Sports Hall of Fame

Nominations are now open for the Clay County Sports Hall of Fame.

Click here to download the nomination form.

Nomination deadline for Clay Sports Hall of Fame is Nov. 28

Nominations are being sought for the 2016-17 class of the Clay County Sports Hall of Fame, group officials announced on Friday.

The deadline for accepting nominations will be 3 p.m. on Monday, November 28, Hall of Fame spokesman Don Napier said.

“The future of our organization depends on the people reading this article,” Napier said. “We must have nominations in order to have inductees. We urge people to be a part of the process by nominating the person they feel is deserving of this honor.

"Don't just say that they deserve to be in the Hall. Do some research, go to the local paper and look into the bound volumes, get statistics if they are available, and give the voters something to help them make their decision," Napier said.

“Since our inaugural class was selected in 2010, we have inducted over 60 people and we look forward to including more deserving members in January," Napier said.

Unlike years past, when some classes totaled over a dozen members, the classes of the future will be smaller. Applications can be picked up at the Clay County Schools Central Office, or can be downloaded from Clay County High School’s website and at www.DaleHollowHorizon.com.

People who choose not to use the official ballot must make sure all the required information is included in their nomination paperwork. We want to especially point out the importance of filling out the contact information for the nominee, email, phone, etc. We must be able to contact the nominee to let them know about the banquet date, tickets, etc.

The Postal Service and e-mail addresses on where to submit nominations will be included on the application. The voting is done on electronic ballots by previous inductees.

Athletes who have been out of high school for 10 years are eligible to be nominated, along with "heritage" members and "contributors." Heritage members are people whose careers were largely based at least 50 years ago, while "contributors" are administrators or people who were involved in some capacity besides coaching or playing. Athletes whose careers date back at least 50 years can also be voted in as regular members if the nominator chooses to put them in that category.

Nominations are not excluded to those who excelled in high school sports. Athletes who excelled in a post-high school sport are also eligible.

"We always want to see nominations in the heritage and contributor categories," Napier said. "We also want to make sure those athletes whose careers date back over a half-century are recognized, along with those who contributed to our sports programs in some other capacity."

The induction ceremony will take place in January. The date has not been set. Anyone who has questions regarding the nomination process can contact Napier at don@napiermedia.com.

2015-2016

Athlete Division

Holly Wright

John Carlisle

Dewayne McLerran

Bobby “Toopy” Kerr

Jeff “Wildman” Watson

Tricia Fox Strong

Mark Grace

Melissa Webb

Contributor Division

Cecil “Chin” Anderson (athletic bus driver for many years}

Heritage Division

James “Tiny” Capps

Kenneth Cherry

Bobby Stone