The sixth edition of 40 Games That Shaped 40 Years series on uwgsports.com approaches the end of the millennium, and the height of the program's Division II history at the time. In 1997, West Georgia claimed their first Gulf South Conference Championship and repeated in 1998. Follow along as we remember some of the top games from the late 90s.

Previous installments of 40 Games that Shaped 40 Years are linked below.

First Edition: 1981-82

Second Edition: 1983-86

Third Edition: 1988-1992

Fourth Edition: 1993-1994

Fifth Edition: 1995-1996

The games are being released in chronological order, and there will be a fan vote at the conclusion of the series to determine the top-10 games in UWG football history. Enjoy this trip down memory lane with us as we gear up the 40th season of NCAA football at UWG this fall.

Season Tickets are still available for the 2021 season. To purchase tickets, visit the Townsend Center Box Office, or visit their website here.

Sixth Edition: Champions of the GSC

West Georgia vs. Valdosta State: November 15, 1997

West Georgia 35, Valdosta State 21

Although the playoffs were out of the picture, history was still well within reach in Game 10 of the 1997 campaign.

A win over the rival Blazers would secure a share of the Gulf South Conference crown, and West Georgia would do just that. Controlling the time of possession with 221 rushing yards on 50 carries for the game, the host squad built a 21-7 lead by halftime.

West Georgia stretched its lead to as much as 21 in the third quarter on a one-yard keeper by quarterback Toby Strange and held on from there to ring in the first league title in school history.

Gary Harden and Kevin Carroll combined for 195 yards and a touchdown, while Strange closed out his All-GSC campaign by going 14-of-25 for 158 yards with two touchdowns.

The senior signal-caller was named the GSC Offensive Player of the Year, while offensive tackle Chris Williams earned recognition on four All-American teams, including first-team honors by The Football Gazette. Defensively, Corey Jarrells was a First-Team AFCA All-American.

The 1997 season also marked the end of the Charlie Fisher era, as the winningest coach in West Georgia history moved on to the Division I ranks as a wide receivers coach at North Carolina State after going 36-17 in five seasons at West Georgia with two NCAA Division II Playoff appearances and one GSC championship.

West Georgia vs. Presbyterian: August 29, 1998

West Georgia 24, Presbyterian 21 (OT)

The first few minutes of the Glenn Spencer era were a little shaky, but things took an abrupt turn from there.

In his debut as the new head man at West Georgia, the former defensive coordinator saw his offense struggle mightily out of the gates, committing seven turnovers overall with three interceptions and four fumbles.

That allowed the Daryl Dickey-led Blue Hose to race out to a 21-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes.

But after settling down, West Georgia regained its footing and received a spark from sophomore signal-caller Jeremy Clements coming off the bench to ignite the offense, as the host team scored touchdowns in the second, third and fourth quarters to force overtime.

After Presbyterian missed a long field goal on its first possession, West Georgia completed the comeback with a 34-yard Jeremy Coates winner to set the tone for a tremendous ’98 campaign.

West Georgia vs. Valdosta State: November 14, 1998

West Georgia 26, Valdosta State 13

Riding the momentum of its first Gulf South Conference title a year earlier, West Georgia found itself in familiar territory upon facing rival Valdosta State in the regular-season finale with the opportunity to wrap up a second-straight league title and land a berth into the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

Running back Steve Duncan threw the offense on his back, busting out of the gates with an 82-yard touchdown run just over a minute into the game. The senior from Winder ran wild on VSU, piling up 213 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries against the vaunted Valdosta defense.

Clinging to a 14-13 lead at halftime, special teams and defense sparked West Georgia in the second half.

West Georgia scored the only points of the third quarter on a safety when Elbert Gurley brought down VSU punter Andy Gibbs in the end zone. In the fourth quarter, it was Oyemon Grace blocking a Gibbs punt to set up a 31-yard field goal from Jeremy Coates with 3:26 to go to lock up the ‘W’ and GSC crown.

West Georgia vs. Morehead State: October 2, 1999

West Georgia 34, Morehead State 28

A late addition to the ’99 schedule, Division I-AA Morehead State rolled into Carrollton featuring the nation’s top-scoring offense led by one of the top quarterbacks in the country in David Dinkins, who rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns and threw for 191 yards in the game.

The Eagles didn’t disappoint in proving they could light up the scoreboard, dropping 21 points on the host squad in the opening half to take a 14-point lead into the locker room.

Regrouping at halftime, West Georgia changed the narrative in a hurry, shutting Morehead out in the third quarter while scoring on a pair of Nick Price touchdowns to pull even at 21-all heading into the fourth quarter.

After the Eagles scored in the opening two minutes of the period, West Georgia answered with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Jeremy Clements to Roscoe Pounds with 2:39 to play to tie the game back up.

Morehead State had two chances to put the game away in regulation.

Driving down to the West Georgia 12-yard line, MSU place-kicker Guy Huffman hit the upright on his first attempt. An official, however, whistled a penalty on the play, giving the Eagles new life.

On the next attempt, West Georgia’s Johnny Leverette got his paws on the ball for the blocked kick, sending the contest to OT.

It was the West Georgia defense rising to the occasion on the Eagles’ opening possession, forcing a turnover on downs. That led to four consecutive Harold Farmer carries, the last of which resulted in paydirt and the six-point West Georgia victory.

MSU won the majority of the statistical categories, posting a 28-13 differential on first downs, outgaining West Georgia by a 521-347 margin on total yards and having an advantage of 36:15 to 23:45 on time of possession. But the only numbers that mattered to West Georgia when all was said and done was the final tally on the Grisham Stadium scoreboard: 34-28.