Stockton
The history of the No. 14 jersey number in Rabun County football lore and its connections with gridiron regalia at other programs is absolutely inspiring.
When head football coach Lee Shaw left Flowery Branch High School in 2011 to assume the role of coaching at his alma mater Rabun County, he packed many things into his U-Haul for that journey back up to the mountains.
Among those items Shaw brought was a suitcase of success and an admiration for the No. 14.
Now before Shaw returned to Tiger for some playing of Alabama’s “Mountain Music,” the numbers one-four on Wildcat jerseys already meant something special. Shaw just cranked it up a notch or a thousand.
Shaw, a Rabun County Athletic Hall of Fame inductee in 2024, viewed the No. 14 as a way to pay tribute to his Rabun County uncle Horace Ramey, who played in the latter 1970s. So, Shaw too wore No. 14.
The No. 14 would play a significant role in Shaw’s family. At Flowery Branch, Shaw’s sons Connor and Jaybo both donned 14. The Shaw brothers also would wear the number at their respective colleges.
That last Rabun County Wildcat to wear the No. 14 is Gunner Stockton.
That will become an even more momentous now.
The quarterback standout Stockton will have his Wildcat No. 14 retired Friday night in a pregame ceremony before Rabun County takes the field in Tiger for Homecoming against region foe Banks County.
Stockton, now a redshirt junior wearing 14 at the University of Georgia, helped his Dawgs edge the Volunteers in Knoxville, Tenn., in overtime with a masterful performance that earned the Tiger native the “SEC Offensive Player of the Week” honors.
The Alabama Crimson Tide await UGA in Athens on Sept. 27, but the Bulldogs have an open date this week and Stockton will be at Frank Snyder Memorial Stadium for Wildcat Nation to commend as a student-athlete and as a person.
On Rabun County’s football field, Stockton played in 53 games, including playoff contests, as he threw 177 career touchdowns and rushed for an additional 77. Stockton, now 22, completed 878 passes for 13,652 yards, and he carried the ball 604 times for 4,372 as a Wildcat.
He set Georgia state records for career passing yards, passing touchdowns, total touchdowns, and all-purpose yards.
Stockton absolutely wore the No. 14 with pride and honor for Rabun County.
UGA’s signal caller’s father, Rob, also wore the No. 14 as a Rabun County prep standout. The elder Stockton then wore his No. 14 in blue-and-white as a safety to a Hall of Fame career at Georgia Southern.
Jaybo Shaw became the RCHS head football coach following in the footsteps of his father Lee in 2019, and the younger Shaw would stay in that position until Stockton’s last game as a senior in the state playoffs.
After a stellar high school career at Flowery Branch, Shaw went to Georgia Tech to be on a Yellow Jacket under head coach Paul Johnson. When assistant Georgia Tech coach Jeff Monken was named the new head coach at Georgia Southern, Shaw would leave Atlanta for South Georgia’s Statesboro.
Shaw wanted to wear No. 14 for the Eagles, but he called Rob Stockton to ask his permission to wear the number.
Shaw, wearing the prized No. 14, and Monken helped re-establish the option offense and Georgia Southern’s winning tradition. Shaw’s brother Connor would wear the No. 14 at the University of South Carolina.
Jaybo Shaw now is the head coach at Dawson County. His father, Lee, is the head coach at Metter.
Current Rabun County assistant football coach Wes Holcombe is among those who wore No. 14 as a Wildcat player. After selecting the number, Holcombe would hear the history of the No. 14, and years later Holcombe would marry Lee Shaw’s daughter, Anna Kate, the sister of Jaybo and Connor.
As Holcombe became a Western Carolina upperclassman quarterback, he would select No. 14.
Lee Shaw wore No. 14 for the Wildcats to honor Ramey. Then those who followed wearing the number in order were former RCHS assistant coach Rob Stockton; current RCHS athletic director Jonathan Welch; Billy Edwards; Kolby Bird; Holcombe; Fisher; and Gunner Stockton.
But no one has worn No. 14 at Rabun County since Stockton’s last game in November 2021.
And no one will wear that jersey number again. Stockton on Friday night will join friend of the Stockton family Charlie Woerner, a tight end with the Atlanta Falcons, who had his No. 34 retired in 2022.
No. 14 is about history. No. 14 is about legacy. And, as Jaybo Shaw said No. 14 is about “love.”
The Wildcat Nation has an overwhelming amount of love for Gunner and the Stockton family.
When “Mountain Music” is blared over the PA system after a Friday night lights victory for the Wildcats, take a moment to reflect on those who paved the way for today’s Rabun County success.
Love ya, Gunner!