Today’s interviewee is Marvin James, the GHSA’s new media coordinator. James was GHSA executive director Tim Scott’s first hire in June. James is a former Warner Robins and Georgia Southern football lineman. He has worked 25 years in broadcast journalism with WMAZ-TV in Macon. As part of his WMAZ contract, James will finish this season co-hosting the postgame highlight show “Football Friday Night.” He will be attending Friday night’s Warner Robins-vs.-Northside rivalry game at McConnell-Talbert Stadium.
1. What’s your best memory of a high school game as a player? “I moved to Warner Robins during the summer of 1992 from Wiesbaden, Germany. My father was in the Air Force, and I was entering my junior year. I had heard all about the big rivalry game [Warner Robins vs. Northside], but the actual game was bigger than my expectations. It was actually overwhelming to see a sea of red and blue cheering the entire game. It was a very intense environment. This was during the infancy of Houston County High School, and there was no Veterans High School, so the attention was all on Northside and Warner Robins. So many generations played in this series, just a great tradition that I’m extremely proud of.
“My favorite memory from this series was November 1992. Back in those days where we both shared the same region and classification, our last game of the year matchup often was the region title game as well as the city championship. It was my first experience in this high school version of ‘clean, old fashioned hate.’ Coach Robert Davis was sidelined after open-heart surgery, and defensive coordinator Richard Fendley, father of current Bowdon head coach Rich Fendley Jr., took over the reigns as head coach. Coach Fendley orchestrated a goal-line stand where Northside was shut out of the end zone after four downs inside the 3-yard line with eight seconds left in the game. The Demons won 14-10 and won the region championship. By the way, my class of 1994 was 3-0 against Northside. Only three games because ninth grade was junior high back then and not part of the high school.”
2. Robert Davis of course is one of the state’s most famous and successful coaches. How would you describe him? Any favorite stories? “Coach Robert Davis was an incredible motivator and amazing mentor. So many of his catch phrases and mannerisms I still use today in my everyday life. From day one he took me and treated me like I’ve been a part of the program my whole life. Our relationship remained strong while I played ball at Georgia Southern. After graduation, I started immediately at WMAZ and worked with him professionally as a journalist while he was the head coach at Westside in Macon. It was a father-son type relationship that spanned more than 25 years. We often had lunch together and visited while he was retired, and we remained close until his passing [in 2020]. I also spoke at his funeral. Great man.
“I have so many memories of him, but one of my fondest happened while I was working at the television station covering one of his practices before a big game. As we were leaving the field, it was near dusk, and I noticed a place-kicker was lining up PATs and kicking them over and over again. I asked Coach why the young man was working so hard. He told me he told the kicker that he needed to focus and get better or he wasn’t traveling with the team this week. I responded, ‘Wow, coach! Are you really going to do that?’ He chuckled and said, ‘No! But he don’t know that! He’s the only kicker we got! But I need him to start believing more in himself, and now I can see he’s getting better.’ I laugh every time I think of that story because that’s who Coach Davis was, a great motivator who wanted you to always reach your potential.”
3. What do you enjoy about high school sports, and how do you hope to put your own stamp on your new GHSA position? “As a high school football player, I remember those games when Frank Malloy and the news came to our games. It was always a big deal back then to see our highlights on TV every Friday night. I wanted to be that guy for the coming generation. I was blessed to cover high school sports for 25 years in central Georgia. From Little League to high school, college and the pros, I’ve been able to maintain relationships with student-athletes, coaches and their families. As much as I loved covering the two Georgia football national championships, Mercer’s March Madness win over Duke in the men’s Big Dance back in 2015 and countless strolls at Augusta National, I can honestly say ‘Signing Day’ was the most rewarding. To be able to witness a young student-athlete accomplish the dream of continuing their education and athletic career on scholarship is a ‘proud uncle’ moment for me, or when I see someone I used to cover out and about and they remind me that I said their name on TV or showed their home run, slam dunk or touchdown, I am truly humbled, and I think those encounters will always be something I treasure from that career.
“My role in my new job is to be the liaison with media personnel across the state and the region with news and information regarding the Georgia High School Association. I am also very active in marketing, promoting and telling the story of GHSA member schools, their athletes, coaches and the program itself. I hope to continue to share the good works from the association and shine the spotlight brighter on our outstanding athletes. I think my 25 years of experience in the television journalism industry can help bring more eyeballs and more support to GHSA through social media and news gathering across the Southeast region and all over the country.”
4. If you were interviewing yourself, what would be the most interesting question you could ask, and how would you answer it? “I would ask myself – given that journalism is an often thankless job that doesn’t pay extremely well and comes with terrible working hours, intense deadlines and an emotional roller coaster of story coverage that includes crime, fatalities, severe weather, politics 24/7 around the clock – would you do it all over again? My answer in a word: Yes. I never entered this career field for money or fame. I only wanted to help shine the spotlight on those in need and give a voice to those who need to be heard. Along the way I have had some terrible encounters I dare never revisit, but I’ve also had a plethora of amazing situations that helped shape who I am today. Of course everyone wants to be paid their worth, but the respect and appreciation that viewers have given me over my tenure has truly been priceless, and for that I’ve always been extremely wealthy.”
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