Page 28 - The Anchor

History

Sp rts
AND

LEGACIES

that last

When Union Army captain

Douglas Gilbert Risley was by Glenn Carson
stationed in Brunswick

during Reconstruction n 1922, the Colored Memorial School opened at
the same location of Albany and H streets. The
following the Civil War, he
school was renamed Risley High in 1936 and a
led the way for a school for new building was erected in 1955 at the corner
African American youth. I of Albany and T streets.
Like many schools for African American children, Risley
In 1870, the Freedman’s
struggled with funding for basics like textbooks and teaching
School opened. supplies. However, from its early days, athletics was a

stronghold for Risley.
Then Coach Stan Lomax came along to lead the school’s

athletic teams to new heights of success.
In 1950, the Risley Tigers won three state championships,
in basketball, track, and football, and all three teams were
under the direction of Coach Lomax. Lomax led the school

to a total of 12 state championships during his tenure and
was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
It was the 1950 teams that truly stood out. So much so
that the Glynn County Sports Hall of Fame recognized the

Tigers when inducting basketball great Clyde Williams into
its roster in 2020. Lomax and Williams were also inducted
into the Risley Alumni Association Hall of Fame. Other
Photo: WikiMedia.org, Creative Commons, Jud McCranie
inductees included William H. Dennis, who went on
to become president of Albany State College, and

24 Brunswick-Golden Isles Community Magazine • The Anchor • BrunswickGoldenislesChamber.com
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