Statistics could never truly measure the impact of Will Anglin to either the Dawson County football or basketball team in his time as a Tiger. Anglin, a 2013 graduate of Dawson County, was surrounded by a talented group on the football field in Harley Vaughan, Tyler Dominy, Bruce Clark, Zach Martin and many others, and was second only to Dominy on the hardwood.

That didn’t keep him from being the difference-maker, the do-it-all athlete who was an All-Region member anyway in both sports. His stats were impressive, just to be clear, as he was a clutch shooter on the court and a plus defender, and was a true playmaker on the gridiron.

More than all that, he embodied the spirit of a true Dawson County Tiger – a leader who gave his all at all times between the lines.

Fast forward five years, and Anglin returns to his old stomping grounds after graduating in May from the University of North Georgia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education Mathematics with a minor in Statistics.  He accepted a teaching position for 10th grade math (in either algebra, coordinate algebra, or geometry) and recently was announced as an assistant to the Tigers boys basketball program.

The excitement of being back doesn’t just lie within Anglin…it is felt in the school system and around the community.

“Words can’t describe how excited I am to be back at Dawson,” says Anglin. “It is a privilege to work in such a great community. The community has been awesome welcoming me back. Everywhere I go, I have people coming up to me saying how excited they are to have me back.”

Dawson County’s recent success in athletics can be traced to the amazing class of 2013, which includes the likes of Anglin, Dominy, Clark, Martin, Vaughan, and the girls basketball program, which included star Carly Gilreath, who is now Mrs. Carly Anglin. The couple had dated since 8th grade (December 2008), through high school, never separating, and were married in June 2017.

Those individuals and others around those years helped propel the high school into where it is now – on the map in nearly every sport as annual region contenders and state playoff teams.

“Basketball has always been a passion of mine,” states Anglin, “so I was thrilled when Coach [Chad] Pittman decided to let me join his staff. Dawson County athletics has had some amazing success since I have been gone and I am blessed to be able to be a part of it again.”

Anglin obviously isn’t new to the game, nor is he new to the coaching aspect.

“I have been coaching since I was 16, and it has always been a dream of mine to get an opportunity to coach at Dawson,” says Anglin.

Anglin’s coaching background includes the ‘JC Ballers’ travel team, which started as 6th graders and he coached them until they graduated in 2017. He also coached the 9th grade team at Dawson County High School for three years after he graduated in 2013. Anglin also headed up ‘Elite Performance’ for two years (7th, 8th, & 9th grade boys teams).

While coming back to Dawson puts Anglin in his natural environment, that doesn’t mean the transition is easy.

“It has definitely been an adjustment for me,” admits Anglin on being on the other side this time (a teacher and coach rather than a student and player). “I have a lot more respect for my teachers and coaches in the past. I have had to develop a lot more patience. One thing that has stayed the same though is my passion. I always played with a tremendous amount of heart and I try to be the same way when I am teaching and coaching.”

On his dream and desire to be a coach, Anglin quickly points to one individual who propelled him to that dream.

“I was fortunate enough to play for the great Thad Burgess,” says Anglin on his former basketball coach, who made Dawson County boys basketball an annual force who advanced to the Elite 8 in 2012. “He is a lot of the reason I wanted to be a coach. He taught me what it meant to truly care and fight for your players. I look back at all the teachers and coaches that made an impact of my life and helped mold me into the man I am today. My goal is to have the same impact on the future generations.”

Carly, who went on to have a solid full career playing for USC Aiken, will also have the chance to impact Dawson County students. While she is finishing her first year of teaching (Title I teacher) at Cumming Elementary in Forsyth County, she has recently accepted a first grade position at Robinson Elementary in Dawson County.

She will also be the JV girls basketball coach at Dawson County High School and will coach alongside her former coach, the legendary Steve Sweat.

“We are both very blessed to be back at our alma mater, and we are excited to get to work,” states Anglin.