South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

Maurice Freeman

Born and raised in Quitman, Georgia, Coach Freeman graduated from Brooks County in 1983.  During his senior year there, Freeman was named co-MVP of the football team, MVP of the track team, and was the “best rebounder three years straight” in basketball.  Freeman set a school record in 1982- also a state record at the time- with a 56 yard field goal.  As his positions were defensive end, tight end, and running back, Freeman was the last person anyone suspected to make a field goal.

During Freeman’s senior year, he decided to join the military.  Freeman’s path changed abruptly after sharing his plan with the school secretary, Hilda Callaway.  “She told me that I was going to go to Florida A&M, play football, major in Physical Education, and pledge Phi Beta Sigma,” laughs Freeman. Furthermore, when he graduated, Freeman was to return to Brooks County and coach the Trojan football team. “After I took them [Brooks County] to the state playoffs, she told me I could leave and go wherever I wanted,” he adds.

Freeman continued his education at Florida A&M University, just like Ms. Callaway wished, and was named football Rookie of the Year his freshman year.  However, after graduation from FAMU, Freeman did not take a job at Brooks County.  Instead, he went to Macon, Georgia, where he taught elementary school.  He also taught gymnastics for the East Macon Parks and Recreation Department.

"If I were a rich man,
I'd do it for free."

- Maurice Freeman,
about his passion
for coaching

The next year, Brooks County’s coach resigned, so in the spring of 1994, Freeman got a call from none other than his hometown. “They wanted me to interview for the coaching job,” remembers Freeman. He was unsure, though, and it took the coaches calling Freeman’s mother to make him come home.

During his first year as a coach at Brooks County High School, Freeman kept his promise to Hilda Callaway by winning the state title. However, he left BCHS in the spring of 1998 to return to Macon and rebuild Southwest High School’s football team.

Southwest High School had only won two or three games in the four years before Freeman arrived, so it was not an easy task to get the team back on track. As Head Coach and Athletic Director, it took Freeman a while, but his last two years in Macon resulted in two consecutive visits to the state playoffs.

In 2002 Freeman left Macon for Brunswick High School where he accepted a position as Head Coach. The first season ended with a 4-6 record, but his last five seasons there produced many exciting wins, averaging seven per season.

After many years of coaching in various school systems, Freeman finally decided to settle down and began searching for a long-term coaching position. As fate would have it, Brooks County High School offered him just that in the spring of 2008. “I came down and saw the new school – the new facilities- and I was quite impressed.”  After being convinced by Principal Howard Akers that it was a good fit, Freeman once again took the coaching position with Brooks County, and returned to his hometown of Quitman.

“When I got there, I tried to get the guys to buy into a program- you work hard.  Bringing the hammer is our philosophy,” says Freeman. “You bring your hammer to go to work, and that’s what we do.  We’re a team- not a bunch of superstars,” he adds emphatically.   He attributes the Trojans’ success so far this year to making sure his players are prepared for what he calls the ‘5th quarter’.  Freeman says he prepares his team to play five quarters instead of the four their opponents prepare for.   Brooks’ game against Tift was a great success, but Freeman admits that he and his team were on pins and needles the entire time. “We got after them immediately after the snap of the ball.”

Freeman and his wife share the teaching profession, but that is not all that they share. Together, the Freemans have five children whose ages range from nine to twenty-two, though he says he would love to have even more. He names his uncle, Dudley Peak, as his biggest influence while growing up. “If I stayed out of trouble, he would take me fishing,” Freeman quips.  Brooks County football coach Max Milligan also impacted Freeman in a very positive way.  “He loved the Lord,” says Freeman.  “When I became a coach, he would pop up here and there to watch me work,” he adds fondly.

In his spare time, Freeman loves to fish.  Bass fishing, fly fishing, and saltwater fishing are all passions.  In 1997, Freeman caught a nine pound bass with his fly rod.  “That fish gave me a big fight,” he remembers with a chuckle.  An interest in photography keeps Freeman busy as well, as he shoots his own team photos, saving the athletes from the cost.  He also takes photos for his church, and when he has time, he takes photos for the Little League athletes.  “I enjoy seeing people smile, and that (photography) is a good way to make them smile,” Freeman says.

During his coaching career, Freeman has seen and coached many successful players, including Marcus Stroud. Stroud went on to play collegiate football at the University of Georgia and has since continued his career into the National Football League, where he now plays for the Buffalo Bills.  Citing equal admiration for the players who chose to pursue success in non-sport careers, Freeman says he gets as much gratification out of helping a child as he does a win on the field.  “That is my mission- that is my calling,” the devoted coach admits.  “I want to touch as many lives as I can.”