Pate, a 1975 Lakeside graduate. Together, they have three children and six grandchildren. His son Gene played football for Lakeside Hall of Fame coach Phil Lindsey at Tucker. The Pates now live in the Tucker-Stone Mountain area.
The 1972 Lakeside Vikings completed a perfect 14-0 season en route to the school’s second state championship in three years. Defensively, the team was unscored upon in 10-of-14 games and allowed just 6.29 ppg throughout the entire season. Offensively, Lakeside was led by the No. 1 ranked quarterback in the country with Mike Johnson and the Vikings produced a school-record 518 points scored during the championship run that amounted to a 37 ppg average. After a 32-14 victory over Clarkston in the season opener, the Vikings set the tone with a 34-0 victory over the rival Cougars. The Vikings cruised past Gainesville, Tucker and Clarke Central to improve to 6-0 and then swept Region 8-3A with a whopping 40.75 ppg average. Lakeside faced Henderson in the Region Playoffs and completed the season sweep with a 49-6 victory. The Vikings improved to 11-0 with the victory and were three wins away from accomplishing perfection when they went on the road and pulled out a 14-8 victory over an undefeated Griffin team. The Vikings faced Avondale at Hallford Stadium in the semifinals and advanced with a 34-14 victory before topping undefeated Central-Macon 36-25 for the Class 3A State Title. Lakeside’s dominance caught national attention and they finished ranked No. 2 in the National Poll.
Simmons, Class of 1971, was the first Lakeside student to receive the Green Beret Award as an eighth grader, and received the award every year after. On the football field, he led the Vikings in tackles in each season he played. After helping lead the team to an undefeated state championship season as a junior, he was voted a team captain during his senior season. Despite having a major shoulder injury in fall camp, Simmons led the team to a 9-1 record that year. Following his days at Lakeside, Simmons attended the University of Georgia Terry College of Business and graduated with a 3.8 GPA. In December, 1975 he gave his life to Jesus Christ. In April 1976, Simmons moved to Kentucky on the day of his wedding to Jeannine Morris, where he began to work for Hormel. In 1977, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to attend Rhema Bible Training College, where he was ordained. In 1979, he went to work for Henkel Corp. as an entry-level manager in Atlanta. In 1983 he moved to Philadelphia to become a National Accounts Manager, but moved back to Atlanta as a Regional Manager and finished his career as National Sales Manager. He is blessed to have a wonderful family including Susanne and Andy Kee, Katherine and Andrew, Daniel and Katie Simmons with Norah, and Lily and Molly.
Rowe, Class of 1970, played football and was on the track and field team while attending Lakeside High School. Rowe began attending Lakeside after the school integrated beginning in the 1965 school year. While at Lakeside, Rowe joined both the football and track and field teams where he was able to showcase his athletic ability. In his time with the football program, Rowe’s versatility allowed him to play on both sides of the ball. He was a starting defensive back and running back under head coach Norman Olson. Under Olson’s coaching, Rowe was a member of the 1967 Lakeside football team that won a region championship. In that same season, the Vikings put together a dominant record of 9-1-1, with a tie to Sandy Springs with their lone loss coming in the postseason. The Vikings were ultimately defeated in the quarterfinals of their regional championship season, but were able to win the state championship three years later in 1970. Rowe was also a member of the track and field team throughout his four years as a Viking. He ran in events such as the 100-yard and 220-yard dash where he never lost a meet. After graduating from Lakeside, Rowe began working at Quest Diagnostics, and remained with the company for over 30 years.
The Lakeside High School Sports Hall of Fame is dedicated to honoring the rich history and achievements of high school athletes who graduated from Lakeside High School in Atlanta, Georgia.
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