University of Georgia Athletics
UGA 1946 All-American Herb St. John Dies
July 01, 2011 | Football
July 1, 2011
ATHENS -- University of Georgia 1946 All-America football player Herb St. John, 85, died Wednesday in Perry, Ga., following a long illness.
Raised in Jacksonville, Fla., St. John was a four-time All-SEC selection from 1944-47 as a guard on both offense and defense for the Georgia football team. He earned All-America honors as a junior in 1946 in leading the Bulldogs to an 11-0 record and the Williamson poll's national championship. Georgia was 34-9-1 overall and 16-7 in the SEC, including a combined 8-0 against Florida and Auburn, during St. John's career.
St. John played pro football for two seasons, suiting up for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Charlotte Hornets. He retired from playing in 1950. He was inducted into the UGA Circle of Honor in 2004 and the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
When his pro career ended, St. John began a career in education that spanned nearly 40 years. From 1950-69, St. John was a teacher and coach at Manchester and Perry High Schools. He taught such subjects as physical education, health, bookkeeping and mechanical drawing. St. John was Manchester's head football coach from 1950-54, then launched the football program at Perry and served as head coach for football and track from 1954-69.
His 19-year record in football was 115-72-7, including a subregion and a region title. St. John's Perry track teams won the state title in 1962 and claimed seven region titles. St. John was named Coach of the Year on six occasions.
From 1961-69, St. John was Perry's assistant principal. He was named Houston County's director of transportation and maintenance in 1969 and served in that post until his retirement in 1987.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 2, at 2:00 p.m. at the Perry, Ga., United Methodist Church. Internment will be in Perry Memorial Gardens immediately following the service. Rev. Jenny Jackson-Adams and the Honorable Larry Walker will be officiating.
