ROBERT LAVETTE

Robert Lavette was a two-time AJC Class AA Back of the Year who rushed for 5,870 yards and 49 touchdowns in his high school career. He later became Georgia Tech’s all-time leading rusher, a title he still holds, and the face of the Yellow Jackets’ 1980s revival under coach Bill Curry. Lavette rushed for 2,103 yards as a Cartersville senior on an 8-3-1 team and ran for 2,144 as a junior on a 9-4 team that reached the Class AA quarterfinals. He also was a starting strong safety who totaled six interceptions as a junior. Lavette signed with Georgia Tech, which had won only one game the previous season. In the 1981 opener, the freshman Lavette scored two touchdowns, including the fourth-quarter game-winner, in a 24-21 victory over No. 1 Alabama. Lavette would rush for 203 yards against another No. 1 team, Georgia, in 1982, though in a losing cause. In his final college game, he led Tech to a 35-18 victory over No. 18 Georgia in Athens, ending a six-game losing streak to the Jackets’ rival and clinching a winning season. Lavette was first-team All-ACC twice (1982, 1984), and led the ACC in rushing in 1982. His final rushing total of 4,066 has been the school record for 40 years. Lavette was a fourth-round NFL Draft pick and played three NFL seasons with the Cowboys and Eagles.