John Dale Hester (JD) is a lifelong Columbus resident. His love of soccer began at the age of seven when he first began to play the sport.  This was in the very early days of organized soccer in Columbus. His family also quickly grew to love the game that they previously knew little about. His father, Dale Hester, began coaching and refereeing shortly after JD began playing and was the Columbus Youth Soccer President that helped lead the charge to have soccer added to Columbus schools. JD played club soccer on one of the first travel soccer teams in the area, Columbus United.  When soccer was added to Columbus schools, he played during the inaugural season for Richards Junior High School and later at Columbus High School. It was during his eighth grade year that he and Michael Hitchcock (Hitch) first began playing together and they became fast friends. The two would go on to play in the Olympic Development program in Georgia and, after graduation from high school, JD played collegiately at Oglethorpe University and Hitch at VCU. 

While in college, JD began working at TSYS where he enjoyed a twenty-eight year career, retiring in 2020 as a Senior Vice President of TSYS and from the Board of Directors of TSYS de Mexico. Another of his passions is improving healthcare for the people of this community.  He is the Chairman of the Board for Piedmont Columbus Regional and a former member of the Columbus Regional Foundation Board. He is also on the board of the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation (MEEF) and a member of St. Luke Church. 

John Dale has been married to wife Jill for twenty-eight years and they have two sons, Jack and Weston that are both in the Honors College at the University of Georgia. The boys have been lifelong soccer players playing for CYSA, CFC Red Star, Concord Fire, Birmingham United, Alabama FC, St. Luke School and Columbus High School. The best soccer memory JD has was being able to coach both boys together on the same St. Luke soccer team.  The second best memory was playing two exhibition matches at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium winning both and saving a penalty taken by Manchester United great and former England international, Gary Neville.