Dooley, Mundy remember the CHS legend during memorial service on Saturday

Coach Howard “Doc” Ayers was a legend in his own time. Leader of the famed 1963 Cedartown High School State Championship team, the coach of the Freshman team and first hire by Georgia Bulldogs legend Vince Dooley and a community-minded philanthropist who lent his name to a golf tournament fundraiser that spanned three decades.

He is forever gracing Cedartown with his presence in bronze as part of the Sports Hall of Fame, and with his name on the High School football field.

When Doc Ayers passed away in December 2020, plans for a Memorial Service were delayed at the time until Saturday, July 31 when family and friends came together to remember the man and celebrate the legend.

The First Baptist Church of Cedartown – one of two houses of worship Doc Ayers enjoyed attending in Cedartown – played host for the Memorial Service, and former pastor Rev. Wayne Benefield gave the first eulogy remembering his longtime friend.

“Doc was a diamond, he was a gem. He was a legend here in Cedartown. Doc Ayers… You can’t say his name without smiling,” Benefield remembered of his friend. He added too that because of Coach Ayers winning seasons in Cedartown, the community was forever shaped by the legacy left behind by a man whose life spanned nearly a century.

“Our lives were richer for having known him, so we should thank God for the good gift of Doc Ayers,” Benefield said.

His son Bucky Ayers remembered his father in many ways, and most importantly for who the coach was behind the scenes. He remembered that Coach Ayers like games that declared a winner, would walk on his hands, had wild times as a youth including roller skating through town tied behind a car, and most importantly loved his family.

“There’s a dash between those two days, and I can tell you without a doubt he had a wonderful life,” Ayers said. “We were blessed to have someone like him in our lives.”

He also said his father loved the players, coaches, and friends he met throughout his life in football, and that “he loved to get a write-up in the Atlanta sports pages about his teams.” However, Coach Ayers could be a tough-minded man when he felt that players weren’t living up to his expectations. His son recalled how on one occasion, he watched Coach Ayers give an earful to one of his players and sent the young man away with a dreadful look upon his face but delivered a punchline worthy of Georgia faithful in the audience that came from Doc himself.

“I told him that “I never heard an Auburn coach talk to someone that way,” and my dad replied that “If they’d get a little meaner, they might win a few more games.”

Just as important, Bucky Ayers also told loved ones that he cherished many other things in life too: gathering with friends in the mornings for his coffee club, attending church, spending time looking at the pictures in his office, and putting on the Ayers-Beck Celebrity Golf Tournament for 29 years, organized with local football legend Ray Beck.

Among the audience who also shared memories were George Mundy and the Georgia Bulldogs legend himself, Vince Dooley.

Mundy – who was a former player on the Cedartown Bulldogs squad under Doc Ayers – ultimately shared office space with him in the Mundy building downtown that the former ball coach once owned. His iconic office sat next door, and every surface available was covered with photographs and memorabilia from a life spent in sports.

He shared a memory of his time as a player, dating back to the 1963 team that saw the Bulldogs reach the height of statewide glory that year. He recalled that not long after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, Cedartown was set to face off against Dalton for the North Georgia championship on their way to a statewide title. There was a discussion on whether to play, but a crowd of more than 12,000 spectators were already in the stands and waiting for kickoff.

Wishing for the team to focus on the game and not on the events of the day, Mundy said he didn’t recall everything that Doc Ayers said in one of his infamous motivational speeches, but that Cedartown was determined to win after his lockerroom talk before kickoff.

Mundy said that the team went onto have their best season and that he went onto become a lawyer. From time to time during his career, he’d run into many in the State Bar Association who had their own Doc Ayers stories to share and would spend many a night swapping tales.

In later years when Mundy had his office next door to Ayers within the building he bought from the ball coach, he remembered getting notes from his former coach that motivated him to continue working harder every day.

“Doc cast quite a long shadow. He wasn’t always easygoing, he could be tough at times. He instilled character, and for many of us, he showed us how to be a winner,” Mundy said.

Wrapping up the service, Coach Dooley remembered his longtime coach and friend fondly – especially the letters he received from Doc Ayers always in longhand. He recalled how much the Ayers and Dooley families meant to one another during their careers, and how many of the wonderful memories of his life included the first coach he ever hired at the University of Georgia.

“I know Doc would love to be here to see everyone. He always loved being around people,” Dooley said.

He added that even later in life, his coach and friend sought for the two to get back together and get into the game again. Long past that time, Dooley said he knows one day he’ll be able to fulfill that promise.

“Doc is probably up there getting a team together,” Dooley said. He looked toward the ceiling for a moment and added. “Hold on Doc, I’ll join you. But hopefully not too soon.”

Before the service concluded, Benefield who has been a longtime chaplain for the Bulldogs football squad took up one final tradition that he always enjoyed with Doc. They weren’t at the 50-yard-line, but he and son Bucky took a knee and asked all to join in the Lord’s Prayer.

Find the full obituary for Howard “Doc” Ayers here.