BILL MAYO

Bill Mayo was the AJC’s 1980 Class AAA Lineman of the Year who would become a four-year starter and consensus All-American at Tennessee. Dalton was 33-7 and played in a state final and semifinal in Mayo’s three seasons on varsity. He was a two-time first-team all-state player and was voted the state’s No. 1 college prospect as a 1980 senior in an Atlanta Constitution preseason survey of high school coaches. Dalton’s GACA Hall of Fame coach, Bill Chappell, called his 6-foot-4, 260-pound tackle “tremendously strong in the legs, which is what a lineman should be. He’s such a good blocker, he just overpowers people.’’ The AJC named Mayo as one of five offensive linemen on its 1987 GHSA all-integration team (1966-86). Georgia High School Football Daily in 2017 named Mayo the best player in Dalton history. At Tennessee, Mayo finished his career with more starts (44) than any player in school history. He was a two-time All-SEC player, the Touchdown Club of Atlanta’s 1984 SEC Lineman of the Year and a 1984 consensus All-American. After his playing days, Mayo returned to northwest Georgia and worked in the industrial gas business. He served as a community coach at Dalton middle and high schools, did radio broadcasts of Dalton varsity games and hosted the Dalton head coach’s TV show.