OUR HISTORY
In 1963, a small group of committed citizens of Augusta decided that the new school should be named for the late Dr. Thomas Walter Josey, and should have as its motto, “Power through Knowledge”. In addition, this group chose the color KELLY GREEN (power), GOLD (knowledge), and WHITE (purity) as the school’s colors. The EAGLE (a bird of might) was chosen as the mascot. We very proudly called ourselves the Thomas Walter Josey Comprehensive High School.

The new high school was erected at 1701 Fifteenth Street and officially opened its doors in September 1964. Under the leadership of our first principal, Lloyd K. Reese, T.W. Josey Comprehensive High School, after approximately a year of hard, tedious and dedicated work of our first faculty and staff, received its official accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) from then-SACS area representative Fred Blackmon and then-Richmond County Board of Education assistant superintendent Harvey Duncan on November 30, 1965.

 

On that following spring of 1966, T.W. Josey Comprehensive High School graduated its very first senior class. Among the members of this distinguished class are:
- The Honorable Carl Brown - former Georgia 10th District Court Judge
- Dr. Joseph Hobbs - Chairman Emeritus of the Augusta University Department of Family Medicine
- The late George Frank Myles Jr. - Josey's first NFL draft pick (Miami Dolphins)
- The late Honorable Larry Leroy Palmer - former US Diplomat and Ambassador to Barbados & the Eastern Caribbean
- The Honorable Marion Williams - former Augusta-Richmond County Commissioner.

Throughout her 60-plus year history, T.W. Josey Comprehensive High School has produced:
- A United States Diplomat
- A 10th Circuit District Court Judge
- A Georgia State Legislator
- Augusta, GA's second Black Mayor
- Augusta-Richmond County's first Black elected Sheriff
- Augusta-Richmond County's first Black elected Marshal
- Three County Commissioners
- Two College Presidents

- A College Dean

- An internationally recognized Interventional Cardiologist who has made presentations to NFL owners, executives and athletes about the facts of sudden cardiac death

- A Regional Director for the United Negro College Fund

- A Medical Director for a major city hospital

- Past Vice President & CEO for Ford Motor Company

- Past Director of Finance for Coca-Cola North America

- Retired US Army Colonel who has commanded companies & battalions during Operation Desert Storm & Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- 2019 Aiken County (SC) Public Schools Principal of the Year
- 2021 Middle School Principal of the Year for the State of Georgia
- 2022 Aiken County (SC) Public Schools Educator of the Year

- 2022 Joseph R. Biden Lifetime Achievement & Presidential Volunteer Award recipient

- Georgia Tech's very first Black Organic Chemistry Doctoral Degree recipient

- Medical College of Georgia's only 1989 African-American graduate from its School of Dentistry.
- Five NFL players (Including three Super Bowl champions, including one Sports Hall of Fame inductee in both the States of Georgia and Tennessee)

- Two starters of NCAA Division 1 Football BCS National Champions
- Nine professional basketball players (two in NBA; a two-time WNBA champion who is also a 2024 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee & a six-time WNBA all-star; and six current & former international professional basketball league players)
- A member of the 1998 USA Women's Professional Basketball Team & WNBA interim head coach

- An NCAA referee official for the 2003 NCAA Men's Division I National Basketball Championship

- A national UFC bantamweight mixed-martial arts prize fighter who went undefeated in his first 10 career matches.

- A Major League Baseball umpire

- A Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Hall of Fame inductee

- A Southern Conference (SoCon) Sports Hall of Fame inductee

- A Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame inductee

- An All-Mideastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Honoree and 2004 US Olympic Track & Field Trials qualifier

- Four College Sports Hall of Fame inductees by their alma maters

- Two Georgia High School Sports Hall of Fame inductees

- A two-time Georgia High School Association state champion basketball coach
- Two Billboard charting recording artists
- A Gospel recording artist who performed at the White House

- Two Emmy Award-winning filmmakers

- An award-winning executive producer & director of a national television shows, films & book author
- Four actors who have appeared in major television shows, motion pictures and national television commercials (including one who co-starred with Nick Cannon in a major motion picture & two who have guest-starred in films produced by film moguls Tyler Perry and rapper 50 Cent)
- Three media personalities (radio and television)

- An online sports newspaper publisher
- Numerous pastors, attorneys, educators, medical professionals, engineers, scientists, military officers, faith leaders, book authors, professional musicians & artists, entrepreneurs & community leaders

Throughout her 60-plus year history, T.W. Josey has achieved a major mark in sports, earning them renown in the Central Savannah River Area as well as statewide.
- 1967 Georgia Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AA State Boys Basketball Champions
- 1974 Georgia High School Association Class A State 440 Relay Champions
- 1976 Georgia High School Association Class A State 330 Yard High Hurdle Champion
- 1978 Georgia High School Association Class A State Boys Basketball Champions
- 1995 Georgia High School Association Class AAA State Football Champions 
- 1998 Georgia High School Association Class AAA State Girls Basketball Champions
- 2008 Georgia High School Association Class AA State 300 Meter Low Hurdles Champion
- 2013 Georgia High School Association Class AAA State Girls Shot Put Champion
- 2018 Georgia High School Association Class AA State Wrestling Champion (285 lb. Class)
- 2021 Georgia High School Association Class AA State Girls Basketball Champions

T.W. Josey prides herself of having been the home of Georgia High School Association's winningest girls high school basketball coach the late Lynn Brantley (1940-2019). In her 38-year coaching career, Coach Brantley retired in 2007 with a record of 749 wins and 249 losses (.751 winning percentage).  

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In December 1995, the Josey Eagles football team, under the leadership of Head Coach John Starr and athletic director Charles "Carp" Carpenter, made history by winning the school's very first state championship with first-ever undefeated record of 15-0. This squad produced Josey's second & two-time NFL Super Bowl Champion Deon Grant, for whom White Road Stadium was renamed after in his honor as well as his jersey #9 was the first retired jersey in the school's sports history, and Emmy award winning film producer Rod Hollimon.

 

Two additional sports milestones in the history of our "Dear Alma Mater" proudly worthy of mention are as follows.

* The 1977 Josey Eagles baseball team advanced to the State Class A Baseball Championship finals against the eventual champion Roswell High School of Atlanta.

* The 2025 Josey Eagles soccer team made history by winning our Alma Mater's very first GHSA Class 4-AA Regional Soccer Championship title, advancing to the state playoffs.

T.W. Josey Comprehensive High School also prides itself with a nationally renowned, award winning marching band program - THE T.W. JOSEY SONIC BOOM OF THE SOUTH.  

Originally named the "MAGNIFICENT MARCHING 100 PLUS" during the school's infancy under the leadership of it first band director, the late Dr. Arthur Shaw, the T.W. JOSEY SONIC BOOM OF THE SOUTH MARCHING BAND has for years taken its magnificent musicianship and performances extensively throughout the U.S. and parts of Europe, consistently garnering numerous national awards and honors for approximately four decades. Among the band's memorable honors from the late 1970's through the mid 2000's under the leadership of Josey's second band director Dr. Charles J. Smith include "All Superior" & "Excellent" titles by the Southern Invitational Band Festival & the Annual Centennial Marching Festival. Our SONIC BOOM OF THE SOUTH also were named "Best Band in the Nation" by the SCLC Drum Major for Justice Parade in St. Petersburg, Florida and was featured on the cover of the Augusta Magazine as the "Best School Band in Augusta." 
The T.W. JOSEY SONIC BOOM OF THE SOUTH MARCHING BAND has performed before former U.S. Secretary of Defense the Honorable Leon Panetta (when he served as White House Chief of Staff during the Clinton Administration), on nationally televised parades such as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and at Historically Black College and University football games.

Their amazing halftime performance during the Josey Eagles' 1995 state football championship game was broadcast live throughout the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) viewing market by WRDW- TV (go to the JOSEY MEMORIES page to watch).

Numerous T.W. JOSEY SONIC BOOM OF THE SOUTH MARCHING BAND alumni has collectively earned millions in scholarships and achieved greatness in numerous career paths, including as professional musicians, recording artists, educators, band directors & exceptional leaders within their respective communities in various fields of endeavor.


THE LEGACY OF DR. THOMAS WALTER JOSEY
Having seen and experienced the role of education in our society , we know the success of a community, a state, a country, or a nation depends upon the education of its people. The person for whom our school is named, Thomas Walter Josey, MD., was a medical doctor, community leader, churchman, and moralist of education.

Dr. Josey was born in Augusta, GA., the son of former slaves. As a boy, young Thomas Walter Josey placed his eye upon the star and climbed steadily toward his goal despite the setback which so many youths of his day encountered. He faltered not..... having lifted himself up by his own boot straps to a place of honor, dignity, and respect. Supported solely by his own efforts, he earned his way through Haines Institute, Atlanta University, and then through Howard University's Medical School.

The fact that his parents had been in bondage never beggared his soul. His life is a shining example of his motto: "Not for self but for others." The efficient services rendered by Dr. Josey to churches, the schools, drives for the American Cancer Society, the March of Dimes, and the Character Chest are examples of his heroism. 

Dr. Josey not only participated in many civic activities, he also sponsored countless civic projects. He organized the C. T. Walker Bible Class of the Tabernacle Baptist Church. The most outstanding of his civic achievements was his work with the Boy Scouts of America, Georgia- Carolina Council. He was awarded the Silver Beaver in 1948 for distinguished service to the organization, and in 1950 a permanent Boy Scout camp was named in his honor (Camp Josey). 

Other services rendered by Dr. Josey were Medical Director, Pilgrim Health and Life Insurance Company; Charter member and Basileus of Psi Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; President of Stoney Medical and Dental Association; and Regional Vice President of the National Medical Association. In addition, Dr. Josey was the initiator and chairman of the drive to purchase the first uniforms to be worn by the Lucy C. Laney High School Band.

THE LEGACY OF DR. THOMAS WALTER JOSEY LIVES ON!

PAST PRINCIPALS OF T.W. JOSEY HIGH SCHOOL
The late Mr. Lloyd K, Reese (1912-1988)
Mr. Marion Barnes
The late Dr. Vivian Pennamon (1941-2018)

Mr. Richard J. Johnson
The late Mr. Horace Lamback (1949-2016)
Mr. Quentin Motley
Dr. Ronald Wiggins
Mr. Issac Lee
Mr. Chauncey Scott
Ms. Ny Green-McRae

CURRENT PRINCIPAL - Mr. Derrias Priestley

THE MISSION OF T.W. JOSEY HIGH SCHOOL
Our mission is to produce college and career ready graduates that will positively impact our Global Society. 

THE VISION STATEMENT OF T.W. JOSEY HIGH SCHOOL
T.W. Josey High School strives to create an atmosphere that focus on innovative education, training, and career development for tomorrow's workforce.
 

T.W. JOSEY COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL OFFICIAL WEBSITE LINK

T. W. JOSEY ALMA MATER (Tap/Click link to listen)
Written by 
Mrs. Alice McRae

Hail to thee dear Alma Mater,
Hail to the school we love,
Thy praises we shall sing,
Until echoes loudly ring.

Sons and daughters as they work,
Will be inspired by thee.
In victory or downfall,
Mighty shall thy name be.

May thy glory ne're decline,
Through the ages wait before,
Raise high the banner gleaming,
Josey's green, white, and gold.

When we have gone away,
Out in the world alone,
Still we shall work for Josey,
And to thee honor bring.