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
2014 Inductees
Heritage Division
Ray Bean
Joe Melton
Betty Melton Smith
Players
Derrick Anderson
Randy Carnahan
Jack Napier
Craig Ogletree
Billy Smith
Dennis Smith
Chase Stephens
Suzanne Cherry Wayman
Walt Weaver
Contributors
Kevin Donaldson
2013 Inductees
Heritage Division
the late Burnice Scott
the late Arnold Gray Pace
Players
Teia Ashlock Arms
Gary Eads
Wendell Cherry
Nicole Davis
Linda Cherry Koch
Jason Edward Hamilton
Randall "Red Monk" Arms
Derrick Anderson
Billy Melton
Rob Holston
Jock Proffitt
Darryl Reecer
Dewayne Reecer
Jerry Strong
Freada J. Bailey
Anita Bartlett Spann
Contributors
Donald E. Napier
the late Carmon C. Brown
2012 Inductees
Steven Arms
Sonya Smith Briggs
Mel Brown
Craighead
Claude Dump Hamilton
Jan Kerr
Fred Melton
Karl Napier
Kenneth Overstreet
Plumlee
Reneau
2011 Inductees
2010 Inaugural Inductees
Joey Coe
Russell Richardson
Charles J. Vaughn
Jeff Arms
Bobby Westmoreland
Mable Brady Brown
Thomas Watson
Joe Sims
Earl Davis
Larry Clements
Billy Westmoreland
James Bartlett
Nola Katherine Pitcock Smith
Bill Napier
Connie Mack Clements
Larry Austin
Amanda Kendall Sharp
Donnie Birdwell
Connie Birdwell Arms
Tracy Strong
Heritage Members
John Teeples
David Short
Contributors
Joe Carver
Sam Harley Lynn