By JOE JOE WRIGHT
joejoe.wright@cordeledispatch.com
It’s 1985 and I am coaching football in the 10 under division at the Cordele-Crisp Recreation Department. My team, the Oilers, are undefeated 7-0 and UN-scored on. We were loaded with superstars. However, all I heard about all year was this 11-year old kid named Vidal Drake Colson.
Fast as greased lightning, he was able to jump buildings in a single bound and he was faster than a speeding bullet. I watched him play and yes he was, there was no one faster, and that’s for sure. That year Crisp County dominated the “Turkey Bowl” in Tifton,. My team won the junior division over the Atlanta Cowboys 39-0 and the senior division led, by Vidal Colson, beat Cairo 30-6. A star was born that year in Crisp county. When Vidal left Rec. ball for middle school he had scored more touchdowns than anyone in recreation history.
As Vidal entered high school, the level of anticipation surrounding him and the Cougars was approaching euphoric proportions. By 1989 Sam Barrs’ Cougars had run up an undefeated record in region play and as a junior running back Colson was running touchdowns. He was a 4-year starter in football and started at 2nd base as a freshman in baseball. Vidal would push baseball aside to concentrate on track in the spring and naturally he excelled at that as well.
Vidal made it to state three years in a row and set the 100-yard dash record at Crisp County High. He was all region multiple times and in his senior year was named offensive player of the year. Following high school, Vidal went on to play football on a scholarship at Georgia Military Academy and after two years and numerous awards including first team all junior college as a sophomore, he was offered a scholarship at every Southeastern Conference school. However, Vidal was expelled shortly before that due to an ugly altercation during which the other fellow lost real bad. If Vidal had not been in a military college he might have gotten to stay, but this fight derailed his football career.
Vidal is the son of Carolyn and Bennie Colson of Cordele and has two kids; a daughter, Sabrekkia Colson, and son Dontavious Colson. He resides in Cordele and works at the Warner Robins Air Force base.
Besides watching football he enjoys participating in sports and officiating in baseball, football and softball. A former classmate and friend Ramone Bass said of Colson, “Back then everyone was scared to hit him and if he turned the corner you wasn’t going to catch him.”
Here in Crisp county we have had our share of great athletes and Vidal Colson most definitely ranks among them.