Ray Goff to speak at Boy Scout dinner

ALBANY — On Thursday, former Georgia Bulldog head football coach Ray Goff will share his thoughts on leadership, as well as tell a few tales of gridiron glory, with attendees at this year’s South Georgia Council, Boy Scouts of America “Building Leaders” dinner in Albany.

The Friends of Scouting dinner, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Hasan Temple at 1821 Palmyra Road, is one of the organization’s keystone events as it raises funds for and awareness of the importance of Scouting to the development of future leaders.

This year, the famed University of Georgia coach will serve as the night’s keynote speaker. He will speak about the need for leadership and how Scouting transforms young men into future leaders of the their community and country. Goff also will share memories from his career, not only as a coach, but as a standout college player.

The Moultrie native attended UGA and was the team’s quarterback from 1974-1976, leading the Bulldogs to 19 wins over his final two seasons under Hall of Fame coach Vince Dooley. The year 1976 was a good one for the senior QB who, in addition to being named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, also captained his team to an SEC title.

Following his playing days, Goff worked as an assistant coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks before returning to Athens to work as an assistant in the roles of recruiting coordinator, tight ends coach and running backs coach, from 1981-1988.

Following Dooley’s retirement as the football program’s winningest coach, the then-33-year-old Goff assumed the reins of the team, going 46-34-1 as head coach from 1989 t0 1995.

There is no cost for attend the dinner, but annual pledges made by guests help to sustain the organization for the coming year.