[bhodges]

This is still being researched. If you come across a district champion please post it here. They would all be prior to 1948. The teams listed are teams that were in that district at least at some point. Therefore, a team may be in multiple districts over the course of time. It's mainly just for reference. Also, there wasn't always an actual title game, usually only if there was a tied record. In some cases a game might be 'called' the championship because it pitted the two frontrunners against each other late in the season and such, but it was really just league play.

Old Congressional District Champs


1st District
1923 ECI v Waynesboro @ Summit-Graymont result unknown(right district??)
1932* Vidalia over Millen
1933* Vidalia over Waynesboro 25-0
1934* Vidalia over Sylvania
1935* ECI over Vidalia 7-0
1936 Statesboro vs ?
1939* Millen/Swainsboro Co-Champions (3TD Tie)
1940* Sylvania over Lyons 13-7
1941* Lyons over Claxton 7-6 (played @ Statesboro 12-5-1941)

2nd District
?

3rd District
1928* Fitzgerald
1930* Fitzgerald

4th District
?

5th District
?

6th District
1928* R.E.Lee
1933* Dublin
1935* Dublin
1937* Monticello
1938* Wrens over Tennille
1939* Wrens over Louisvile 6-0
1940* Monticello
1941* Wrens over Monticello 27-7 (played @ Louisville 12-5-1941)
1943* Dublin
1945* Dublin
1947* Dublin

7th District
1926* Dalton
1937* Dalton
1938* Rome

8th District
1929* Washington-Wilkes

9th District
?

10th District
1927* Louisville over Thomson 12-9
1935* Athens
1936* Athens
1937* Elberton
1938* Elberton over Washington-Wilkes
1940* Elberton/Washington-Wilkes Co-Champs
1941* Washington-Wilkes (5-1-1) region
1944* Thomson over Elberton 12-6
1945* Thomson over Washington-Wilkes 30-7
1946* Thomson
1947* Thomson

These two are only pre-1931
11th District
1929* Douglass

12th District
1928* Hawkinsville over Vidalia 25-0

*-added to online db

[bhodges]

last year seached in AC 1945

[btaylor]

For reference purposes.

In October 1931, the number of congressional districts was whittled from 12 to 10. Here's the contents of each district after the change:

1st: Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Jenkins, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Montgomery, Screven, Tattnall, Toombs, Treutlen, Wheeler

2nd: Baker, Brooks, Calhoun, Colquitt, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Worth

3rd: Ben Hill, Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dodge, Dooly, Harris, Houston, Lee, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Peach, Pulaski, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Taylor, Terrell, Turner, Webster, Wilcox

4th: Butts, Carroll, Clayton, Coweta, Fayette, Heard, Henry, Lamar, Meriwether, Newton, Pike, Spalding, Talbot, Troup, Upson

5th: Campbell, DeKalb, Fulton, Rockdale

6th: Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Crawford, Glascock, Hancock, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Laurens, Monrnoe, Putnam, Twiggs, Washington, Wilkinson

7th: Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cobb, Dade, Douglas, Gordon, Floyd, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker, Whitfield

8th: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Glynn, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Lowndes, Pierce, Telfair, Ware, Wayne

9th: Banks, Barrow, Cherokee, Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, Milton*, Pickens, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, White

10th: Clarke, Columbia, Elbert, Franklin, Greene, Hart, Lincoln, Madison, McDuffie, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Richmond, Taliaferro, Walton, Warren, Wilkes


* Milton & Campbell merged with Fulton on Jan 1, 1932. I don't know if Milton's land stayed in the 9th or moved to the 5th.

I know the approximate areas covered by the previous system of 12 districts:

1st: Bulloch, Evans

2nd: Dougherty, Tift

3rd: Sumter, Taylor

4th: Carroll

5th: Fulton, Walton

6th: Jasper, Lamar

7th: Cobb

8th: Franklin, Morgan

9th: Habersham

10th: Hancock, Jefferson

11th: The Nashville Herald stated that it consisted of all of the new 8th district,
plus Brooks.

12th: Bleckley, Toombs

[bhodges]

alright, this was all the district champs I was able to find in the Augusta Chronicle archives from 1920-1947. Please keep an eye out for any during your research. Thanks.

[FUShock]

The Dalton Newspaper proclaimed Dalton District Champs and "Best Team in North Georgia" in 1926 with an 8-2 overall record, with loses to Marietta and Baylor(TN). They outscored their opponents 187-25 with 7 shutouts. I do not have the article but I am sure I could get it. I also do not know what District they were in, according to Ira after 1931 they were District 7.

Also claim District Title in 1937 with a 7-0-1 record with a tie against Cedartown. I assume they were in District 7.

Making an assumption from my Dalton info, Rome and Cedartown were the cream of the crop in Northwest Georgia in the 30's and 40's. Our record against Rome in that time was 1-12 with several double digit loses in seasons where we only had 2 or 3 loses. We only had 4 losing seasons in the 30's and 40's. Cedartown also had many lopsided victories over us.

[bhodges]

7th seems most likely in both cases. I've added it to the list above and will include it in the next update.

[diesel doctor]

I have Fitzgerald down for a 3rd District Championship in 1930. It was kinda hard reading the pre game report from the Tifton Gazette, but it went something like this:

Fitz has already won the 3rd district championship with a win over Americus last week, but they have their sights set on the Southwest Ga. Athletic Association Championship.

[bhodges]

thanks DD. will add it in the next update

[DUBIRISH]

I have been gathering records for the Dublin Fighting Irish program.

My records show the following:
1933 District 6 Champs
1935 District 6 Champs
1943 District 6 Champs
1945 District 6 Champs
1947 District 6 Champs

[bhodges]

added all new entries to list above and to webpages.

[bhodges]

got yours too Dub. Thanks.

[Ira]

Found another yesterday. Athens won the 10th District in 1935 by defeating Hartwell 33-7 on Dec. 6 in Athens.

Also, Douglasville claimed their district after beating North Fulton 75-0 on Nov. 22, 1934 at home. The article said that it was the second straight undefeated season for Douglasville. They did not allow a single point in 1933 and only allowed two TD's in 1934. I'll have to check the district number, think it was 7th. Becky may have that in her notes. According to the story, Douglasville was the only team in the district.

[bhodges]

added the Athens entry

Will add the other ones when we can confirm the district. Guess it'd be tough to lose the title if you were the only team heh.

[Ira]

Found another. Rome beat Cedartown 13-7 at Rome on Dec. 3, 1938 to claim the District 7 championship. They were 5-0 in the district and 7-3 overall according to the article.

[bhodges]

added to the site. Thanks Ira.

I expect more of these will slowly fill in over time as people happen across them.

[ZHouston]

Is what you're finding just articles for the "District Champs" or are there records and such to go with them?

I noticed that Monticello had 3, and were in another deciding game...know any records from those Monticello teams?

[Ira]

I doubt these ever get completely finished. Some congressional districts may not have had any teams. Every now and then, usually in late November or early December, there will be a little two-paragraph story at the bottom of a sports page about a district championship being claimed.

[bhodges]

yeah, it really varies. Sometimes it will be nothing more than 'So and so claims the District X title because they won more games than everyone else' And sometimes it's just a reference, like 'Defending Dist X champ so and so . . .'

And sometimes it's full schedules for both of those competing for the title. Remember, at the time, this was the only playoff game they'd have in most cases, since they wouldn't be in a state playoff.

This will probably never be finished, it's just something to keep an eye out for when you are working on pre-48 stuff.

[ZHouston]

Bobby, do you happen to have articles from the Augusta Chronicle from these Congressional District Champs?

[bhodges]

Most of them are buried in the Chronicle online archives. I didn't save any of them that I can recall.

[btaylor]

Eastman claimed the 12th district title in 1924.

[bhodges]

That's the oldest region title on record now
http://ghsfha.org/regionchamps.php?aYear=1924

[cpa]

While researching the GISA in the 1980 Washington News-Reporter (this is the current W-W) I noted a picture of the 1932 "District Champions coached by HM Tarpley".

I'm guessing this would have been the 10th district but not sure

[bhodges]

Yes it was. I've added it.

[skeet]

In 1925 The Washington Bearcats (Washington-Wilkes) claimed the Northeast Georgia championship--likely 8th Congressional District--and played Statesboro there for the "East Georgia Championship." Statesboro, I assume, was their congressional district champion. Washington won 19-0 and called themselves East Georgia Champions. Washington finished 8-1-2, tying Lavonia in what was probably the district championship game (7-7) but winning on statistics and claiming the crown.