Burrell graced the cover of a Raider Football season preview released ahead of his senior campaign in Mt. Airy. SUBMITTED
When Greg Burrell received a text last week from former high school football teammate Scott Lokey that read “Looks like I’ll be seeing you soon,” he had no idea what the message meant. After all, he hadn’t seen Scott in a while, so the text felt a bit out of the blue.
Later that day, Burrell received a phone call informing him that he’d been elected into the Habersham Central Football Ring of Honor. It was then that he was able to piece the puzzle together.
“It’s definitely a great honor,” said Burrell, who was the Raiders quarterback in 1980 and 1981. “But I always give a lot of praise to Coach Walker.”
That would be Rodney Walker, who served as Habersham’s head coach for five seasons from 1979-1983. Walker’s 62.5-percent winning percentage at the helm ties him with the legendary Larry Black as the winningest coach (percentage-wise) in HCHS history. Black was Habersham’s head man for 11 seasons.
“We were no team of superstars,” Burrell added. “But Coach Walker was so good at getting the most out of the players we had. We were the true picture of what a team could be when everybody works together and gives their best.”
The climax of that era came in 1981, when the Raiders polished off a 9-1 regular season and reached as high as eighth in the state polls.
One of the highlights of that fall was a signature victory on “The Reservation.”
“I always joke with the guys I play golf with that we were one of the few Habersham teams who beat Stephens County in Stephens County,” Burrell said.
That same year, the Raiders knocked off rivals Hart County, Gainesville, and defending state champion Clarke Central.
Growing up in the game
Burrell’s earliest football memories date back to grade school. In those days, Habersham County still had what was known as the Mini Bowl. Each elementary school had a football team, and they would all play each other during the regular season to determine which two squads would square off in the championship game. Burrell played for Demorest, which captured two Mini Bowl titles.
“They would play the championship over at Habersham Central, so for elementary school kids that was a big thing for us,” he recalled.
It was during those days that Burrell formed a tight bond with Lokey, who he remembers as an unstoppable force on the gridiron.
“Scott would score a touchdown on the first play of nearly every game,” Burrell said. “Literally almost every game.”
Burrell’s role was that of a leader and facilitator on those teams - a job he wholeheartedly embraced and executed to a T.
Upon reaching junior high, Burrell would hone his own skillset under the tutelage of coach Sammy Cunningham.
He would then proceed to play starting QB for the HCHS junior varsity team in 10th grade. At that level, the memory that sticks out the most is a touchdown that never was.
“We were playing down in Gainesville and I scored a touchdown the first play of the game on an option,” Burrell said. “We ran the same play again in the third quarter and I was on my way to scoring again, but the referee blew his whistle because the fullback had been tackled. They had no idea I had the ball.”
What made it most memorable was the reaction of varsity coaches Walker and Black, who were taking in the contest from up in the stands. The duo went absolutely livid upon seeing what had happened.
A true team player
Upon ascending to the varsity level, Burrell had already established himself as a true leader. With that comes the responsibility to lift up those around you, and Burrell displayed a knack for doing just that.
Back then, anytime a player rushed for over 100 yards in a game, that player would take home the offensive linemen’s cleats and polish them. Burrell wound up doing his fair share of cleat cleaning.
“You’ve always got those one or two players on a team that get all the credit, but nothing could be achieved without a good offensive line,” he said.
After his playing days came to a close, Burrell graduated from Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C.
This year marks his 42nd at Ethicon in Cornelia, but throughout that journey he has also served in ministry, following in the footsteps of his father - a well-known evangelist. Over the years, the younger Burrell has served as an associate and interim pastor at churches in Northeast Georgia and in Hampton, S.C.
“All through school and football, I was in a leadership position. But in my life since, I went from being a leader to serving as an assistant in many ways,” he said.
It served as validation for his habit of always making a point to shed light on the O-line and those he felt didn’t get their flowers, so to speak.
Turns out, just as in football, every industry and aspect of life has its version of the trenches.
“Whether it’s a church or business, there are so many people who are needed to assist and keep things going in the right direction.”
Burrell and his wife LauraLee still reside right here in Habersham County. LauraLee has also had a long successful career at Ethicon. The couple have two grown children - daughter Ashlyn who lives in Maryland, and son Austin who lives in Fayetteville.