LaGrange High head coach Chuck Gibbs has had a helping hand this week.

Gibbs’ father is Alex Gibbs, a long-time NFL coach and an offensive-line guru.

Alex Gibbs is an assistant coach with the New Orleans Saints, but he was able to get away this week and spend some time with his son’s team.

Alex Gibbs will be on the sideline on Friday when LaGrange opens its season at Heard County.

“A lot of it is more for the coaches than the kids,” Chuck Gibbs said of having his father helping out. “Somebody’s been there, and seen it, and knows it. How about this perspective, or this insight? It’s the why behind why we do this. He’s been the architect of it since the get-go. You sit and listen.”

Alex Gibbs, who was the offensive-line coach for the Broncos when they won back-to-back Super Bowls in the 90s, enjoys teaching, no matter the level.

“Teaching is the key to coaching,” Alex Gibbs said. “People think you have to be a genius. You don’t. You have to be able to teach kids, and grown men, what to do, when to do it, and then you let the thing happen. The only thing that’s different between the pro player and the college player and high-school players is, you have to prove to them that you’re going to help them be successful, and they’ll help you.”

HAPPY AT CALLAWAY: Dialleo Burks, the former head coach at LaGrange, has a new home this season.

Burks is coaching the wide receivers at Callaway, and he has a talented group to work with.

“This is the best group of receivers I’ve had since I’ve been coaching in high school,” Burks said.

It’s a group that includes senior Jacob Freeman, who has numerous college offers, including one from Georgia Tech.

Markus Morman, Antinez Blount and Jymere Jones are three of the other talented receivers Burks is working with.

“It’s a good group of kids that want to play football,” Burks said.

Burks, who was a part of LaGrange’s state-championship team in 1991, played professional football for about a decade.

Burks enjoyed his most success as a pro while playing in the Arena Football League.

His best season came in 2003 when he had 102 catches and 28 touchdowns for Dallas, and he had 92 receptions and 29 touchdowns in 2006.

After his playing days ended, Burks went into coaching, and he had stops at Hopewell High in North Carolina and Berkmar before returning to his hometown.

Burks was an assistant coach at LaGrange College and Troup before spending one season as the head coach at Lafayette High in Alabama.

Burks became LaGrange’s head coach in 2014, and he remained in that position through the 2017 season.

Last season, Burks was a part of an NFL internship program that allowed him to be a part of the Tennessee Titans’ staff during the preseason.

Now, Burks is back doing what he loves to do, helping guide and lead high-school players.

“Even when I was at LaGrange, I was still helping all of (the receivers in the county),” Burks said. “So it’s really nothing different. This is just where I’m at now.”

AWARD WINNER: For the second time during his time at Troup High, Tanner Glisson has been selected as the LaGrange Gridiron Club coach of the year.

Glisson earned the award based on what Troup accomplished during a memorable 2018 season.

Troup went 12-2 and reached the Class AAAA semifinals before losing to Blessed Trinity.

Glisson received the award during a meeting of the LaGrange Gridiron Club on Tuesday night.

While the plaque has Glisson’s name on it, he stressed that the award belongs to all of the coaches.

“That’s a very big misconception when they give one coach an award,” Glisson said. “It’s everybody.”

Glisson is appreciative of the recognition offered by the LaGrange Gridiron Club.

“There were 250, 300 people there, and it was great,” Glisson said. “Paul Johnson was the guest speaker, so he and I got to chat a little bit about it. I really appreciate them recognizing us and our hard work, because there are other good programs around, too.”