Former Georgia Football Player Lynn Hunnicutt Honored with J. Reid Parker Post Graduate Achievement Award

Lynn Hunnicutt is a well-respected figure in the football world. He is a former Georgia football player and a local coaching legend. Hunnicutt has won multiple Coach of the Year awards and has a football field named after him. He continues to receive recognition and awards for his contributions to the sport.

Recently, Hunnicutt was honored with the J. Reid Parker “Post Graduate Achievement Awards”. This award is given to former Georgia football players who have excelled in their respective fields. The 38th Annual Awards Presentation took place at the Athens Country Club, where several hundred UGA fans in attendance.

ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe was the keynote speaker for the event, which also included the presentation of several awards. 

Bulldogs, Ladd McConkey and Sedrick Van Pran, were awarded the Jack Turner Award for their outstanding performances in athletics, academics, and community service while on campus.

Hunnicutt was honored with the J. Reid Parker “Post Graduate Achievement Awards” given to former Georgia football players who earned their degrees and distinguished themselves in their chosen profession. 

“This award was one of my proudest and most humbling recognitions in light of the fact of the many other great University Georgia Bulldogs who have also been honored in the past and who will be honored in the future,” Hunnicutt said. “I felt like the kid who was attending the wrong meeting.”

When asked what the University of Georgia meant to him, Hunnicutt said: “In terms of what the University of Georgia meant to me was it developed the very fabric and cloth I am still made of. Toughness, both physically and mentally, as well as being fair throughout my entire coaching and athletic administrations I pursued. I learned a tremendous amount of knowledge about “Tough Love“, and I always used that knowledge to try to be impactful on the many student/athletes that I was privileged to be associated with throughout my entire career. I wanted to have an impactful relationship with them as players as well adults that would persist throughout their lifetime. Hopefully I have succeeded, but in reality you would have to ask them.” 

Hunnicutt graduated from Pepperell High School in 1969. He was a three-sport athlete, playing football, basketball, and baseball, and was a three-year letterman. 

After graduating high school, Hunnicutt enrolled at the University of Georgia and played football for three years from 1970-1972. He was part of the 1971 (11-1) Gator Bowl Championship team and was the leading receiver at wide receiver that year. Hunnicutt was also the most outstanding special teams player and was awarded the “Top Dawg Special Teams Award” for his accomplishments. 

Coach Dooley was quoted as saying, “Lynn is one of the most aggressive and surest tacklers on the entire team.”  

Hunnicutt’s performance on the field earned him several accolades, including being named the Most Outstanding Georgia Lineman at TE and the J. B. Whitworth Most Valuable Georgia OL Award Winner at TE in 1972. His teammates also voted him a Team Captain in 1972, which he considers one of his proudest accomplishments while playing at Georgia.

After graduating from the University of Georgia, Hunnicutt began his coaching career as an offensive line coach at Warner Robins High School from 1973-1980. He then became the head coach and athletic director at Fitzgerald High School from 1981-1982 and Pepperell High School from 1983-2006. Hunnicutt led Pepperell High School to a 15-0 undefeated AA State Championship in 1990, earning him the title AA State Coach of the Year. He later became the head coach at Model High School from 2010-2011.

Throughout his coaching career, Hunnicutt coached several UGA signees, including Herschel Walker’s fullback George Collins, Jimmy Womack, OT Victor Perry, All-American Center Todd Wheeler, LB John Allen, and Punter Jonathan Kilgo.

Hunnicutt’s personal life is equally impressive. He is a board member of the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame Committee and the Georgia Letterman’s Club member. Hunnicutt is married to UGA Alumna Marjorie Anne Moss of Cedartown, Ga. They have two sons, Jeff and Greg, and four grandchildren. The couple resides on Weiss Lake in Centre, AL, for six months and on their homestead located on Saint George Island Bay in Eastpoint, FL, for six months.