Atlanta, Georgia – August 20, 2025 – Anthony “Tony” Flanagan was a skillfully gifted historic high school athlete excelling in multiple sports, especially football and basketball. In 1974, “Flan” as he was known led his Southwest Atlanta High school team to state championships in both sports, an Atlanta Public School record that still stands. One of the most heralded recruits in the nation, he was ambidextrous, able to throw a football 70 yards with his throwing arm and 60 with the other. He set a Georgia high school record for touchdown passes with 31 in 10 regular season games, ran for 12 touchdowns, kicked 60 extra points and two field goals. Nearly the entire team received athletic scholarships largely due to attention received from scouts. “We have given Flan the credit for many of us to go to college and get football scholarships. They came to see him and saw others too. They would come to watch him play and we had about 30 guys earning division 1 and 2 scholarships,” said former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Reginald Wilkes, a recent inductee into the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame. Flanagan was inducted in the 2023 HOF Class. “What should not be missed is the essence of the person. He was such a giving and caring person who would often times tell us to be prepared and be on our best behavior. Many of us would never have gotten an opportunity to go to college if not for that. He was an outstanding person, athlete, family man and father, always a giver, never a taker.”
Flanagan was a two-sport athlete playing football and basketball for the University of Georgia (UGA) becoming their first Black quarterback. After his post collegiate athletic career ended, he moved back to Atlanta becoming a coach at John F. Kennedy Middle School where he quickly became a mentor. Flanagan was born into the tough intown streets of Atlanta’s Pittsburgh community. He lost both his parents at an early age making him a fierce advocate for disadvantaged youth until medical complications led to his untimely death in 2001 at age 44. That’s when Southwest Atlanta High school alumni worked with his widow to rename West Manor Recreation the Anthony Flanagan Memorial Recreation Center. The Center has long served as a cornerstone for youth development in Southwest Atlanta, a safe haven where children are encouraged to grow physically, mentally and socially. According to organizers, this is more than a fundraiser, it’s a meaningful investment in education by promoting literacy and propelling future leaders forward including community initiatives designed to uplift and empower. Alumni programs also include Literacy Outreach via the AAA Readers Literature Initiative, the Global Read Aloud and Black History Read Aloud Meetups at the elementary and middle schools in the Mays Cluster.
Youth programs from the Anthony Flanagan Memorial Recreation center will benefit from golf classic revenues sponsored by the Southwest Atlanta High School Alumni Association, a 501 C3 organization formed as a collective effort to preserve the rich heritage and history of the school. Proceeds will also benefit Benjamin E. Mays High School Seniors. The event is scheduled for Saturday, September 13, 2025 8:00am at the Browns Mill Golf Course, 480 Cleveland Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. To enter the golf classic, patrons can inquire at swhsa22alumcmte@yahoo.com or sign up at https://events.golfstatus.com/event/2025-SW-Atlanta-High-School-Golf-Classic/.
WHAT: 2025 SWAHS Golf Classic
WHEN: Saturday, September 13, 2025 at 8:00 am
WHERE: Browns Mill Golf Course
480 Cleveland Avenue SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30354-2245
About SWAHS Alumni Association
In 1950, the school opened as Southwest Fulton High School at the intersection of Lynhurst Drive and Benjamin E. Mays Drive then known as Sewell Road. Part of the Atlanta Public School System, it was later renamed Southwest High. Claude C. Wills, Jr. served as principal from 1950 until 1970 followed by Dr. Charles R. Mason, the first black to serve in that capacity until 1974. Dr. Anne W. Fannin succeeded him followed by Dr. John S. Blackshear. Southwest officially closed as a high school in 1981 upon completion of Benjamin E. Mays High erected and located down the street. The building became Southwest Middle School and later renamed Jean Childs Young Middle School in 1995 to honor the contributions of the late renowned educator and wife of United Nations Ambassador and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young.
Last updated on September 7, 2025
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