The Washington County Board of Education will hear a request to honor the late Coach Alfred C. Carson at their meeting on Thursday, October 1 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Eric Murray, who is organizing the efforts, explained that the goal is to name the gymnasium floor after Coach Alfred ‘Big M’ Carson.
Carson was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama; he graduated from Parker High School as an honor student. While in high school, he lettered in three sports including baseball, football, and track and field. After high school, he was drafted into the Army where he served from 1946 to 1954. After the Army, he attended Morehouse College where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education. He later went on to earn his master’s degree in Health and Physical Education from North Carolina Central.
Carson began teaching and coaching in Washington County in 1957 at T.J. Elder High School.
He coached basketball, softball, as well as track and field. In basketball, he owned a winning resume, including a State Championship season with an undefeated record of 30-0. He went on to serve as Athletic Director at Washington County High School. Coach Carson was inducted into the Georgia Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame in 2003.
In 2016, the Sandersville Rotary Club named Alfred C. Carson the Washington County Citizen of the Year.
When discussing the Carson’s contributions to Washington County, Murray explained that Carson not only coached athletics, but he volunteered to help coach young people about life.
A Facebook group was created last week to seek input from the community and to share stories about Coach Alfred ‘Big M’ Carson. Within one day, that group had over 1,000 members.
The Washington County Board of Education’s Administrative Building is located at 501 Industrial Drive in Sandersville. The meeting takes place at 5:30 p.m. Due to COVID-19, the Board room will have limited seating to allow for social distancing. The Board’s meeting will be broadcast on Zoom. To receive the meeting invitation, contact Meghan Nugent at the Washington County Board of Education by email at mnugent@washington.k12.ga.us.