Town thankful for inspirational football coach

GREENVILLE, Ga. — There are times when things aren’t going right in Hannah Flynn’s life and she feels sorry for herself. That’s when she starts complaining.

When she does, though, she feels “ashamed.”

That, she said, is because of Jeremy Williams.

Williams is a 38-year-old football coach in Greenville, Ga. This year he led the Greenville High Patriots to an undefeated record and a playoff victory before having the season ended by Wilcox County last Friday.

The 11 wins are the most for Greenville since 1992. The team has had only three winning seasons in 16 years. His importance, however, goes way past glory on the field as Williams has become an inspiration for Flynn and many others in the city on Highway 27.

Williams, who played football at Kendrick High in Columbus, suffers from ALS, a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that controls voluntary muscle movements. The disease kills motor neurons, which leads to atrophy of all the muscles and eventually death, typically of respiratory failure.

Williams has a 6-year-old son, Jacob, who was born with spina bifida, an incomplete development of his spinal cord. The boy is confined to a wheelchair and treatments include surgery.

Though the coach’s speech is now slurred and he needs help getting dressed, Williams has never shown any self pity. He has worked as hard as ever.

Flynn, a retired nurse, has been associated with the Greenville High program for about 35 years. Three daughters were cheerleaders. A son played tennis. They left. She didn’t. Because of her dedication, the concession stand at Leon Coverson football stadium was named for her.

“You look at Jeremy and how he perseveres through so much,” Flynn said. “You see how hard the boys wanted to win, not for themselves, but for him. It makes your problems seem so small. He has been an inspiration at a time when inspiration is needed.”

Jo Ellen Prestridge agrees.

She is a Greenville graduate and an assistant operations officer for the Greenville Banking Company.

“You may not have much but when you see what this family has gone through, it’s got to make you thankful for what you’ve got,” Prestridge said.

“This man’s faith is so strong, the belief he has in Jesus Christ. Everyone’s faith should be that great.”

She said it’s as if the coach’s “great inner peace” is contagious. “His spirit rubs off on you,” Prestridge said. “This man always has a smile on his face. Always. He makes us realize how blessed we are.”

Lifting the community

Prestridge said the town has certainly been blessed to have Williams and the Patriots to rally around.

Street signs supporting the Patriots are plentiful around town. “The Sky’s the Limit” reads one outside the school. Her bank had a poster for workers and customers to sign. There were Patriot buttons and T-shirts.

According to the 2000 census, Greenville had 946 residents. That number likely hasn’t grown. Unemployment is high at 13 percent. Many shops in the town square are empty. The courthouse in the center of the square has been around since 1903. And there are few new buildings.

People in Greenville needed a lift, said Bobby Moreland, an assistant city clerk for the city. During difficult economic times, people needed a diversion and that’s what Williams and the Greenville football team gave them.

“It seems to have brought the town together,” he said. “There were senior citizens who had previously shown no interest in football or the school sitting in stadium seats showing support. Churches came together and began making pre-game dinners for the team.

“When it was discovered that Williams needed a golf cart to get around, he soon had one.”

Moreland notes that contributions for the $3,000 vehicle came not only from Greenville, but also from all of Meriwether County.

“Coach Williams is a fine Christian gentleman,” Moreland said.

“He has always done a good job as a coach but the illness made more people take notice this year. The thing you have to understand is coach Williams is like a father to these players. Many come from single parent homes. He looks after those boys. He is about much more than football.”

And while good things have happened with the football team, it seems things are beginning to look up for Greenville, too. For example, plans have been made to build a new government center. A search for funds has begun.

Sally Estes, the manager for Greenville Better Hometown, an organization aimed at city development, mentions a bed and breakfast called the Georgian Inn that recently opened, as well as an antique shop called Foxy Finds and two restaurants, Sally’s Country Kitchen and Foxx Den Coffee Cafe.

The old city jail that was built in 1896, the one that played a key role in the book “Murder in Coweta County,” has been bought and will likely be remodeled into a business.

Best of all, in spring 2010 there will be a new $300,000 streetscape in the town square.

“We have a lot of traffic come through town,” Estes said. “We’ve got to get more folks to stop here.”

She said she has enjoyed watching the city get behind the team and Williams. She has enjoyed seeing the media attention the story has brought to Greenville.

“Small towns like this tend to get behind winning football teams but this has been special,” she said. “It has been something to be thankful for this year. The team and its coach has brought the town closer and given Greenville something of which to be proud.”