TIFTON–Nominations are now being accepted for the Athletics Hall of Fame at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. The deadline for nominations is Jan. 15.
ABAC Athletics Director Alan Kramer said any individual, living or deceased, may be considered for induction into the ABAC Athletics Hall of Fame. Individuals are nominated in one of three categories: Athlete, Coach, or Contributor.
The induction ceremony for the 2016 class is scheduled for April 1 as a part of the ABAC Homecoming week.
The inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2008 included Thomas Cheney, Bruce V. Gressette, Norman “Red” Hill, Orion Mitchell, Philip Simpson, and Milena Stanoytcheva. The Hall of Fame class of 2009 honored the 1984 national championship men’s tennis team, Ellen Vickers, Dorsey Brooks, Cook Holliday, P.W. Bryan, Jr., and Newell “Sarge” Dorsey.
The 2010 Hall of Fame class included the 1991 national championship women’s softball team, Harley Klepfer, Jim Sparks, Joseph Grist, and Thomas “Boo” Weekley. The 2011 Hall of Fame class included the 1995 ABAC national championship women’s softball team; Kyle Farnsworth, Benny Dees, Harley Stewart, and A. B. Malloy.
The 2012 Hall of Fame class included Greg Tanner, Donnie Veal, Jean Francoise Lagloire, William E. Batton, and the 1996 national championship women’s softball team. The 2013 Hall of Fame class included the 1999 national championship men’s tennis team, Henry Will Jones, Julie Conner, Z.B. Hamilton, and Derrick Racine.
The 2014 Hall of Fame class included Marshall Taylor, Andrea Pate Willis and the 1993 State Intercollegiate Softball Champions. The 2015 Hall of Fame class included Ralph Bryant, Monika Lalewicz, Tommy Dial, Dr. Larry and Debra Moorman, Sonny Skinner, and the 1999 women’s tennis team.
Kramer said athletic achievement as well as integrity, sportsmanship, and character will be considered. He said the college is also looking for individuals who may have been good athletes while at ABAC, but who went on to coach high school or college teams to state or national titles.
Alumni as well as the general public are encouraged to nominate individuals for this honor. Hall of Fame criteria and a nomination form can be found at www.abac.edu/athletics/hall-of-fame/submit-a-nomination. For more information on the 2016 Athletics Hall of Fame, interested persons can contact Shirley Wilson in the Office of Athletics at (229) 391-4930.
