Coach Musselwhite honored by Georgia school district

The son of a Port St. Joe Athletic Hall of Fame member has earned honors in his own right as a high school track coach in Georgia.

Craig Musselwhite, who retired from Carrollton High School after a distinguished career as a track and field coach, was honored last fall with the renaming of the high school track in his honor.

At a ceremony at the Carrollton Trojans football game, the school board there renamed Maddox Track at Grisham Stadium to Maddox-Musselwhite Track. The track had honored another Trojan track legacy, Coach Hugh Maddox, who captured five consecutive state titles in track in the 1950s, establishing Carrollton’s reputation across Georgia as a track and field powerhouse. 

The school has won 28 state track titles, with Musselwhite, a 1985 alumnus of the school, having earned a spot in history as the coach with the most state championships in one sport as a head coach — eight — plus five more as an assistant coach. 

While still in high school, Musselwhite contributed to two consecutive CHS team titles as a freshman and sophomore, and captured his own three individual state champion titles in the high jump as a sophomore, junior and senior. For his success as a top prep athlete, he was inducted into the Trojan Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993. 

Following a college career as a track star at Auburn University, Musselwhite’s all-encompassing track record boasts 13 state championships, four runner-up titles, 27 Top Four state finishes, supported by the same number of region titles, over a 35-year Carrollton career. 

His body of work drew the attention of the Georgia Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2010.

Musselwhite’s father, David, had been one of the Sharks’ athletic achievers. He earned four letters in football and four in basketball, and captained both teams.

In his senior year, he was named second team All-State, and could put on quite a show with his prowess on the court, including once snaring 28 rebounds in one game.

In football, he was a member of the 1957 Northwest Florida Football championship team and would go on to earn All Northwest Conference, All Big Bend, and All State honors.

He furthered his career at Chipola Jr. College, Mississippi State University, and eventually earned an advanced degree at Georgia State University.

“Our dad, David Musselwhite, played football for Coach R. Marion Craig, and had such respect for Coach Craig, that he and our mom agreed to name my brother, Craig, in his honor,” said Craig Musselwhite’s sister Cindy Muse. “Upon retirement, our dad moved back to his beloved Port St. Joe and lived there until his death in 2019.”

In 2018, David Musselwhite was inducted into the Port St. Joe Athletic Hall of Fame.