A Family Tradition: A Georgia Sports Family

There have been issues, mistakes and shortcomings, but for the most part, good has prevailed for the betterment of kids. Coaches and school officials have literally given the shirts off their backs to kids and provided transportation when necessary. Kids in need of a healthy meal were invited to pull up a chair at mealtime.

Coaches have given of themselves to help deserving kids and to provide counsel and direction that have turned lives around. They have become surrogate parents and have turned wayward lifestyles into productive high school careers, sometimes leading to college scholarships and opportunity.

My favorite Georgia coaching family is the Lambs of Commerce. Ray and Linda Lamb begat Bobby, Hal and Lynn – all of whom became coaches and teachers with praiseworthy success. Their all-in-the-family and all-for-the-family mantra remains intact with the passing of generations.

After winning two high school football state titles in Warren County, Ray Lamb moved to Commerce where he had exceptional success, including the state championship in 1981. Forty years later, in 2021, he was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

While at Commerce, older son Bobby was his quarterback, and younger son Hal was the main target at wide receiver. Lynn was a cheerleader, and Linda, the matriarch, cooked meals for half the community, supported all team and school activities, and let the officials have an earful if they made wrong calls.

Bobby played at Furman University and later coached the Paladins, leaving to reestablish football at Mercer University in 2011. He now has the head coach gig at Anderson University in South Carolina. Bobby’s son, Taylor, played college football at Appalachian State University and is now the quarterback coach at the University of Virginia. The word is out. Some college is likely to soon knock on his door when there is a head coaching opening.

Already, Hal’s son Tre is in the head coaching ranks at the University of Tulsa, which signed him to a five-year, high-dollar contract in December. At 35 years of age, he is likely to experience greater paydays with reasonable success.

Another star athlete in the family is Lynn’s daughter, Lyndi Rae Davis, a slugging catcher with the University of Georgia Lady Dawgs softball team. She received her undergraduate degree from UGA in May 2024 and is on track to receive her master’s degree in sports and fitness management/administration this summer. If she had another year of eligibility, she might have left campus with an MBA.

Her dad, Michael Davis, was Hal Lamb’s offensive coordinator at Calhoun High School before moving on to Rabun County High School where he coached Gunner Stockton, currently the University of Georgia’s quarterback. Davis left the job at Rabun County in February.

For years, Ray and Linda Lamb could be found at a Friday night football game in Calhoun, followed by taking in Saturday games where Bobby was coaching or where Taylor or Tre were playing. They even made it to a Georgia game in Athens on occasion.

The Lambs are as family oriented as they come. It has always been that way.

Home-cooked meals have been a tradition since Ray and Linda started keeping house in 1962. The immediate family knew about hand-me-down clothes when they were growing up, but no matter what they wore, they were and still are passionate competitors. They work hard and they play hard.

They have a tradition of gathering in July for a family reunion at a resort near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Last year, 26 showed up, from Ray and Linda to all the offspring, which includes the great-grandchildren nicknamed “Little Lambs.”

They rent three multi-bedroom condos and take turns cooking for the assembly.

“It is a challenge to get us all together, but we seem able to do it year after year,” “Poppa” Ray says.

The men get up early every morning and play in a golf tournament, organized by Hal. The wives prepare snacks and lunches constantly. They have been seduced by the pickleball craze which takes up most afternoons. Supper ranges from Low-country boils to burgers and hotdogs.

What do we take from this? That sports and strong coaches can bring families and communities together, which is exemplified by the Lamb family, whose tradition of hard work and championships will likely continue into the next generations.