Former UGA player Warner dies; high school coach of LeCounte, McMillan

Kirk Warner, a former Georgia tight end and the football coach at Liberty County in south Georgia since 2002, died of cancer Thursday.

Warner was the high school coach of NFL players Raekwon McMillan, an All-American at Ohio State, and Richard LeCounte, a star safety at Georgia.

Warner’s record in 20 seasons as Liberty County’s coach was 106-103 with region titles in 2016, 2017 and 2021. The 2016 team, featuring LeCounte, was the first region champion in school history.

Warner had 50 receptions for 733 yards and four touchdowns in his college career. He had a team-leading 30 receptions for 404 yards as a senior on Georgia’s 1989 team, the first under coach Ray Goff.

Warner was an outstanding football and basketball player at Bleckley County.

A GoFundMe page was established last month for Warner’s wife, Kimberly. It said that Warner was suffering from angiosarcoma. According to the Mayo clinic, this is a rare cancer that forms in the lining of the blood vessels and lymph vessels.