Bobby Pope: Cavan's children followed him into sports
More often times than not, the children of coaches are pretty good athletes. That certainly was the case with my high school football coach, Jim Cavan, who coached at Robert E. Lee in Thomaston for 23 years. During those two-plus decades in girls basketball, his teams won two state titles and 14 region crowns while his football teams captured six region titles and had a state Class AAA runner-up finish to Valdosta in 1961.
Both his daughters, Dottie and Joanie, were standouts in basketball. Dottie was first team All-State selection at guard in 1958, and Joanie was an All-State forward in both 1963 and 1964, averaging 24 points per game while helping the Lady Rebels to a 59-game winning streak. Had women's college basketball been available to them at the time, there is no question they would have been successful at that level.
His three sons, Jimmy, Mike and Pete, were All-State football selections and each signed major college scholarships. Jimmy went on to play at Georgia Tech, Mike at Georgia and Pete at Alabama. In my mind, the best of the lot was Mike.
Michael George Hains Cavan, named for his uncle Mike Cavan and his grandfather Georgia Hains who served as solicitor general for Columbia, Burke and Richmond County, was a phenomenal high school quarterback starting his final three seasons at Robert E. Lee. He led Robert E. Lee to the Class AAA quarterfinals in his junior and senior seasons. He had his choice of Southern colleges to attend and following a heated recruiting battle, he chose Georgia over Alabama after his father, who was a Georgia graduate, told him he was not going to play for the Crimson Tide.
Mike quarterbacked the Georgia team in 1968, 1969 and 1970. Freshmen were not eligible for varsity competition when he played. His best season came as a sophomore leading the Bulldogs to an 8-0-2 record and berth in the Sugar Bowl. In those years, Georgia was a run-first offense, but in his sophomore season, Mike completed 125-of-246 passes for 1,722 yards.
For his career, he passed for 3,319 yards. Mike was named SEC Sophomore of the Year, beating out the likes of Archie Manning of Mississippi and Alabama's Scott Hunter. No reflection on the 1980 national championship team, but I believe the 1968 squad is the best to ever wear the red and black.
After his playing days, Mike went into the coaching ranks first as a graduate assistant at Georgia for two years and then as a regular assistant for 10 seasons. During his tenure as an assistant, he was the primary recruiter for Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker as he virtually lived in Wrightsville for more than a year during the process. He and Herschel still maintain a special relationship today.
Mike got his first head coaching job at Valdosta State in 1986 and remained with the Blazers through 1991. While at Valdosta State, he recruited Mount de Sales quarterback Chris Hatcher, who went on to win the Harlon Hill Award (the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy in Division II football). From Valdosta State, it was on to East Tennessee State from 1992 through 1996 and then on to Dallas, Texas, for the top job at SMU, where he coached from 1997 through 2001. His head coaching record was 89-83-2.
Mike returned to the Classic City and his alma mater in 2002 working as a consultant for the athletics department. Today, he serves in the role of special assistant to Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity.
Mike Cavan and Central's Michael Jolly are still the two best high school quarterbacks I ever saw play.
Contact Bobby Pope at bobbypope428@gmail.com
This story was originally published January 18, 2016 at 1:09 PM with the headline "Bobby Pope: Cavan's children followed him into sports ."