Former Jesup High School football standout Marcus Waters died Tuesday, Nov. 5, in Macon after suffering a fall at his home in Warner Robins. Funeral arrangements were not available at press time.
Waters lettered in football as a quarterback and defensive back at Jesup High School in 1964 and 1965, and in his senior year, he was both team captain and Most Valuable Player.
After graduating from high school in 1966, he lettered in football as a defensive back at East Tennessee State University from 1967 to 1970. He was also an All-Ohio Valley Conference honorable mention in 1969 and 1970. In 1969, he was a member of the Ohio Valley Conference championship football team, which also won the Grantland Rice Bowl.
Upon receiving his bachelor’s degree in health education and biology in 1971, he began his 27-year coaching career in Appling and Houston counties. During that time, he served as the offensive coordinator and head golf coach at Appling County High School and later at Northside High School. He also served as athletic director and the ninth-grade football coach at Tabor Junior High School and later Warner Robins Junior High School. Those years included six ninth-grade football championships and four ninth-grade second-place teams.
In 1991, he became assistant athletic director, offensive coordinator and golf coach at Houston County High School. That year their first football team finished 9-2 and went on to participate in the state playoffs in both 1992 and 1993.
Waters retired from coaching in 1998 and from teaching in 2000, though he continued to serve the community through volunteer coaching for a recreational team.