A native of Stokesdale in Guilford County, Southern attended Northwest Guilford High School where he wrestled, played football, and ran track.  He attended Pembroke State University, wrestling for four years under Coach Mike Olsen from 1975-79.  Southern was team captain for the Braves, an Area Seven runner-up, and qualified for the NAIA Nationals in 1977, 78, and 79.  In 1978, he missed becoming an All-American by only one point.  After completing a degree in Physical Education, Southern was hired as the head wrestling coach at Hoke County High School in 1980.  This was the beginning of a 35-year coaching career in North Carolina that has taken Southern across North Carolina from the mountains to the coast and to a few places in between.  Southern coached at Hoke, New Bern, Anson County, Clyde A. Erwin, North Stanley, Butler and South Brunswick High Schools.  His teams won 14 conference championships, two regional championships (1993, 2012), and his 1993 Anson team won the North Carolina 4A state tournament.  He has coached eight individual state champions and five other state finalists. Southern was selected as conference coach of the year nine times, the Mecklenburg County coach of the year in 1999, and the 4A state coach of the year in 1993. As a coach, Southern emphasized hard work, honesty, being a good person, and always encouraged his athletes to take ownership in their team.  Southern retired from coaching in 2014, but his retirement was short-lived.  Recruited by Aiken High School in South Carolina, Southern returned to the classroom and the mats in 2017 starting a new wrestling program at Aiken.