Editors Note: This feature on the late Alfred Gant, former outstanding Hutto High School Tigers head basketball and football coach, is part of a series on the four outstanding sports figures who will be inducted into the Decatur County Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 3, at Bainbridge College’s Charles H. Kirbo Regional Center.

 

The late coach Alfred Gant led his Hutto High School Tigers basketball teams to two state championships and two district championships, and his Tigers football teams to three district championships.

His basketball teams won state championships in 1953 and 1958 and captured district championships in 1950 and 1960.

He had an outstanding record as the Tigers’ head basketball and football coach. His Hutto football teams won district championships in 1950, 1951 and 1952.

Gant was Decatur County School System Teacher of the Year in 1960 and Hutto High School Star Teacher in 1969. He joined the Bainbridge High School faculty in 1970 as a mathematics teacher. He served as a Bainbridge High School Bearcats assistant football coach from 1974 to 1976.

Robert “Sonny” Jackson, who played quarterback for coach Gant’s Hutto football teams and guard on his basketball teams from 1953 to 1956, remembers him as a Christian man who always encouraged his players to do the right thing in sports and life.

“I only weighed 145 pounds, but I started at quarterback my sophomore, junior and senior years,” said Jackson, who later had his own coaching career. “Under Coach Gant, we ran the ‘T’ formation and the veer.

“He wouldn’t get upset if you did something wrong during practice. He would just quietly explain to you how you messed up and what you needed to do to correct it.”

Jackson said Gant would get upset if players didn’t show strong effort, however.

“The only time he would get really upset with you is when you didn’t hustle,” he said. “There were not a lot of weight programs like there are today, back then, There were also not that many 200-pound linemen.”

The late coach Alfred Gant led his Hutto High School Tigers basketball teams to two state championships and two district championships, and his Tigers football teams to three district championships.

His basketball teams won state championships in 1953 and 1958 and captured district championships in 1950 and 1960.

He had an outstanding record as the Tigers’ head basketball and football coach. His Hutto football teams won district championships in 1950, 1951 and 1952.

Gant was Decatur County School System Teacher of the Year in 1960 and Hutto High School Star Teacher in 1969. He joined the Bainbridge High School faculty in 1970 as a mathematics teacher. He served as a Bainbridge High School Bearcats assistant football coach from 1974 to 1976.

Robert “Sonny” Jackson, who played quarterback for coach Gant’s Hutto football teams and guard on his basketball teams from 1953 to 1956, remembers him as a Christian man who always encouraged his players to do the right thing in sports and life.

“I only weighed 145 pounds, but I started at quarterback my sophomore, junior and senior years,” said Jackson, who later had his own coaching career. “Under Coach Gant, we ran the ‘T’ formation and the veer.

“He wouldn’t get upset if you did something wrong during practice. He would just quietly explain to you how you messed up and what you needed to do to correct it.”

Jackson said Gant would get upset if players didn’t show strong effort, however.

“The only time he would get really upset with you is when you didn’t hustle,” he said. “There were not a lot of weight programs like there are today, back then, There were also not that many 200-pound linemen.”