VALDOSTA — Rick Tomberlin has returned to Winnersville, accepting the challenge of trying to turn the Valdosta Wildcats back into perennial contenders for the state title.

The Valdosta Daily Times sat down with the new Valdosta football coach on Thursday. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.

You’ve won 157 games in the past 14 seasons. Why have you had that kind of success?

“It’s divine intervention. The Good Lord has blessed us. I went there (in 1992), and the school had only won one region championship. Mary Persons was a great program, and we were fortunate enough to beat them 10 of 11 times. The only time they beat us was on penetration.

“The one thing, too, was we had supportive administrators, which I see here. We had players that were willing to get out of their comfort zone, and were willing to stretch themselves. That’s what I’m going to ask the Valdosta players to do.”

What was your relationship like with legendary Valdosta coaches Nick Hyder and Wright Bazemore?

“Coach Hyder was a role model, an icon to me. When I was at Jenkins High School in Savannah, I had him come speak at our banquet twice ... He was a dynamic speaker. He talked about love for his players. I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a guy I would love to emulate.’ When I was at Lowndes, he was always very nice to me. We didn’t always see eye-to-eye on everything, but we were warm friends. He was an older mentor to me. After I left Lowndes, we corresponded many times, talked when we were on the banquet circuit together and at clinics. He and his wife June were wonderful to me and Angela.

“Coach Bazemore was the ultimate icon to me. I like that he showed me preference as a young coach. He’d come out to practice, and bring his lawn chair and watch. He was very kind to me. I talked to him, and he was so polite, a nice older gentleman. I’d think, ‘This is the guy they talked about being so tough?’ But he was just the most wonderful person and gentleman to me.

“I came back to VSU to speak at a coaches clinic in ’96 or ’97, and I asked if I could come see him. He’d had a stroke. He told me then, through his wife, that he wanted me to be the head coach at Valdosta High School. That meant a lot to me. That might be one of the reasons I’m here now, because he planted that seed back then.

“If you look at Notre Dame, you’ve got (Knute) Rockne, you’ve got (Frank) Leahy, you’ve got (Ara) Parseghian, you’ve got (Lou) Holtz. Here at Valdosta, you’ve got Bazemore, you’ve got Hyder, you’ve got the other great coaches. Here I am, coming in and taking the reins. I don’t know if I deserve to be in that class, but it’s an honor to hold the reins the same way they have, and be able to coach here.”

How much do you emphasize academics?

“It’s very, very important. It’s a constant thing. It’s not something I give lip service to. I talk to all our players on an individual basis about setting goals ... Academics are big. I have a theory that if they will spend at least one hour per night, six nights per week, studying, devoted totally to their academics, and they’re consistent with it, I think every athlete can get A’s and B’s. Just one hour per night, and it can be any time at night.

“It’s going to be important to me to communicate with the teachers. I would never ask a teacher to do something for an athlete that she wouldn’t do for any other student. If they would do it for another student, I certainly hope they would do it for an athlete. But we’re not going to ask for anything extra. I’ve met several of the teachers. They’re willing to help, they’re anxious to help, and I’m anxious to work with them.”