GONZALEZ, Fla. — On Friday, the field at Tate High School will be dedicated to legendary coach Carl Madison.
The event is slated to begin on the field at 6:45 p.m., just prior to the Aggies taking on Escambia at 7.
Madison is a native of Atmore, Ala., and is enshrined in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame.
Madison coached at Tate from 1971-82 and won the state championship with the Aggies in 1980. It was the first-ever title for a Pensacola-area school in a large school classification. That championship opened the door for Pensacola schools Woodham, Pine Forest, Escambia, Pensacola High Pensacola Catholic and Washington to win state championships.
Madison was the coach at Pine Forest when that school won its first state title and the mythical national championship.
The ceremony will feature Madison, his family and former players not only from Tate and Pine Forest, but also ones from his other coaching stops at Milton, Ernest Ward, and Jackson (Ala.) Academy.
Coincidentally, the Aggies’ opponent Friday is Escambia which is coached by Mike Bennett who played for Madison at Tate from 1975-78.