Kenneth (Kent) Lawrence

Professional career

• Judge Kent Lawrence (1947 – 2020) was a University of Georgia football star, NFL player, police chief, prosecutor, and 26‐year State Court judge in Clarke County, Georgia, best known for pioneering the state’s first DUI Court
• In 1985, Governor Joe Frank Harris appointed him State Court Judge of Clarke County, a role he served for 26 years, including as Chief Judge until his retirement in 2011.
• In 1971, he joined the UGA Police Department as a patrol officer and detective
• While earning his law degree from the Woodrow Wilson College of Law in Atlanta, he served as a special investigator for the District Attorney’s Office before becoming a prosecutor

Education

Additional information

• Judge Lawrence passed away March 13, 2020 after an extended illness at age 72
• Joined the State DUI Task Force in 1992 and in 2001 established Georgia’s first DUI Court
• In 1974, he became the first Police Chief of the newly created Clarke County Police Department.
• His standout moment came in the 1966 Cotton Bowl against SMU, where he rushed for 149 yards and was named Most Outstanding Player, setting a bowl rushing record that stood for 25 years.
• Recruited by UGA coach Vince Dooley in 1965, he signed a football scholarship and lettered in both football and track.
• Born June 3, 1947 in Central, South Carolina, Lawrence was the son of Norman and Clyde Lawrence.
• Later inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame
• After college, Lawrence played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons in the NFL
• focusing on rehabilitation and supervision for impaired drivers
• The Judge Kent Lawrence Football Scholarship Endowment to honor his contributions
• The record notes that uGA Football Hall of Fame recognition for his athletic achievements