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By SCOTT MIMS | Special to the Reporter

A group of Vincent High School alumni members gathered on Wednesday, Sept. 27 to honor the legacy of a 1963 Vincent alumnus who left his mark on the world of college football.

Bob Evans was the first football player who graduated from VHS to receive a full Grant-in-Aid Award to a NCAA Division 1-A university. Evans played for the Georgia Bulldogs under coach Vince Dooley and later returned to his alma mater in 1968 and 1969 to coach the Vincent Yellow Jackets.

Evans, a Vietnam veteran, went on to coach multiple schools in the state of Georgia where he built a 35-year-long career. He was lifelong friends with Vince Dooley until Dooley’s death in 2022.

A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Evans at September’s monthly luncheon hosted by alumni members at City Market in Pell City. The group is not directly affiliated with the VHS Alumni Association, but more than 90 people were in attendance for the presentation.

“He’s always been my hero,” said Kathy Carden, Evans’ sister and event organizer. “I wanted him to be honored for that, and he had never been honored for it. I wanted him to have something representing his time playing at Vincent. Everybody loved him; everybody looked up to him. He was a great football coach. He was just everybody’s All-American.”

Carden said Evans played multiple sports in high school, but he excelled at football. At Vincent, he was coached by Sammie Daniels, and Daniels’ daughter and son, Sandra Daniels Etheridge and Chet Daniels, were in attendance Wednesday as special guests. Many of Evans’ family members also attended.

Of course, Evans was seen in his traditional Georgia Bulldogs attire.

“He wears his red Georgia shirt everywhere he goes, and his championship ring. It stays on his finger all the time,” Carden said.

The award was made of crystal on a wooden base. On the bottom portion of the award was etched, “On the football field and life, always a winner.”

The group of Vincent High School alumni meets each month at City Market in Pell City. It is primarily attended by graduates from the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, but has been attended by alumni as far back as 1939, Carden said.