Former Southern Football player, Devon Gales Returns to the Sidelines

In 2015 when the Southern Jaguars played the University of Georgia, Devon Gales’ life was changed forever as he suffered as debilitating spinal injury that paralyzed him from the neck down.
Four years removed from his life-changing injury, Gales has made substantial progress in his recovery, now able to completely utilize his upper body, despite still being bound to his wheelchair.
“I’m grateful just to have something coming back,” said Gales. “Just to know there is still a chance that I’m going to be able to walk again.”
After his injury and during his rehab, Gales received consistent support from the Georgia community as he has worked to rehabilitate his body and share his message of perseverance with young athletes playing the game today.
After becoming such an integral part of the community during his time in rehab in Georgia, Gales was offered a position as an assistant football coach at Jefferson High in the Georgia area.
After meeting the Gales family during Devon’s rehabilitation, Jefferson High head coach Gene Cathcart said this about his decision to add Gales to his coaching staff for the upcoming season.
“It was brought to our attention upon meeting this wonderful family that Devon missed the game and practices and being part of a football team in the game he still loved so much,” Cathcart said in an interview with Access WDUN.
While it is unclear as of yet in what capacity Gales will operate at in the program, Coach Cathcart and many others from the Georgia community have spoken out about the impact. According to Cathcart during his Access WDUM interview, he believes that the team could “benefit from Gales’ story of perseverance.”
After hearing a motivational speech given by Gales at Jefferson High, Superintendent Dr. John Jackson was the first to float the idea of offering Gales a position of the Jefferson football staff.
“It was funny because I’ve never been called coach. It was always Devon, so just to have that behind me and just hearing the kids say, coach Gales, coach Devon or whatever they want to call it. I’m happy with whatever they call it,” Gales told Access WDUN.