Stan Rome was a dominant two-sport athlete who still holds the state record for most career receiving yards (4,477) despite playing in a run-dominated era. He set other state records in high school football that lasted for decades, including the single-season receiving record of 1,573 yards as a sophomore in 1971, which stood for 29 years. His 1971 state-record 21 receiving touchdowns stood until 2010. The 1971 Wildcats’ team led by Rome is often regarded as the greatest Valdosta team in program history, and went 13-0 en route to a Class 3A state title. Rome was ranked the No. 3 Georgia high school football player of all time by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2007. As one of the greatest two-sport athletes in state history, Rome also excelled on the basketball court. He averaged 32 points per game as a senior and was MVP of the Georgia All-Star basketball game. In the 1974 North-South basketball game, Rome scored 29 points to lead the South to victory. He played both football and basketball at Clemson University and was a three-year starter on the hardwood. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1979 NFL Draft and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1978 NBA Draft. Rome settled on professional football, playing four NFL seasons with the Chiefs.
