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Windell Davis

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Muhammed Ali once said that “service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth”. If the champ is correct 2020 Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame inductee Windell Davis has a fully-paid long term lease on the finest accommodations in the county.

Personally, Windell was far from a superstar in his athletic endeavors. Because he was small, his parents would not allow him to try out for the football team at East Fannin High School until his junior year in 1958. By that time, he had grown to a whopping 135 pounds when he reported for his first football practice under Wildcat Coach and Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame member Babe Howell. Coach Howell assigned him the position of right guard on offense and linebacker when the opponents had the ball. He did not see much action until the night of October 31, 1958 when East Fannin met Adairsville for the Region 4C East championship on the Pepperell High School field just outside of Rome, Georgia.

The game was a scoreless defensive struggle until an Adairsville running back mishandled and fumbled a pitchout.  As fate would have it, Windell Davis found himself Johnny on the spot and he scooped up the ball and headed down the sideline toward the Adairsville goal. He remembers Coach Howell exhorting him on as he raced goalward. Unfortunately, Windell did not hit pay dirt and was tackled inside the Adairsville 20-yard line. His return set the Wildcats up nicely, however, and William Lynn Harris scooted into the endzone on the next play for the only touchdown of the game as the Wildcats chalked up a hard earned 6-0 victory and the region championship. The 1958 East Fannin squad ended the season with a record of 8 wins and 2 losses, the best record in the history of Fannin County until East and West Fannin High schools were consolidated into the new Fannin County High School in 1976.

Windell graduated from East Fannin in the spring of 1960 and a few years later, in 1963, received an invitation to spend some time with his Uncle Sam. He was trained as a combat medic and, fortunately, was not called to serve in the escalating conflict in Vietnam. Windell was honorably discharged in 1965 after spending much of his military duty in Hawaii.

Between 1966 and 1968, three major events occurred that shaped the life of Windell Davis for the next 50+ years. First, he married Inez Mull Davis in December, 1966. The two are still together some 53 years later. The union has produced five successful children, Danette, Denise, Vincent, Vernon and Jeffrey.

Windell, Inez and Barney, their Boston Terrier, make their home in Mineral Bluff in the house that has been home for the Davis family for more than 40 years. Windell is seen on a regular basis at Recreation League games and seldom misses a  Fannin County High School athletic contest in any sport. He continues his lifelong support of athletics in the county that he loves by doing ‘what he can, when he can’.

The second life shaping event for Windell came to pass in 1968 when he was persuaded to run for Fannin County Tax Commissioner. He won the election over a crowded field of contenders and continued to serve the county in the same capacity for a total of 34 years and 4 months. He was elected for a total of nine four-year terms, serving longer than any other elected official to date in Fannin County. He retired from public service in 2003 on his 62nd birthday. Windell is understandably very proud of his record of public service and for the confidence that the voting public showed for his abilities and performance over a long period of time.

Finally, Windell Davis began a lifelong period of service to athletics in Fannin County in the spring of 1968 when he volunteered to coach the Morganton Giants team of 13 to 15-year-old boys in the area Dixie Youth Baseball League. He continued to coach the Giants and other youth league baseball teams for some 20 years.

In the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s, Windell became the coach of the 10 and under girls basketball team in the Fannin County Recreation League. He reached the pinnacle of his coaching career in 1995-96 when he and Susan Roberson coached the 10U team that won the Georgia Parks and Recreation Department state championship in their age division. His team finished as state runners-up the following season.

In addition to coaching youngsters, Windell Davis has contributed to the athletic endeavors in Fannin County in a myriad of other ways. He has been active in organizing, fund raising, transporting young athletes to and from practice and games and any other functions that he has been called upon to perform. He even volunteered his time to write a sports column about East Fannin sports in an effort to provide recognition for young athletes. One observer says that Windell simply does ‘what he can, when he can’.

When Windell was 57 years old, he was invited to play for the Fannin Generals, a senior softball team that competed in the Blairsville Recreational Softball League. He played for the Generals for a number of years and coached the team from 2000 until 2008. During his time playing for the Generals, Windell learned that former New York Yankees pitcher Bob Turley had purchased a home in the Blue Ridge Lake area. Turley pitched for the Yankees for eight years and won the Cy Young Award in 1958. Windell contacted Turley and persuaded him to don a Generals uniform and pitch a couple of innings in a game.

Windell Davis is a charter member of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame and continues to play an important role in the organization’s activities. His hard work, wise input on issues facing the Hall and reputation in the community are invaluable to the group.

 

Charles Woodall

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1955 marked the debut of organized football in Fannin County Schools. It also marked the football debut of 2020 Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame inductee Charles Woodall.

Until the county-wide school consolidation in 1955, the enrollments of the high schools of Fannin County at Morganton, Blue Ridge, Epworth and McCaysville, were not considered sufficiently large to sponsor competitive football programs. When these schools merged into the new East and West Fannin High Schools, however, the enrollment numbers reached a level at which the two schools could find enough able-bodied young men among the student bodies who would be able to compete in the game of football against teams from other schools.

The man chosen to lead the Yellow Jackets of West Fannin was Boyce ‘Buddy’ Padgett. Padgett was a young coach from Hayesville, North Carolina who had been a star lineman in his day at Western Carolina College. He came to West Fannin with only three years of coaching experience on his resume. He was green but eager as were most of the young men who reported for practice on a hot August day on the rocky athletic field at Epworth. The football field at West Fannin would not be ready for use until the following year.

Padgett installed the single-wing offense, the same offense used by the University of Tennessee and several other college teams. The configuration of the formation in the single-wing is similar to the ‘shotgun’ spread offenses of today, but with one major difference. The tailback, lined up three yards or so behind center, took most of the direct snaps from center in the single-wing offense. The player chosen to play the tailback position was one of, if not the best, all-around athlete on the team and had the option to run, pass or, drop back another couple of yards just before the snap and ‘quick kick’ the football. Charles Woodall possessed the skills to execute all three options and was given the job of running Padgett’s team as the starting tailback. Charles had played a little ‘PeeWee’ football for the Copperhill/McCaysville teams as a youth, so he had some experience on the gridiron.

On Saturday night, September 10, 1955, the first West Fannin football team took the field at Copperhill to do battle with the Bradley County, Tennessee High School ‘B’ team. Although the opponent was a team consisting of backup players, the game was a huge challenge for the Yellow Jackets. Bradley County High School, located in Cleveland, Tennessee, was one of the largest schools in Tennessee with an enrollment of some 2500 students. They also had one of the strongest football teams in the state. West Fannin, a school with an enrollment of roughly 650 students, battled Bradley on even terms and emerged with a 7-7 tie. The game demonstrated that West Fannin had a number of good athletes and that Charles Woodall was a special running back and passer.

West Fannin went on to post a record of 5 wins, two losses and one tie in 1955. Charles Woodall accounted for 60 % of the teams 112 points, rushing for 7 touchdowns and passing for 4 more. West Fannin earned its first victory of the season on September 30 by defeating Menlo High School to the tune of 26-7 in another game played on the Copperhill High School field located next to the Ocoee River just across the state line in Tennessee. Menlo High School, located in Chattooga County in Northwestern Georgia, was another school fielding a football team for the first time and were no match for West Fannin and Charles Woodall. Against Menlo, Charles scored four touchdowns. The scores came on runs of 30, 40 and 8 yards out with the final tally coming on a 75-yard kickoff return. It was one of the greatest performances in the history of football in Fannin County.

Although the timing of events allowed Charles Woodall to play high school football for only one season, he set a standard of excellence by which Fannin County football players would be measured for many years. His coach Boyce Padgett has these words to say about him: “His level of ability was extremely high; he was fast; he was quick and he was agile. Charlie was a leader and he managed to handle himself with dignity and poise. Off the field Charles was held in high esteem by his peers. On the field he commanded respect from his teammates. He was a coach’s player. He was alert to teammate concerns and always came down on what was best for the team. How he presented himself and how he functioned as an individual and character traits rank high on my list as qualities essential to Hall of Fame consideration. I was selected by my peers in 1995 to the Florida High School Activities Association Hall of Fame. I know how much this selection means. I believe that when you apply qualifying criteria you will decide that Charles Woodall met or exceeded those criteria”.

The athletic resume of Charles Woodall includes entries for a couple of activities in addition to football. He was a starting guard for the Epworth High School basketball team of 1954-55 and at West Fannin in 1955-56. He was the team playmaker and leader on the court. He was also a baseball star of some note in local American Legion and Babe Ruth League competition. Former Major Leaguer and charter member of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame member, Joe Tipton, saw Charles play on a number of occasions and encouraged him to attend professional baseball tryout camps held nearby.

When the local Dixie Youth baseball program was organized in the Fannin County/Copper Basin area in the summer of 1964, Charles volunteered his time to coach one of the teams in Epworth. He went on to coach youngsters in this endeavor for another five years or so. He was also the shortstop for several softball teams in the area. T.J. Thompson, another local sports legend, remembers that Charles used his amazing speed to turn routine infield ground balls into infield hits.

After graduating from West Fannin, Charles briefly considered moving on to play collegiately at Western Carolina College. He was a bit small for the college game, however, weighing in at 150 pounds. So, Charles decided to stay in his hometown and landed a job at the Smelter Store in Copperhill. He remained with the Tennessee Copper Company until the company shut down operations in 1987. He took college-level courses in the evening, worked his way up in the Company and was the supervisor at the London Mill when the company closed its doors. He moved on to work at Vulcan Materials in Norcross, Georgia as Superintendent of Central Services until his retirement from Vulcan in 1997.  His final professional position was with Capital City Machine in Atlanta as General Manager until he retired for good in 2010.

Charles Woodall was a pioneer and one of the most talented athletes in the history of Fannin County. The Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame is honored to welcome him as a member.

Charles was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and lived there until his father, R.H. Woodall, took a job as a boilermaker at the Tennessee Company in 1948 when Charles was 10 years old. He has a sister, Mary Nell Pittman and a younger brother, Jim. Jim also played football at West Fannin and had a long coaching career. Jim was elected to the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

Charles has three adult children, Scott, Debra and Tania, all of whom competed in athletics at West Fannin or Fannin County High School. He and his wife, Karen make their home in Woodstock, Georgia where they are active is church activities. Charles also enjoys woodworking, boating and camping.

 

Randall Beavers

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Randall Beavers joins his brother Ron as a member of the 2019 Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame induction class. Randall played football and basketball at East Fannin High School  from 1967 through 1971.

Randall was born in Morganton, Georgia, the sixth of the nine children of Clifford and Ethel Beavers. Seven of the children were boys, all of whom played football for East Fannin High School.

He played youth baseball and was a member of the basketball and football teams at Morganton Elementary. The administration of Morganton Elementary discontinued football at the school after Randall’s seventh grade year. The reason for the action is unclear but it is clear that the absence of a football program at the elementary school deprived the high school program of their only feeder program. It was necessary, therefore, that boys who wanted to play the sport learn the fundamentals before making a meaningful contribution to the high school effort.

Randall has a generous portion of natural athletic ability, however, and made both the varsity football and basketball teams as a freshman in 1967-68. In football, he was a running back on offense and played defensive back when the opponent had possession of the ball. By the time Randall reached his junior season, he was the most dangerous weapon in the East Fannin offensive arsenal.

Randall Beavers was named as the Most Valuable Back on the Wildcats football team as a junior. He went on to earn the team Best Offensive Player award as a senior. He was a team captain during his senior season in the fall of 1970. At the end of his senior season, he was named to the Atlanta Journal/Constitution Class C All-State Honorable Mention team. The AJC All-State teams generally included 22 players selected to the first team and a larger number named to the Honorable Mention group. For the 1970 season, however, the newspaper saw fit to name only eleven players to the first team and another eleven players to the Honorable Mention team. Randall, therefore, was honored as one of the 22 best players in the state Class C division for his senior season.

Victories were scarce for the Wildcats football teams, but Randall had a career night in the contest against Union County on September 4, 1970. He scored three touchdowns in that game, a 32-12 victory for the Cats. He scored one touchdown on a run from scrimmage, another on a punt return and a third by returning an intercepted pass for a TD. He also had a 90-yard run from scrimmage for a score that was nullified due to a clipping penalty against East Fannin.

In recognition of his basketball performance, Randall was awarded the Most Valuable Defensive Player and overall MVP following his junior campaign. As a senior he received the team Best Athlete award. He had a personal single game scoring high with 35 points in the game against Gilmer County on February 12, 1971. He was the captain of the 1970-71 East Fannin basketball team.

At the end of his senior season, Randall was selected as the Most Athletic Senior Boy by his classmates. He was a student leader and member of the Key Club, Big E Club and the school annual staff.

After graduation Randall worked in Atlanta for a time before returning to the mountains of Fannin County and then Hiwassee, Georgia for employment. He continued to stay active in sports by playing softball for the Hiwassee Indians team. He won the annual Independence Day Hiwassee Home Run Derby contest four times.

While living in Hiwassee, Randall decided to attend evening school, while working full-time, to pursue a college degree. His hard work paid off in 1987 when he earned a Bachelors’ degree in Conservation Game and Fish Law Enforcement from Brenau College. His initial goal was to begin a career as a game warden. No opportunities were available in that field, however, so he accepted a position in Fannin County with the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Parole in 1990. He was a Parole Officer for more than 26 years. He was named as the Northeast Georgia Employee of the Year in 2003.

Randall retired from the Pardons and Parole Department in 2016. He currently works part time as a bailiff in the Fannin County Court System.

He started playing golf in 1995 and continues to play several times a week. He currently plays to a 7 handicap and won the Copper Basin Seniors Club Championship in 2016 and 2017. He also won the 1st flight championship in the 2009 Brett Dickey Memorial Scholarship Tournament. Randall serves as a Board member of the Copper Basin Golf Club.

Randall resides a few miles outside of Morganton in a house that he built near the location where he lived while growing up. It is a bucolic setting and Randall seems content and comfortable in that setting. He has three adult children, Randy, Kimberly and Kari and three grandchildren.

 

Ronnie Beavers

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Ronnie Beavers played every sport available to him in each of his four years at East Fannin High School from the fall of 1969 until his graduation in the spring of 1973. He has continued his participation in athletics beyond high school and continues to play softball at an advanced level of competition. Ronnie’s body of work in athletics has earned him a ticket for admission to the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

Ronnie grew up in Morganton, one of 9 children of Clifford and Ethel Beavers. Seven of the Beavers children were boys and all seven played football at East Fannin High School, beginning with Charles in 1957 and ending with Steve in 1975.

Ronnie was the recipient of a team award in each of his four seasons. As a freshman in 1969 he was named as the team Most Valuable Lineman. The honors continued when he earned the basketball Sportsmanship award as a sophomore, the Best Offensive Football Player as a junior and finally as the football Most Valuable Player as a senior. He was selected as a co-captain of the football and baseball teams as both a junior and as a senior.

Although he played all sports, Ronnie is quick to point out that football was his first love. While at East Fannin he generally played for teams that consisted of no more than 15-18 players. He played both offense and defense and seldom left the field of battle during a game. At various times during his football career he played center, offensive lineman, defensive end, cornerback, linebacker and fullback. He weighed in at a solid 220 pounds during his senior season. He was quick and loved contact.

Although victories were rare for the East Fannin football teams, Ronnie remembers two games with special fondness. In 1970, the Wildcats rose to the occasion and dominated a favored Union County team to the tune of 32-12. During Ronnie’s senior season of 1972, East Fannin finished with a record of two wins and eight losses. The losses came in the first eight games of the season and all of the games were very close. The memorable win came in the 9th game of the season when Ronnie Beavers and his East Fannin Wildcat teammates managed to defeat arch-rival Copper Basin 13-12 in the only victory that East Fannin ever recorded in that series. In the finale of the 1972, the Wildcats captured their second victory of the season with a 24-0 thrashing of Hiwassee Dam.

Ronnie Beavers was selected to the Atlanta Journal/Constitution Georgia Class B All-State honorable mention team following his senior campaign in 1972. At the end of his senior year, his classmates at East Fannin elected him as the Most Athletic senior boy.

An early mentor in Ronnie’s athletic life was Fannin County Sports Hall of Famer, Fred Ganues. Fred was an avid East Fannin supporter and felt that Ronnie had the ability to continue his football career at the college level. He encouraged Ronnie and used his network of contacts in the sporting community to spread the word about his athletic ability. Unfortunately, East Fannin was a very small school and did not produce very good football teams. Funds for the athletic programs were scarce and East Fannin teams received very little publicity in the local or state media. When college coaches asked for game films of Ronnie’s performances they were informed that the school did not have the financial wherewithal to produce luxuries such as films of the games.

Ronnie received recruiting letters from several schools including the University of Tennessee. At the end of the day, however, no firm offers of financial aid were forthcoming. He was invited to go to Knoxville as a ‘preferred walk-on’ but in the intercollegiate athletics world of 1973, no scholarship help was given to walk-ons. The Beavers family was not in a position to fund Ronnie’s college education until he could show the UT coaches what he could do, so the football career of Ronnie Beavers ended with the final East Fannin game of 1972.

After graduation he set out for Atlanta where he worked for a while before he landed a job with the L&N Railroad in Chatsworth, Georgia. He was soon transferred to Blue Ridge and remained with L&N for more than 30 years.

Ronnie began playing slow-pitch softball with teams sponsored and coached by Fred Ganues in the early 1970s. He continued to play the game and remains active with a seniors squad in Maryville, Tennessee some 47 years later. During his softball career, Ronnie has played for several ASA, USSSA and ISSA teams. He played with the Fannin County Generals team from 2005 until 2014 seasons and led them to four championships in the Blairsville Recreational Softball League. He was a member of two Class A Church League teams that won Tennessee State Championships in the 1990s.

In addition to his softball activities, Ronnie Beavers stays active with several hobbies including riding his motorcycles, ice sculpturing and photography. He lives in Maryville with his wife Karen and their basset hound, Sadie. Ronnie says that he has several parcels of land in Fannin County and hopes to build a retirement home in his native county in the not too distant future. He is also a charter member of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame Board and devotes considerable time to Hall of Fame activities.

 

Ron Hartness

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As a youngster growing up in the friendly confines of Epworth, Georgia, Ron Hartness marked the passage of time not so much as summer followed by fall followed by winter followed by spring but by the athletic uniform that he donned at various points during the year. Ron was a stellar all-around athlete and has been elected to the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class of 2019.

When Ron entered Epworth High School in the autumn of 1954, there were four high schools in operation in Fannin County — Epworth, Blue Ridge, Morganton and McCaysville. The only sport offered at those schools was basketball. Ron Hartness tried out for and made the Epworth High School varsity basketball team as a freshman.

Several male students at Fannin high schools who wanted to participate in football opted to pay tuition to attend Copperhill High School across the border in Tennessee. Although this option was available, the expenses and transportation issues deterred many good athletes from expanding their resumes beyond the sport of basketball.

A new world of athletic possibilities opened in 1955, however, when the high schools of Fannin County were consolidated into the new East and West Fannin High Schools. Ron Hartness, and other youngsters, were suddenly afforded the opportunity to play football, baseball and track and field, as well as basketball. Ron played them all and played them all with enthusiasm and skill.

Ron Hartness was a starting end for the West Fannin football teams of 1955, 1956 and 1957. He was a solid performer on both offense and defense as he anchored the right side of the Yellow Jacket line for three seasons. He caught a 60 yard touchdown pass in the 1956 Bryson City game and was largely responsible for the West Fannin comeback to gain a 13-13 tie with Copper Basin in 1957. Late in that game, Ron blocked a Basin punt that was recovered by teammate Wendell Ash for a touchdown that brought the Jackets to within one point at 13-12. Ron then caught a pass from Earl Wade Arp for a successful point after touchdown attempt that ended the game in a hard-fought 13-13 tie.

He started at forward and center for the West Fannin basketball team for two seasons. Ron averaged 10.9 points per game as a junior and 15.6 points per game as a senior. He also averaged at or near double figures in rebounding both years. He scored a career-high 30 points versus Gilmer County during his junior season leading his team to a 50-48 victory. As a senior, he dropped in 25 points in a 49-46 overtime victory at Cherokee County in Canton. He pulled down 22 rebounds in a game with Murray County during his senior season. He scored in double figures in 18 of the 20 games played during his senior season.

Ron pitched and played third base for the West Fannin baseball team during his junior and senior seasons. The school did not field a team during his sophomore year. His best season offensively was his junior year when he hit for a .322 average. Arguably his best sport, Ron also played American Legion baseball for two years. He started for the Georgia Tech freshman team in the spring of 1959 and later for the Ft. Jackson, South Carolina team while serving in the military. Recognized for his prowess on the diamond, he was often recruited to play with the local semi-pro powerhouse team at Isabella during the summer of 1957.

Ron Hartness is a strong leader and was highly respected by his fellow classmates and teammates at West Fannin. His coaches and teammates selected as captain or co-captain of all three major sports teams – football, basketball and baseball – for his senior season of 1957-58. He was also a class officer and student leader.

Following his graduation from West Fannin High School in 1958, Ron Hartness attended both Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia for one year each. He then entered the Army Reserves for six months’ active duty at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina and Ft. Knox, Kentucky. He then moved to Atlanta where he worked for the United States Post Office. He married a McCaysville girl, Doris Thomas, in 1962. As evidence of his strong ties to his Fannin County roots, Ron asked his high school friend Leon Guthrie to be his best man, Ron Jabaley and Ronnie Davenport to serve as ushers and high school teacher and minister Powell Hoover to officiate the ceremony.

Ron transferred to the Internal Revenue Service in 1965 and his growing family moved to Washington D.C. and then Memphis, Tennessee and back to Atlanta for periods of time. Ron was promoted to Manager of the Data Processing Center with the IRS in 1971.   

Ron retired in 1990 and Doris retired from the Department of Transportation in 1996. They had purchased a 65-acre tract of property in Fannin County and he and Doris built a home and moved back to their beloved mountains in 1997. Ron and Doris have three grown children, Chandra, Duane and Tech. Ron stays active by playing golf twice a week.

It is nearly impossible to find anyone who speaks ill of Ron Hartness. He is respected by all who have known him both as an athlete and also as a citizen of the community. His daughter Chandra perhaps summed up the type of man he is with the following tribute from a few years ago: “You have blessed my life with your wisdom. You are a man of great character and integrity. You are a wonderful father … we love you for making us feel special and so important!” The Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame is fortunate to welcome such a man as a member.

Tim Jabaley

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Between 1985 and 1993 Tim Jabaley played the game of football as an offensive lineman first at Fannin County High School and then at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. His proficiency at that craft has been recognized by the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame voters who have elected him to the induction class of 2018. Tim also played in the defensive line at Fannin County but is best remembered for his performances on the offensive side of the line of scrimmage.

Generally offensive linemen slug it out with their opponents in the trenches and do not get a lot of publicity unless they miss a block that causes a hot-shot running back or quarterback to get clobbered by the opposing defense. Tim Jabaley, however, enjoyed a notable exception to that situation on the night of September 11, 1987. That evening, the Fannin Rebels met arch-rival Copper Basin in a football contest played in Blue Ridge. The Copper Basin Cougars were in the midst of their gridiron glory days and had defeated Fannin County in 6 of the 7 games that the rivals had played in a series that began in 1982. The teams met two times in 1982 and 1983 with Copper Basin winning each game.

The 1987 Copper Basin game saw the Rebels rush for 234 yards in a 29-14 victory. At 6’ 5”, 255 pounds, Tim Jabaley was a standout during the entire game. After reviewing and grading the game films, the Fannin County coaches fully realized the formidable force that Tim had been in the game and named him as the OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME. That’s right, an offensive tackle named as the outstanding offensive player in a big game. In an ironic twist, Rebel running back Brian Satterfield, arguably the best running back in Fannin County history and member of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame, was selected as the defensive player of the game in recognition of his 13 tackles and pass interception return for a touchdown.

Tim Jabaley played football, basketball and baseball as a youngster but his football career began in earnest when he played Little League football for a team coached by his father, Dr. R. T. Jabaley Sr. in the seventh grade. His father was an outstanding athlete in his own right and is also a member of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame. Then as an 8th grader, Tim played football at West Fannin Junior High School where his coach was yet another Hall of Fame member, Mike Ballew.

In his first season at Fannin County High, Tim played defensive tackle and was also a member of the wrestling team. He began to play both offense and defense as a sophomore and found his niche on the gridiron on the offensive side of the ball. On a team level, his high school career had dramatic ups and downs including an 0-10 record his freshman season followed by 6-4 and 7-3 records the next two seasons. Individually, his high school career reached a high water mark during his senior season of 1988. He was elected as team captain that season and was rewarded for his outstanding play by being named to the Atlanta Journal/Constitution Class AA All-State Honorable Mention team. He was recruited by numerous colleges and universities including the University of Georgia, Clemson, North Carolina State and UT Chattanooga. Tim and his family were treated to numerous on-campus visits and he has a stack of major college football game ticket stubs several inches thick as a reminder of his recruitment.

After completing his senior season at Fannin County, Tim Jabaley was awarded a scholarship to play college football at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. His goal from the get-go was to become a medical doctor so he embarked on his college career pursuing a rigorous pre-med academic regimen in addition to the considerable time demands of playing football at a major school. Tim is a very intense and motivated individual and he managed to handle the academic and athletic demands in exemplary fashion.

Academically, Tim Jabaley completed his stay at UTC graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Biology in 1993. He won three varsity letters in football, starting for the Mocs at offensive tackle in 1991 and 1992. In 1990 the Chattanooga Quarterback Club named him as the Most Improved Player on the squad. In 1992 he received the Dayle May Award for having the highest overall grade point average of all athletes at UTC.

During his career at UTC, Tim competed against powerhouses such as Alabama, Clemson, Boise State and Marshall. He played at historic Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, Death Valley in Clemson, South Carolina and on the famous blue field at Boise State in Idaho. He says that Alabama defensive ends Eric Curry and John Copeland were his toughest individual opponents. The opening game of the 1992 season against Boise State in faraway Idaho stands out as his biggest thrill in college. The Mocs upset the Broncos 35-20 in that memorable contest.

After graduating from UTC, Tim Jabaley headed for the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis and then on to Birmingham, Alabama to serve his internship and residency. He then found his way home to Fannin County where he opened his Internal Medicine practice in McCaysville in 2003. He remains in his local practice today in his hometown where lots of people refer to him as ‘Doc’. Tim says that his love of the area and its people and his family will keep him in Fannin County until he retires. He has two teen-age children, Timothy and Olivia. Timothy plays basketball and Olivia plays volleyball and is a cheerleader. His mother Kay continues to make her home in McCaysville. Tim’s father, Ron Jabaley, passed away in November, 2013.

Dr. Ronald Timothy Jabaley Jr. joins his younger sister Leslie as a member of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018. Both join their father, the late Dr. Ronald Timothy Jabaley Sr., who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

Keith Dockery

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In recognition of his outstanding football career at East Fannin High School from 1968-1972, Keith Dockery has been elected to the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame.
A native of Morganton, Keith and his family moved to the Tampa, Florida area after he finished the 4th grade. They moved back to Fannin County just in time for Keith to graduate from Morganton Elementary School. He had not participated in any type of competitive athletics until he entered East Fannin High School in the fall of 1968. Keith had developed physically into a strong, fast and generally athletic young man who decided to add football and basketball competition to his resume of activities. He made the starting football team as a lineman as a sophomore and also was a member of the JV basketball team that year. With a wink and a grin, Keith remembers that, following his sophomore season, his coaches “decided it would be better if I concentrated my efforts of football”.

Organized, competitive high school football had been introduced to the athletic programs of Fannin County schools after the county-wide school consolidation program of 1955. Prior to that time, the high schools in the county, Fannin County High in Morganton, Epworth High School, Blue Ridge High School and McCaysville High School, were deemed too small to compete in sanctioned football, plus the expenses associated with football programs were considered excessive. In the fall of 1955, these four high schools were consolidated into two new schools called East Fannin and West Fannin High Schools. A funny thing happened on the way to consolidation, however, when local decision makers decided to send the students who formerly attended Epworth, Blue Ridge and McCaysville High Schools to the new West Fannin High School. The new East Fannin High School simply provided a more modern building and physical plant to serve students who had formerly attended Fannin County High in Morganton. From the start, the enrollment figures at East Fannin hovered in the range of 200-275 students. In athletics, the obvious offshoot is that there were not a lot of able-bodied young men available to field a competitive football team.

When Keith Dockery took the field to begin football contests during the 1969, 1970 and 1971 seasons, he knew that it was highly unlikely that he would leave the field of battle before the final whistle. The East Fannin teams of those years generally had anywhere from 13 to possibly 19 players at any one time. Despite the numbers, however, Keith Dockery and a few teammates, including Randall and Ronnie Beavers, soon established a reputation for their gridiron skills. Keith generally played in the offensive line when the Wildcats were in possession of the football and linebacker when the opposing team had the ball. During his senior season, he had grown into an athletic body at 6’1”, 210 pounds. He excelled as both and blocker and as a defender.

For his performance during the 1970 season, his junior season, Keith Dockery was recognized by the Atlanta Journal/Constitution when the sportswriters named him to the Class C All-State Honorable Mention team. The next season, 1971, he was named as a first team selection on the All-State team. This accomplishment placed Keith in some rarefied company since only 4 football players during the entire existence of East and West Fannin High Schools, 1955 through 1976, were so honored. Keith Dockery joined Aldon Farmer and David Turner of East Fannin and Carlton Guthrie of West Fannin as first team selections during that period.

Keith also earned several team honors during his football career at East Fannin. He was a team co-captain as a junior in 1970 and was named as the team’s Most Valuable Lineman. As a senior in 1971, he was elected as team captain and as the Best Defensive Player on the team. His classmates recognized his abilities by named him as the Most Athletic Senior Boy in the 1971-72 class. He was also a student leader and was a member of the Key Club and Big E Club at East Fannin.
In June, 1972, shortly after his graduation from East Fannin High School, Keith Dockery signed on with the United States Army. He was as proficient at soldiering as he had been at pancaking a defensive end and he remained in the Army for sixteen years. He was a honor graduate from his Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Knox in November, 1972 and received a promotion from Private (E-2 rank) to Private First Class (E-3 rank) in recognition of that achievement. In 1978 he was named as the Soldier of the Year at Ft. Polk, Louisiana.

In June of 1979, Dockery applied to and was accepted to Rotary Wing Flight School at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. It was a decision that would shape his career for the remainder of his working life. He received his Aviator Wings in May, 1980, the day after completing the flight school program. He would devote the remainder of his time in the military to flying helicopters and teaching others as an Instructor Pilot.

After leaving the military in 1988, Keith spent some time travelling and reconnected with his high school sweetheart at East Fannin, Louise Gibbs. Louise, Homecoming Queen at East Fannin in 1971, and Keith were married in March, 1989.

The love of flying proved a strong lure for Keith Dockery and he accepted a position with Air Logistics in January of 1989. He remained with them as a Helicopter Pilot, Lead Pilot and finally as a Base Manager before retiring in 2013. He was named as the firm’s overall Employee of the Year in 1999.

Keith and Louise currently make their home in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Keith Dockery has led a life filled with accomplishments in athletics and in service to his country. The Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame is proud to welcome him as a member.

 

Chris Williams

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Mineral Bluff native Chris Williams donned a football uniform for the first time as a member the East Fannin Junior High School Wildcats in the fall of 1983. It was the first step in a 19-year journey during which the game of football would be an important part of his life, first as a player and then as a coach. His resume of outstanding gridiron accomplishments has earned him a place in the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame, class of 2017.

Chris describes his early days of football competition thusly: “Coaches Jack McHan, Robert Craig and Jeff Quinton took a big overweight kid with some skill and helped him develop and learn to love the game of football. This kid even became team captain his ninth grade year”. He also credits his Uncle Aldon Farmer, a charter member of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame, for encouraging him to continue to participate in athletics and try to make it to the next level.

The next level for Chris Williams came when he entered Fannin County High School. There, he played football and participated in track and field from 1985 through 1988. He was awarded three varsity letters in football and two in track and field. In track and field, he competed in both the shot put and discus events. He was a two time Region 8AA runner-up in the shot put competition and finished second in the Region in the discus throw at the 1988 Region track meet.

In football at Fannin County High, Chris played both offense and defense. He was named as the Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Union County in 1987 earning a grade of 91% for his blocking success in that game. He was singled out as the ‘Lineman of the Week’ on several occasions. Coach Marty Jackson said that Chris was “the best lineman yet to come out of Fannin County. He is a great athlete, a team leader who also leads by example. He came on real strong last season”.

At Fannin High, Chris played for teams that improved from an 0-10 record in 1985 to a mark of 7-3 in 1987. The latter was the best record that the Fannin Rebels had ever achieved.

After his high school senior season, Chris was awarded a football scholarship to attend the University of North Alabama, a perennial powerhouse in Division II college football. Teammate Brian Satterfield also received a scholarship from the Lions, and the two became the first athletes in Fannin County High School history to earn college grants for athletics.

Chris played four seasons at North Alabama, earning three varsity letters in the process. He played in the offensive line in 1989 and competed as a defensive lineman in 1990 and 1991. He was selected as game captain on several occasions as a junior and senior.

He stayed at North Alabama as a graduate assistant coach for two seasons after completing his playing eligibility. During those two years, Chris earned his Masters Degree and was a member of the coaching staff of the 1993 North Alabama team that won the Division II National Championship with an overall record of 14 wins and no losses.

Chris returned to Fannin County in August, 1994, where he began his high school coaching career. He was on the staff at Fannin for three seasons. The 1995 Rebels posted a school-best record of 12-1 and a final ranking of 7th in Class AA competition in the state of Georgia.

Chris went on to coach for four more seasons, at Forsyth Central High in 1997 and 1998 and then at Pickens County High in 1999 and 2000. During the summer of 1998, he was honored by being selected as assistant coach of the North team in the annual North vs South Georgia All-Star game played in Athens. He served as the offensive line coach and player liaison director. In addition to his football coaching duties, Chris was also the Head Wrestling Coach at Forsyth and Pickens County.

Chris describes his biggest thrill in athletics as just being one of the ‘Boys of Fall’. He says that he “enjoyed the competition and tough lessons that sports can teach you. I learned more from losing than I did winning but I enjoyed winning much better”.

Chris Williams currently resides in Blue Ridge with his wife Kristen. He is employed by the Gilmer County Education Department. He enjoys coaching his 10-year old son, Isaiah, in wrestling and watching 3-year old daughter Kensington dance. Isaiah is an up and coming young wrestler and has already won two state titles in his weight division.

He credits his parents, Rev. Larry and Beulah Williams, with being the biggest influences in his life. He also mentions the many coaches with whom he has played or worked, including North Alabama Head Coach Bobby Wallace, as being positive influences in his life and career. Finally, he credits his “second mom and dad, Dr. Ron and Kay Jabaley” and Dr. Tim Jabaley for their support and love “along the journey”.



 

Scott Burger

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West Fannin High School had no bigger rival in athletics than the Bobcats of Gilmer County. Between 1956 and 1975, the last season of football competition at West Fannin, the two teams met every season. The series ended with 10 wins for West Fannin and 10 wins for Gilmer County. Most of the games were rough, tough rockem’ sockem’ affairs, but on the night of Saturday, September 14, 1974, Scott Burger carried his Yellow Jackets teammates to a 31-0 victory at Gilmer County in one of the most amazing performances in the gridiron history of Fannin County. Burger’s performance in that game and many others has resulted in his election to the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame.

In the 1974 Gilmer game, Scott Burger carried the ball 12 times and gained 176 yards. He ran for touchdowns of 37, 33 and 7 yards. He kicked a 40 yard field goal and punted four times for an average of 56 yards per kick. He was successful on two extra point kicks, giving him a total of 23 points for the evening. For his efforts, Scott was named the Atlanta Constitution State of Georgia Back of the Week, a singular honor for a Fannin County athlete.

A native of McCaysville, Scott began his baseball career at the age of eight and began playing football at McCaysville Elementary School in the sixth grade. He was successful at both individual and team levels from the start and quickly established himself as one of the elite young athletes in the Fannin County and Copper Basin area.

In baseball Scott was perennially named to all-star teams in the leagues in which he competed. He was named MVP in local Little League competition in 1967, Dixie League in 1970 and Pony League in 1971 and 1972. He was a pitcher and outfielder for these early teams. As a football player at McCaysville Elementary, he led his team to the county championship in 1970. As a 13-year old in 1970, he won the area Punt, Pass and Kick Competition. He went on to win the District Championship and, in the process, discovered that he had a special gift for kicking the football. Scott credits coaches Shorty Stepp, Herdis Phillips, Bernard Harper, Frank Henson, Edward Massengale and others for contributing to his pre-high school success.

Moving on to West Fannin High School, Scott played baseball and football from 1972-1975. He won three varsity letters in each sport.

On the gridiron, Scott played defensive end and halfback on offense. He was also the team kicking star for three seasons. He was singled out by local media for his play against powerful Murphy, North Carolina High in 1972, his sophomore season, although the Yellow Jackets lost the game by the unlikely score of 2-0. During his junior season of 1973, Scott’s kicking prowess was always a factor but especially so in the games against Murray County and Model. In the Murray County game, his two extra point kicks provided the victory margin as West Fannin posted a hard-earned 14-12 victory. In the Model contest, Scott dropped one punt dead at the 3-yard line and later another at the Model 1-yard stripe. The second punt led to a Yellow Jacket score when, on the next play, a Model fumble was recovered in the end zone by the Yellow Jacket to insure a 14-0 victory for West Fannin.

As a senior in 1974, Scott put his entire game together and was named the MVP of the football team. That season, he made 60 tackles from his defensive end position, 40 unassisted and 20 assisted. He scored 90 points on 18 of 20 extra points kicks, 4 field goals and 10 rushing touchdowns. As a halfback in a wishbone offense, he gained 782 yards in 99 rushing attempts for an average of 7.9 yards per carry. He missed 1 ½ games with an injury. He was generally considered as one of the best, if not the best, high school punter in the state of Georgia with an average of 48 yards per kick.

He was honored nationally by his selection as an All-American by the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based High School All Americans Association and by the Montgomery, Alabama-based Coach and Athlete Magazine.

In baseball, Scott hit over .300 in each of his three seasons and was named as the team MVP in 1975. He also pitched and posted an E.R.A. of 1.11 during his senior season. He was selected as the Most Athletic Boy in the 1975 West Fannin graduating class.

Scott is quick to point out that his high school coaches T.J. Thompson, Mike Whitley, Deaune Hedden, Mike Gates and Kenneth Wood recognized his talents and helped him develop his athletic skills.

Scott Burger was highly recruited by numerous colleges and universities and accepted a football scholarship offer by the University of Tennessee. He reported to fall drills in the autumn of 1975, but returned home due to personal reasons after a few weeks in Knoxville.

Scott loves hunting and fishing and currently makes his home in the mountaintop community of Suches, Georgia. He and his wife Deborah will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary in April, 2017. They have three grown children, Jeremy, Jarod and Laci Burger Combs, and three grandchildren. He is retired following a 34-year career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers


Alan Collis

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Alan Collis 1

By any definition, Alan Collis is a big man. He weighs in at 280 pounds well-proportioned on a 6’ 5” frame, the same measurements that he carried when he was a Division II All-American offensive lineman at Carson Newman College in 1998.

Alan will tell you, however, that he was a late bloomer. When he began his football career as a freshman at Fannin County High School in the fall of 1990, he tipped the scales at 150 pounds. During his 9 year gridiron career he just got bigger and better at every stop along the way. His myriad accomplishment during those years have earned Alan a well-deserved membership card in the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2016.

Alan played in both the offensive and defensive lines during his first three years at Fannin County High. When he began his senior season in 1993, new Rebel Coach Joby Scroggs gave Alan a new number and some new assignments. He was assigned jersey # 89 and moved to tight end on offense and linebacker on defense. Scroggs had this to say about Alan; “He has been blessed with size and ability. Alan is very quiet, but he is also an intense player. He loves to hit. When Alan goes full speed all the time, he will be what colleges are looking for”.

The Scroggs assessment of Alan proved prophetic. Alan was named as the Most Valuable Defensive Player at Fannin County High as a senior, and was credited with over 100 tackles during the 1993 campaign.

After the 1993 football season was in the books, assistant football and head wrestling Coach Jerry Barnes encouraged Alan to become a member of the school wrestling team. Alan had no wrestling experience but he had the size, agility and quickness necessary to achieve success in the sport. He made the team and learned enough technique to finish the season with an individual record of 24-6 and an invitation to participate in the state wrestling meet.

Initially, Alan intended to marry Heather Harper, his high school sweetheart whom he had known since their elementary school days at Epworth, go to work and start raising a family after high school graduation. Coach Scroggs again intervened, however, and his advice and assistance to Alan proved to be life-changing. Scroggs felt that Alan was good enough to play collegiate football and used his contacts to arrange for a tryout with the Middle Georgia Junior College Warriors in Cochran, Georgia. Alan was a standout defensive lineman at Middle Georgia and capped off his two year career there with a victory over Hutchinson Kansas Junior College in the Mineral Water Bowl Game in Excelsior Springs, Arkansas in 1995.

Scouts at several colleges including Division II powerhouse Carson-Newman had kept Alan on their radar and came calling when he finished his eligibility at Middle Georgia. With three years of elibigility remaining, Alan was signed to a full football scholarship to Carson-Newman, located in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Alan and Heather, soon to be Mrs. Alan Collis, set out for Jefferson City and the most productive period of Alan’s athletic career.

During his three years at Carson-Newman, Alan Collis accomplished the following:

-Was a three-year starter, one as a defensive lineman and two as an offensive guard.

-Was named to the South Atlantic Conference all-star first team as an offensive lineman in 1997 and 1998.

-Was named to the NCAA Division II all-star Southeast Regional first team in 1998.

-Was elected to the Division II All-American first team in 1998

-Was awarded the prestigious Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the best blocker in the South Atlantic Conference in 1998.

During Alan’s career at the school, Carson-Newman advanced to the semi-finals of the Division II playoffs all three years, including two appearances in the Championship game. In recognition of his magnificent career, Carson-Newman has inducted Alan in to the Carson-Newman College All American Hall of Fame. Longtime Eagles head coach Ken Sparks says that Alan Collis was “an outstanding player. He had very solid character, had strong values and was true to those values. He was extremely dedicated and his dedication paid off”.

After graduation, Alan Collis, the only first team ALL-AMERICAN in any sport in Fannin County history, his wife Heather and their young daughter Alexis returned to the mountains of North Georgia. Twelve years ago, the family grew by two, when twin sons Taylor and Carson came along.

Alan has been involved in some type of coaching every year since he returned to Fannin County. He currently is an assistant coach for the Fannin County High School girls softball team. At various times, he has coached football, wrestling and even cheerleading. He is currently a high school teacher at the Crossroads Alternative School in the Mountain Innovation Program. Heather has an M.A. in English and has taught various English courses at Fannin County High School and is currently the Academic Coach at the school.

It would appear that Alan’s athletic genes have been passed along in abundance to the Collis children. Both boys are up-and-coming wrestlers and daughter Alexis is an outstanding softball player at the University of North Georgia. Alexis was a valuable contributor as a junior as the Nighthawks won the Division II National Championship in 2015, the first national title in school history. She is now a senior at North Georgia and hopes that her team can duplicate their success this season.

Leon Guthrie

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For those of you keeLeon Guthrie 1ping score, get a red pen or pencil and draw a star next to the date Saturday, September 10, 1955. On that muggy night a group of boys from West Fannin High School became the first team in the history of Fannin County to participate in a real, organized, official football game. These local pioneers in their sport did themselves proud that night by fighting the Bradley County Tennessee High School junior varsity team to a 7-7 tie. Quite an accomplishment when you consider that the powerful Bradley Bears had the best team in the entire state of Tennessee, and the boys sent up the river to face West Fannin were only a step away from being members of that elite group.

One of the stalwarts of that 1955 West Fannin team was sophomore fullback Leon Guthrie. Leon scored the first touchdown in West Fannin history on a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter and then added the all-important PAT on another run of similar length. The West Fannin squad, running the single wing attack of Coach Buddy Padgett would win 5 games, lose 2 games and have one tie during that first season. The offensive attack was led by Leon Guthrie at fullback and Charles Woodall at tailback, a formidable one-two punch unleashed on opponents. Leon contributed 35 points to the effort on the strength of 5 touchdowns and 6 points after touchdown. He also threw a touchdown pass to Jim Fry that was a critical contribution to the 13-6 victory over North Whitfield.His performance during the 1955 football season was the first chapter in an athletic body of work that has landed Leon Guthrie membership in the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame.

Leon is the oldest of the four sons of Travis and Lucy Guthrie. Travis was the Fannin County School Superintendent from 1945 until his retirement in 1969. The Guthrie family is one of the prominent families of Fannin County and has a rich tradition of athletic excellence, scholarship and citizenship. Leon has certainly done his part in upholding these traditions.

Leon grew up in the Epworth community and attended school at Epworth through his freshman year in high school. He participated in any athletic activity available, but basketball was the only organized, school-sponsored sport in Fannin County schools until the county-wide consolidation in 1955. Leon was a member of the final basketball team at the old Epworth High School during the 1954-55 school year.

Moving on to the new West Fannin High School as a sophomore in the fall of 1955, Leon found the mother lode of athletics available and became a valuable member of the football, basketball, baseball and track and field teams at the new school. He was a valuable contributor in all four sports during his three years at West Fannin.

The 1957-58 school and sports year was a big one for Leon. Injury-free for the first time since the 1955 season, Leon and his teammates posted a 6-3-1 football record in 1957. It was the best record in the history of West Fannin football, matched on three occasions in subsequent years. At the beginning of the season, the West Fannin players elected Leon Guthrie and his long-time pal Ron Hartness to serve as co-captains of the football team. These two young men would prove to be strong leaders and role models as the season developed.

Early in the 1957 campaign, the Purple Hurricane of Cartersville High visited Fannin County to do battle with the Yellow Jackets. Cartersville had an established program having played organized football since 1909, plus the Purple Hurricane had routed the Yellow Jackets 42-14 in 1956. Leon Guthrie scored a touchdown on a 40-yard run in this game leading his team to a 14-6 upset in the first signature victory in West Fannin history. Defeating Cartersville established West Fannin as a force to be reckoned with in North Georgia football circles. The Jackets closed the season with another upset, this time a 13-8 win over Cherokee County High School from Canton. In this game played at Ducktown due to weather related road problems in Fannin County, Leon led the effort by scoring the winning touchdown.

Leon Guthrie scored 8 touchdowns during the 1957 season. He was named to the Atlanta Constitution Prep Honor Roll for his performance against North Whitfield. He scored two touchdowns on runs of 10 and 12 yards in that game. At the end of the season Leon was named to both the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Associated Press Class AA Honorable Mention All-State teams.

During the latter part of the 1957-58 year, Leon accomplished another first in West Fannin sports history. He was a member of the Mile Relay Track team in the spring of 1958, along with his brother Carlton, Bill Franklin and freshman Rene Godfrey. These boys finished second at the Region 3AA track and field meet, entitling them to participate in the State meet. These four boys were the first athletes in the history of West Fannin athletics to compete at the state level.

Leon was selected as the Most Athletic Boy by his classmates in 1958. He also served as Vice-President of the senior class and the Key Club. He was the epitome of the Big Man of Campus in all areas of endeavor.

After graduation from West Fannin, Leon attended the University of Georgia and earned his degree in 1963. He joined the Army Reserves in 1965 and retired in 1997 as a full Colonel. Running has been one of Leon’s passions throughout his adult life. He has run several marathons with his best time of 3:36:46 coming in the 1980 Huntsville, Alabama ‘Joe Steele Rocket City Marathon’.

Leon is retired now and lives in Chattanooga with his wife Jane. They are avid scuba divers having participated in that pastime in many places around the world.

The Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame is proud to welcome Leon Guthrie to its ranks that already includes two of his brothers, Carlton and Robert.

Charles ‘Babe’ Howell

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Charles Babe HowellPix 1A brief glance at the coaching resume of Charles ‘Babe’ Howell will tell the most casual observer that his was an exceptional career. A Hall of Fame worthy career. In fact, prior to this year Babe was inducted into eleven different athletic and education Halls of Fame in Georgia and North Carolina. His selection to the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame makes twelve.

Babe had a 44-year career in athletics, 39 of those in coaching. As a baseball coach, he and his teams won 628 games. As a football coach, his victory total is 301 games. That means that on 929 occasions Babe Howell and his athletic teams left the field of battle bathed in the sweet sense of victory. Not many athletes or coaches have experienced that level of success.

Along the way, his teams at Sylva-Webster High School, now Smoky Mountain High School, won seven North Carolina state championships, five in football and two in baseball. In 1973-74 both his football and baseball teams won state titles. He retired in 1997 as the winningest high school football and baseball coach in North Carolina history.

It was at East Fannin High School, however, that Babe Howell began his coaching odyssey. He came to the school in the autumn of 1956 and stayed on to guide the Wildcats football squads for four seasons. He also coached the boys basketball team for one season.

Four seasons does not sound like a lot, but it was during the four-year tenure of Babe Howell that East Fannin High School football reached its zenith of success. The school fielded 20 football teams between 1956 and 1976 when East and West Fannin were consolidated into the new Fannin County High School. Throughout those years, East Fannin was only able to win a total of 33 football games. 16, or roughly half, of those victories came when Babe Howell was leading the teams. His 1958 and 1959 teams posted an aggregate record of 13-4-2 and won two class 4C sub-region titles. The 1958 team finished at 8-2, which was the best season record for any football team in Fannin County until 1991.

Babe Howell was born in Monroe, North Carolina in 1928. He left home at the age of 17 to join the war effort. He served in the United States Navy from 1945-1949. It was in the Navy that Babe was first introduced to organized football. After his discharge, he returned home and played on a high school championship team. He was also a standout baseball pitcher. His athletic prowess gained him a scholarship to Western Carolina College where he competed for four seasons. His high school coach, Jim Gudger, also moved from Monroe to Western Carolina at the same time and Babe considered Gudger as his greatest mentor in life.

Babe’s goal was a career in coaching and he signed on as an assistant at Sylva-Webster after graduation from Western Carolina. Shortly thereafter he moved on to Morganton and the challenge of coaching a small group of boys who had never played the game of football before. He faced a daunting task. He was met by 20 or so young men who wanted to try their luck at the game of football. Most of the boys weighed in at 120 pounds or less. Also, the school initially did not even have a football field upon which to practice and play games.

Ben Smith, one of Coach Howell’s first team members recalls that “the first time we met him was in August, 1956 at the hay field near Ralston’s Sawmill on Highway 76 near the Union County line”. It was on this hay field that Howell began his efforts at putting together a football team. An acceptable field was not ready that first season of 1956 so the Wildcats played all of their games on the road. The closest thing to a home game came in the season finale against Sprayberry High School in a game played at the West Fannin field across the county. The only victory that season was over White County, another school that had recently started a football program.

By 1958, Coach Howell had put together the finest team that would ever don East Fannin uniforms. He did have some talent with which to work. One of his players, junior end Aldon Farmer made the Georgia Class C All-State team that season. Farmer, along with running back David Turner, also a junior in 1958, would make the All-State team again in 1959. Those were the halcyon days of football at East Fannin.

In talking with men who played for Coach Howell the two words that seem to recur are ‘teacher’ and ‘respect’. Babe was not a ‘rah’ ‘rah’ type coach and he was not prone to fits of screaming at players who made mistakes. He was a very effective teacher who treated his players with respect and who, in turn earned the respect of his players. He believed in conditioning and preparation. He seemed to be able to get the very best that his players had to offer. Again, to quote Ben Smith, “Coach Howell knew what he was doing”.

Perhaps the best example of Babe Howell’s character came during the last two months of his life. The fledgling Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame selected its inaugural class of inductees in 2012 and honored those inductees at a banquet in April, 2013. Two of the inductees, Aldon Farmer and David Turner, played for Coach Howell at East Fannin some 55 years previously. Babe Howell, and several members of his family, wanted to show his respect and affection for his two ‘boys’ so he made the trek to Blue Ridge to be there when they were honored by their home county. Babe was obviously proud that evening and was beaming as a number of his former players gathered around his table.

Less than a month after that banquet, Babe Howell passed away in Asheville, North Carolina at the age of 84. He was quite a man who was devoted to his players, friends and family. He made a deeply positive impact on many lives and the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame is fortunate to have such a man as a member.

 

Don Queen

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Don Queen pic 1Don Queen

If you are looking for a story with a happy ending, you might want to skip this short biography and go on to another section of the newspaper. The fact that Don Queen has been elected to the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame speaks highly of his exploits as an athlete. Despite his accomplishments, however, Don was not blessed with a great deal of good luck to complement the positive aspects of his sports career and life in general. Fate was not kind to Don Queen.

Don was a tough-as-nails center/guard and linebacker for West Fannin High School from 1958-1962. He was a native of the community of Epworth where he and his two sisters grew up on a 100+ acre spread. His father worked for the Tennessee Copper Company and supplemented the family income by periodically selling timber and hay harvested from the property. Don enjoyed a normal, happy childhood typical of a boy growing up in the rural South in the 1950s. He was a strong young man who enjoyed physical activities and most anything that involved being outdoors. He was popular with the other kids at Epworth Elementary School and then at West Fannin High.

Don played organized football beginning in his 6th grade year at Epworth Elementary. He always played in the line and was always in the middle of the action. At West Fannin, he made the varsity squad as a sophomore and was a starter as a junior and as a senior. He earned three varsity letters.

The 1960 West Fannin football squad was one of the best teams in school history. That team finished with a 6-3-1 record. The 1960 team was very experienced, led by 14 senior players, each one a seasoned veteran. Don started for that team and was one of the defensive standouts. He was singled out by the Copper City Advance and Lineman of the Week for his play in a hard-fought 13-7 victory over Gilmer County.

As he began his senior season of 1961, Don had grown to around 6’ 1” in height and tipped the scales at 185 pounds. He had good size for a linebacker from that era. He was quick, physical and delivered a considerable wallop when he made contact with the opposition. He was well respected by his teammates and was elected as a co-captain of the 1961 team, along with quarterback Mike Hartness.

The 1961 team finished with a record of 3-5-2, but was one of the finest defensive football teams in West Fannin history. The team gave up a total of 86 points in the 10 games played, an average of slightly more than one touchdown per game. The only two teams who scored more than one touchdown against the 1961 team were Murphy NC, who put 22 points on the scoreboard and Rossville, who managed to score 19 points. North Whitfield, Ringgold, East Rome, Murray County, Dalton and Copper Basin each scored one touchdown in their games with West Fannin and Stephens County was not able to score at all.

Don Queen certainly played a key role in the success of the 1961 defensive effort. He was named as the Copper City Advance Lineman of the Week four times, for his performances in the Stephens County, East Rome, Dalton and Copper Basin games. It should be noted that the newspaper only named a Lineman and Back of the week five times during the 1961 season. Don was rewarded for his fine play on a state-level when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution named him to the Class AA Honorable Mention team at the end of the season.

Fannin County has produced many hard-nosed football players but none more rugged that Don Queen. His play was epitomized in the 1961 game against perennial power Rossville when Rossville running back Doug Flury broke though the Yellow Jacket line only to come face-to-face with Don Queen. Flury lowered his head, probably thinking that he would run over Don and proceed on to the end zone. The sound of the helmet to helmet, shoulder pad to shoulder pad collision could be clearly heard throughout the stadium as Flury’s ‘forward motion’ came to an abrupt halt when he encountered Don Queen.

Don was also a very popular student at West Fannin. He was elected as a senior class officer and was honored by his classmates as the Most Popular senior boy student. Life was pretty rosy for Don until the night of April 6, 1962 rolled around.

The University of Chattanooga had sent Don and inquiry about his football-related plans for college. On April 6, Don travelled down to Chattanooga with two classmates, Mike Hartness and Sam Ballew. Chattanooga was evaluating Hartness as a basketball prospect and Sam was along for the ride. Don had a couple of interviews and completed several questionnaires. On the return trip, the three West Fannin boys were injured severely in an automobile collision just east of Cleveland, Tennessee. Don was the most seriously injured, suffering multiple broken bones in the face and jaw and several broken ribs. His sister Martha recalls that Don’s face was “demolished’ requiring several plastic surgery procedures to return his appearance to a degree of normalcy.

The injuries suffered in the automobile accident ended any hopes that Don may have entertained about playing college football. He graduated from West Fannin, worked in Atlanta for a couple of years and returned to Fannin County where he secured employment with the Tennessee Copper Company. He also married his high school sweetheart, Jo Ann Galloway.

In September of 1966, as the Vietnam War was raging in Southeast Asia, Don Queen began his military service in the US Army. During the next one and one half years he rose to the rank of Specialist Fourth Class with the 50th Infantry, 1st Battalion (Mechanized), B Company stationed in the Binh Dinh Province in Vietnam. On April 2, 1968, Don Queen was killed in action when the armored vehicle in which he was travelling hit a land mine. Don’s body was buried in the Lebanon Baptist Cemetary on the day that would have been Don’s 24th birthday, April 16, 1968.

Glenn Patterson

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Glenn Patterson 1

Glenn Patterson

“Patterson, you’re in right field”. These were among the first words that 2016 Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame inductee Glenn Patterson heard when he reported for his first baseball practice with his first team as a 10-year old in the summer of 1964. His first team was the Epworth Yankees of the newly formed Dixie Youth baseball league. His first coach who uttered those memorable words was Charles Woodall.

For those unfamiliar with youth baseball, right field is generally where a coach assigns one of the less talented players on the team. A 10 year old right fielder is often the kid who devotes more time to searching for four-leaf clovers than paying attention to the game at hand.

It did not take long for Coach Woodall to recognize that Glenn Patterson was a talented young athlete and that he should in the middle of the action on the baseball diamond. Glenn was soon promoted from the hinterlands of right field and to the vital position of shortstop squarely in the middle of the fray. Glenn was one of the best, if not the best, players on the young Epworth Yankees.

Glenn Patterson grew up in the pastoral village of Epworth. He was the 5th of 6 children of Maudie and Claude Patterson. Don, one of his older brothers was a starting end on the West Fannin football teams of 1959 and 1960. Garry, his younger brother by two years, was also an outstanding all-around athlete and will be inducted into the FCSHOF with Glenn with the class of 2016. It will mark the first time that two siblings have been inducted in the same year.

Beginning with his days with the Epworth Yankees, Glenn played baseball, football and basketball throughout his younger years. He excelled in all three sports making all-star teams several times in each sport. He was named to the county all-star team as an 8th grader in football and played a vital role as his Epworth team won the Fannin County Elementary School championship in both his 7th and 8th grade years.

When Glenn’s high school days at West Fannin rolled around, Glenn and his family decided that he should concentrate on only two sports, football and basketball, so that his academic work would not suffer. His accomplishments in both sports were many and impressive.

In football, Glenn saw limited varsity playing time as a freshman but started as a halfback and defensive back for three seasons at West Fannin. He won the Most Valuable Back award as a junior and as a senior. At the end of his senior season of 1971, he was selected to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Class A All-State Honorable Mention squad. The Atlanta Constitution named Glenn to its weekly Prep Honor Roll for his performances vs East Hall in 1971 and vs Union County in 1970.

On the basketball court, Glenn was the leading scorer on the freshman team and was named to the North Whitfield Holiday B-Team All-Tournament team as a sophomore. He was a starter for the Yellow Jacket varsity squad as a junior and senior. He was elected as the team captain and received the Most Valuable Player award as a senior. Glenn played a vital role in the success of the 1971-72 team that won the 6A Tournament championship and advanced to the State Tournament in Macon.

The 1971-72 West Fannin basketball team finished with a season record of 19-8. They defeated arch-rival Murray County four times, including two victories on Murray’s home court in Chatsworth. The fourth and last of those victories came in the Region 6A Tournament Championship game played at Murray County. Glenn scored 14 points in that championship game and was named to the All-Tournament team for his performances. The team then advanced to the State Tournament where they upset a heavily favored Coosa team, 77-62. Glenn again scored 14 points to play a pivotal role in this huge victory. Glenn considers this victory to be his biggest team thrill in any sport during his high school career.

At the end of his senior year at West Fannin, Glenn Patterson’s classmates selected him as the Most Athletic senior boy. In addition to his athletic exploits, Glenn was also elected to the National Honor Society as a student at West Fannin.

Armed with a high school diploma, a transcript full of good grades, youthful exuberance and athleticism and a lot of ambition, Glenn Patterson headed out for the real world after graduating from West Fannin High School in the spring of 1972. None of his family had ever attended college and Glenn was determined to do so. He worked for a while to raise some money and headed for Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina. He was a football walk-on there and became a starting free safety for the varsity team in the fall of 1974. His athletic career as a participant ended midway through his sophomore season when he broke his hand and developed a pinched nerve in his right shoulder.

After completing the two-year program and earning an Associated Degree at Lees-McRae, Glenn enrolled at Georgia State University. His goal was to become a coach and educator. He began his career in coaching at North Springs High School where he coached track, football and basketball. He moved on to Milton High School as an assistant football coach before moving back to Fannin County in 1990. He served as a coach, teacher and administrator in his native Fannin County before retiring in 2013.

During his coaching career, Glenn had the opportunity to coach each of his four children, Sarah, Bethany, Josh and Rebekah, in basketball with the Fannin County Recreation Department. At the age of 12, his daughter Bethany was a member of the Recreation and Parks Association, Class C State Championship team in 2000.

Always looking for a new challenge, Glenn began running in 2007. Beginning with a 5K race at Riverbend in Chattanooga, Glenn began a running odyssey that culminated when he competed in and completed the Chickamauga Battlefield marathon (26.2 miles) in 2010.

Glenn and his wife Beverly currently divide their time between Chattanooga and Fannin County, having residences in both locations. Glenn Patterson has been the President of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame for the past two years. The Hall of Fame is very fortunate to have him in a leadership role and very proud to welcome him as an inductee in the Class of 2016.


1995 Fannin County High School football team

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95 Team Pic

The 1995 Fannin County High School football team won the Region 8AA North championship with a 10-0 record. This is the only football team in Fannin County history to complete a regular season without losing a game. This team won the overall Region 8AA championship by defeating Franklin County, 15-12. The 1995 FCHS football team also became the first team in Fannin County history to win a state playoff game by defeating North Clayton, 17-6. They lost to Cartersville in the quarterfinals to finish with an overall record of 12 victories and a single defeat.

 

Robert Guthrie

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Robert Guthrie

Robert Guthrie and all the Guthrie boys of Fannin County inherited a gene pool of athletic excellence that was rich and deep. Family patriarch Travis Guthrie was a standout basketball player at Fannin County High School in Morganton and then at Young Harris College. His four sons, Leon, Carlton, Robert and Jerry more than carried on the family tradition.

Robert Guthrie has been elected to the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame in recognition of his outstanding athletic career. His brother, Carlton, was elected to the FCSHOF as a member of the inaugural class of 2013, so Robert will become the second member of the family to be so honored.

Robert played football and basketball at West Fannin High School from 1961-1965. His talent for athletics was never in question, but his body put up a formidable roadblock to be overcome before his talents could be displayed. As a youngster, he was afflicted with a condition of the bone called osteomyelitis. He had several surgeries on his right foot in the ankle area culminating in a procedure around end of his elementary school years that put him in a cast from hip to ankle for some time.

The surgeries, the extensive rounds of physical therapy and, most importantly, the indomitable courage of Robert Guthrie, made it possible for him to compete in basketball and football when he arrived at West Fannin High School in the autumn of 1961. He was not very big, standing around 5’ 9” or 5’ 10” and weighing in the neighborhood of 150 pounds during his playing days, but he earned spots on both the football and basketball varsity squads during his sophomore year of 1962-63.

Robert Guthrie became the starting quarterback at West Fannin High School in the fall of 1963, his junior year at the school. The football program had struggled through the two previous seasons with records of 3-7 in 1962 and 3-5-2 in 1961. With Robert at the helm, however, the 1963 football squad would rebound by winning 6 games, losing three and playing the Murphy Bulldogs to a thrilling 20-20 tie.

The 1963 football season was certainly a high point in Robert Guthrie’s athletic career. From the quarterback position, he finished 4th in Region 3AA in rushing with 717 yards. He was second in the Region in scoring with 78 points, including 12 touchdowns. He also passed for 8 touchdowns and two PATs during that season, meaning, of course, that he had a hand, or more appropriately feet or arm, in 20 of the team’s scores.

He was selected as the team’s most valuable back in 1963 and was named to the Class AA Honorable Mention All-State team by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the end of the season. He was also selected to the Atlanta Constitution Prep Stars of the Week for his performances vs Murray County, Murphy and Dalton in 1963.

Perhaps Robert’s most memorable individual performance during his high school career occurred in the game with Polk County on the night of October 4, 1963. In that game, he rushed for three touchdowns on runs of one, 45 and 78 yards. He also threw a 45-yard pass to Phillip Hackney and a 16-yarder to Tom Turner for two more touchdowns as West Fannin defeated Polk 45-7 in what was expected to be a close game.

As a senior in 1964-65, Robert was selected as a co-captain of both the football and basketball teams. Although the Jacket teams of that year were a bit sub-par, Robert continued to play at a very high level. He had another leg operation during the offseason, the after effects of which slowed him most of the football season and caused him to miss entirely the season opener against Lakeview. The high point of the football season for Robert, and West Fannin, came in the final game of the season. In that game against arch-rival Copper Basin, Robert rushed for 126 yards, scored a touchdown and, most importantly, kicked the PAT after the second Jacket touchdown leading West Fannin to a 13-12 upset victory.

He was again selected as the Most Valuable Back of the football team and was awarded the basketball Sportsmanship Award for the 1964-65 season. He was also selected as the team Most Valuable Player by the Copper Basin Jaycees.

Robert’s size and injury history precluded him from continuing his athletic career at the college level. He continued to compete, however, and was elected the most outstanding athlete in the boys’ intramural program as a sophomore at Reinhardt College in Waleska, Georgia. After Reinhardt, he continued his education at North Georgia Technical College where he studied electronics.

After college, Robert Guthrie embarked on a career with Delta Airlines in Atlanta. He remained with Delta during his entire career that spanned just over 30 years. He enjoyed hiking, hunting and fishing in his spare time.

Robert Guthrie passed away at the age of 65 on February 27, 2013. He is survived by his wife of more than 20 years, Becky Lanning Guthrie, and two adult children, Jason Guthrie and Lisa Mimbs.

Robert Guthrie Bio

Video at FCHS HOF Game

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Robert Guthrie Banquet Video

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Don Carter

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Don Carter

Don Carter015Shortly after school opened at Copperhill in 1954, diminutive principal Buck Arp was patrolling the halls of the school. During his rounds, he encountered Don Carter, all 6 feet, 180 pounds of the young man. Buck looked up at Don and said “son, what grade are you in?” Don replied that he was in the eighth grade. Buck said “well, I want you to report to football practice this afternoon.” Don obeyed, easily made the team and started on a journey that has landed him a spot in the 2015 class of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame.

Don and his two brothers grew up in the Newtown section of Copperhill. It was a tough, working class neighborhood in the 1950s so Don learned to take care of himself early on in life. His size and natural strength did not hurt in that endeavor. Don also had good quickness and speed so the game of football provided a logical stage for him to display his talents.

Don Carter played a lot for the Copperhill Copperheads during his 8th grade season. He won a starting position as an offensive and defensive tackle as a freshman in the autumn of 1955. As usual, the 1955 Copperhill team was short on numbers, usually dressing out 20 or so players each game. Don was one of only three tackles on the team and was generally expected to play the entire game, offense and defense. Undaunted, however, Don was dominant on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

The 1955 Copperhill High School team finished with a regular season record of 7-2-1 and appeared in the only bowl game in the school’s history in that era of pre-playoff competition. Don Carter was a big part of the team’s success and was cited for his stellar play in the annual ‘above the mountains’ Polk County gridiron war with Ducktown that year. That game, the last game in the history of the two schools before consolidation, ended in a 7-7 tie.

George Cobb Jones, the star running back on the 1955 Copperhill team heaps praise upon Don Carter for his contribution to the 1954 and 1955 teams. In discussing the 1955 team, Jones says “Don was a key factor in Copperhill’s very successful offense that year. Specifically, his aggressive line blocks were mandatory for Copperhill’s ‘bread and butter’ plays to succeed. He was outstanding”.

Meanwhile, Don’s family had moved from Newtown to a home between the Mineral Bluff Highway and Toccoa River in Georgia. When the Polk County School Board decreed that Georgia residents would no longer be allowed to attend school at Copperhill, Don found himself shipped off to West Fannin High School for his sophomore year in 1956. Don was required to sit out the first four games in 1956 while he cleared up some academic problems and joined the team for the fifth game of the season against Murray County.

Don made his presence known to Yellow Jacket opponents immediately. The Copper City Advance newspaper had this to say about his debut in the Murray County game: “Don Carter, a newcomer to the squad, turned in a stellar performance at left end for the Jackets”. By this time, Don had grown to about six feet, two inches and a no-fat weight of 200+ pounds.

Don continued to dominate the line play in West Fannin games throughout the remainder of the 1956 season and the entire 1957 year. The 1957 West Fannin team finished with an all-time school best record of 6-3-1, thanks in no small part to the outstanding play of Don Carter. His performance was recognized by the Associated Press which named him to their Georgia Class AA All-State Honorable Mention team as a junior following the 1957 season.

Gene Crawford, one of Don’s younger teammates at West Fannin and a Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame member, pays tribute to Don Carter thusly: “I never lined up against a better lineman than Don Carter. There was no fat on him. He had good speed, strength and quickness. He had good instincts for the ball and he was an intense athlete, which made him such a great defensive player. He was unstoppable. When Don Carter lined up on your nose you had to be ready to battle because he was coming through you, around you or over you. He played with a highly revved up engine on every down; this was the only way Don knew how to play football”.

Don Carter’s goal in life since early childhood was to be a United States Navy man. He was particularly drawn to the role of Navy deep sea divers. The lure of the Navy was on his mind as he reported for preseason football practice prior to the 1958 season. He went through the first two weeks of practice before celebrating his 18th birthday. In what appeared to most as a rash decision, but actually something Don had mulled over for years, he left the football team and joined the Navy.

Don approached his Navy career with the same gusto and aggressiveness that had served him so well on the football field. He was able to realize his dream of becoming a deep sea diver, one of the most dangerous and complex areas of military service. The training for deep sea divers is arduous and only the most physically and mentally fit young men make the grade.

Don remained in the Navy for 12 years, rising to the rank of First Class Petty Officer and First Class Deep Sea Diver. He performed numerous dangerous and vital missions during his military service.

Don worked in Atlanta for a while after leaving the Navy. He and his first wife produced two sons, both of whom are now adults. After his first wife passed away, Don returned to the Copper Basin area and, in 1975, he secured employment with the Tennessee Copper Company where he stayed until his retirement in 1987.

In 1983 Don and Gilita Chapman, a local girl who was an outstanding basketball player at West Fannin, met and were married. They have now been married for 31 years and make their home in McCaysville, with their small menagerie of two dogs and a cat.

The 2000 film ‘Men of Honor’ starring Robert De Niro, Cuba Gooding Jr., is considered by most as an accurate presentation of the character required to become a Navy deep sea diver. There is no question that Don Carter is certainly a ‘Man of Honor’ and the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame is proud to add him to the membership roster.

Don passed away December 25, 2014.

Don Carter Bio

Video at FCHS HOF Game

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Don Carter Banquet Video

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Chad Galloway

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CHAD GALLOWAY

Chad Galloway011Chad Galloway retains the look of an athlete. He stands six feet, two inches tall and weighs just a tad more than the 190 pounds that he carried when he was one of the outstanding track and field athletes in the country. His athletic exploits have earned Chad a spot in the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2015.

Chad began competing in running events in the track and field programs sponsored by the Fannin County Recreation Department in 1984 when he was seven years old. It was soon apparent that he could run faster than most kids his age and he soon expanded his repertoire of skills to other track and field events.

He competed in a local version of the pentathlon around the age of eight. The pentathlon consisted of five events requiring skills in running, jumping and strength. Chad quickly became a force to be reckoned with in all aspects of track and field and piled up medal after medal in a wide variety of events. At the age of 11, he set a boys 12 and under record in the long jump with a leap of 19’ 4 ¼”.

At some point in his athletic career, Chad became enamored of the decathlon event. The decathlon is considered one of the most challenging athletic competitions in the world and attracts only athletes who are proficient in all of the traditional physical skills. In 1912 King Gustav V of Sweden called Jim Thorpe, who had just won the Olympic decathlon competition at the Stockholm Olympics, the ‘greatest athlete in the world’. That moniker continues to be used to describe the decathlon champion at the Olympic Games.

As Chad entered his high school years, he realized that he could not pursue his decathlon dreams in a school setting because the state of Georgia high school track and field competitions do not include that event. His track and field activities for the next four years, therefore, were pursued on two fronts. At Fannin County High School, Chad competed in track and field, as well as cross country and basketball. He earned a total of 11 letters in those three sports during his four years in high school.

The USATF Junior Olympics, however, does include the decathlon event. It was as a decathlete at the Junior Olympics that Chad was able to demonstrate the strong overall track and field skills that he had worked so hard to acquire while competing against the very best athletes in the country. The Junior Olympics are contested during the summer months, so Chad’s athletic activities consisted of his high school competitions from September through May, followed by the Junior Olympics after the high school year was completed.

The highlights of Chad Galloway’s high school career occurred in the spring of his junior season of 1993-94. At the state class AA track and field meet that season, he captured state championships in both the pole vault and the 110 meter high hurdles, two of the most difficult track disciplines to master. Chad is quick to admit that becoming a proficient pole vaulter was the most difficult technical challenge that he faced during his career. That he was able to win a state championship in that event is testimony to his strong work ethic and commitment.

Winning two state titles is enough to establish the Chad Galloway legacy of excellence. It was his record in the decathlon competition at the Junior Olympics, however, that elevated his status to the very top on a national scale.

In 1991, Chad competed in the National Junior Olympics in Raleigh, North Carolina and placed 6th in the pentathlon, ninth in the long jump and 12th in the high hurdles. In the summer of 1992, at the tender age of 14 following his freshman year in high school, Chad won the Southeastern United States decathlon competition for boys 16 and under to earn the right to represent the region at the national competition in Los Angeles, California. He finished 13th in a field of the top decathletes in the country.

In 1993, Chad again advanced to the National USATF Junior Olympics by winning the Southeastern championship at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. At the National competition held at LSU in Baton Rouge, he finished third in another very strong field.

It was his performance in his final decathlon competition in 1995, however, that undoubtedly provided the most memorable experience of his eleven year track and field career. In the Southeastern Junior Olympics meet held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Chad was in second place after the first seven events of the decathlon. In the eighth event, the pole vault, Chad hit the bar coming down and was knocked unconscious. He suffered a stitch-requiring cut on his chin and still bears the scar as a souvenir of that unfortunate event. He was urged to drop out of the competition but insisted on continuing. During the 9th event, the javelin throw, Chad’s cut began to bleed again and he was once again treated. As he competed in the final event, the grueling 1500 meter run, Chad staggered and almost fell several times as his chin began to bleed profusely. He finished, however, and received a resounding standing ovation from the fans in recognition of his incredible courage and heart in finishing the decathlon.

Due to the injury, Chad fell into third place in the meet and, consequently, did not advance to the National Junior Olympics. Only the top two finishers in each region receive spots in the National event.

Chad was recruited by a number of colleges and accepted a track and field scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee. Personal events intervened, however, and Chad did not continue his decathlon career at the college level.

Chad Galloway and his wife Amanda, continue to call Morganton their home. They have two young children, Adia and Airianna and Chad has an 18 year old daughter, Brittany. Chad is employed by the Gilmer County Department of Education.

Chad is a very soft spoken man, proud but humble about his many athletic accomplishments. He is quick to point out that his parents, Debbie and Vaughn, were there supporting him at the beginning of his career and at every step along his amazing journey. He is an exemplary role model for young athletes and the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame is proud to count Chad Galloway as a member.

Chad Galloway Bio

Video at FCHS HOF Game

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Chad Galloway Banquet Video

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Ron Jabaley

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Ron Jabaley

Ron Jabaley was always in the smack-dab middle of the action during his entire football career. When his teams had possession of the ball, he anchored the line from the center position. When trying to stop the opponents from moving the pigskin, he was at the heart of the struggle at a guard or tackle spot. His domination of play on both sides of the ball has not gone unnoticed and Ron Jabaley has been elected as a member of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2015.

Everything about Ron Jabaley was big. In his playing days, he draped a 225-pound, sculpted, Adonis-like physique around a frame that stood roughly 6 feet, 3 inches tall. His voice was deep, rich and resonant. No one who ever shook his hand forgot his strong, vise-like grip. Even the nicknames bestowed upon him suggested size and strength. In his early years he was affectionately called ‘Punjab’, the name of the no-nonsense bodyguard of Daddy Warbucks in the comic strip Annie. Later, at Baylor Prep in Chattanooga, he picked up the moniker of ‘Chief’, again suggestive of his size and strength.

Perhaps the biggest part of Ron Jabaley, however, was his heart. He was a gentle giant. He had a smile that immediately made its recipients feel comfortable. It seems that everyone who met Ron — in childhood, in high school at Copperhill and West Fannin, at Baylor Prep School, in college at the University of Tennessee and Tennessee Wesleyan, at the Southern School of Optometry in Memphis, in the military, in his 40+ years caring for patients at Jabaley Eye Care in Blue Ridge and in his personal life — loved and respected Ron Jabaley.

Ron began his athletic career in Copperhill, Tennessee. His dad, Richard Jabaley Sr. owned and operated a clothing store that stood almost exactly on the border of Tennessee and Georgia. Ron made the Copperhill High School varsity team and garnered considerable playing time as a freshman during the 1954 season. He took over the starting center position as a sophomore in 1955. He played defensive tackle both seasons at Copperhill.

In August, 1956, the Polk County School Board decreed that Georgia residents would no longer be allowed to attend schools, including Copperhill, located in Tennessee. By this time, Ron’s family had moved across the state line to Georgia, so Ron began his education at West Fannin High School as a junior in the autumn of 1956.

At West Fannin, Ron Jabaley was a standout football lineman for two seasons and was named to the Class AA All-State Honorable Mention squad following the 1957 season. He also performed the kicking off and extra point kicking duties for the Jackets. Ron was also a top-notch baseball player at West Fannin.

By the time high school graduation day rolled around in May, 1958, Ron Jabaley had pretty much decided that he wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. He was not certain exactly which aspect of health care was for him, but Ron, and his family, were of the mind that he needed to hone his academic skills a bit before entering college. Ron and his family felt that a year at Baylor Preparatory School in Chattanooga was the answer.

Ron flourished at Baylor. He earned letters in football, baseball and wrestling, and was named to the Chattanooga Times All-City Honorable Mention football team. He was also a campus leader and made many lifelong friends. The Baylor school yearbook, the ‘Klif Klan’ summarizes his legacy thusly: ‘Beneath his brawny bulk there lies one of the finest and friendliest boys that Baylor has had the good fortune of possessing. There is one word for his personality — terrific!’

Ron joined one of his Baylor roommates, Rich Thompson, at the University of Tennessee in the fall of 1959. He was a football walk-on candidate briefly, but nagging injuries and the certainty that his future lay in the medical and business fields, and not on the football field, brought him to the decision to end his athletic career.

He continued his education at the University of Tennessee and at Tennessee Wesleyan before entering the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis. He graduated in 1966. It was during his time in Memphis that Ron met his wife Kay, a native of the Bluff City.

Ron served in the military from 1966 to 1968 and rose to the rank of Captain. Shortly after his discharge, he and Kay were married and returned to Fannin County to start his business and to start raising a family. He founded Jabaley Eye Care in August, 1968 and remained in practice until his death in November, 2013. Ron Jabaley was lived a total of 73 years.

Ron Jabaley’s passions in life were golf, animals (especially his boxers), Georgia Tech football and most of all, his family. He and Kay produced three fine children, all of whom make their homes in Fannin County — two sons, Dr. Timothy Jabaley, Dr. Christopher Jabaley and daughter Leslie Jabaley Johnson.

Ron Jabaley was quite a man and the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame is honored to recognize one part of his considerable legacy. A legacy as big as the man.

Ron Jabaley Bio

Video at FCHS HOF Game

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Ron Jabaley Banquet Video

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Gary Mealer

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Gary Mealer

The May 27, 1971 issue of the McCaysville Citizen, a local weekly newspaper at that time, featured a picture of West Fannin High School sophomore Gary Mealer on the front page. Mealer, a stellar all-around athlete at West Fannin was not alone in the picture. He stood behind his haul of five, yes FIVE, trophies that he won at the West Fannin Athletic Banquet held the previous Saturday. If the number of trophies is not impressive enough, it should be noted that the trophies were awarded for his performance in three sports, football, baseball and basketball. Gary Mealer was one of the most outstanding all-around athletes in the history of Fannin County. His versatility, at a very high level of excellence, has earned him admission tothe Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame class of 2015

Gary grew up in McCaysville surrounded by a bunch of young boys who shared his passion for sports. He also had two brothers, one older and one younger, and one sister. As the seasons changed during his childhood, the only change in his life was the shape, size and texture of the ball necessary for Gary and his chums to play the sport currently in season.

By the time Gary Mealer was in the 7th grade, it was apparent that his athletic skills were a cut above those of most of the other boys. He was confident of those skills and promised his mother that he would use his athletic prowess as a vehicle to take him to his ultimate destination of a college degree. No one in his family had ever attained so lofty an academic achievement.

Gary’s high school athletic career at West Fannin was filled with one honor after another. He was at the center of the action in three sports. He was a quarterback for the football team, point guard for the basketball team and shortstop and leadoff hitter for the baseball team. He earned four varsity letters in baseball, three in football and three in basketball. He was elected Co-Captain of the football team as a senior in the fall of 1972.

Gary Mealer’s school awards included the following:

-Football – Sportsmanship Award two years and Most Valuable Back as a senior;

-Baseball – Best Hustler Award, Coaches Award and Most Valuable Player Award;

-Basketball – Scholastic Award and Sportsmanship Award two years

In addition to the school awards, he was named to the 1972 Region 6A Basketball All-Tournament Team, 1972 Sub-Region Basketball Most Valuable Player and All-Tournament Team and the 1971 Chattanooga Times and Free Press All Tri-State Honorable Mention Team. On a team level, Gary’s 1971-72 basketball team advanced to the State Tournament in Macon where they defeated a highly regarded Coosa team in the first round. His 1972-73 team finished with a 22-2 record, the best record in the history of the school.

Former West Fannin coach T.J. Thompson is lavish in his praise of Gary Mealer and what meant to the West Fannin sports programs. Thompson says that Mealer was one of the smartest players that he ever played with or coached. Mealer had a sense of what needed to be done in all situations and had the ability to do it. He was at his best in clutch situations and never lost his composure.

Thompson tells a story of a baseball game between West Fannin and Gilmer County. He told his squad that Gilmer had a lot of outstanding players but seemed to lose concentration when they were down. He told his players that if they could strike quickly, that their chances of winning would receive a substantial boost. Gary Mealer was the shortstop and leadoff hitter. To begin the contest, he stepped to the plate and proceeded to plant the second pitch of the game over the leftfield fence for a home run. As he rounded third, where Thompson was coaching, he winked at TJ and said “is that quick enough for you coach”.

Mealer’s high school performance allowed him to fulfill his promise to his mother to parlay his athletic skills into a college education. He was awarded a basketball grant to attend Gainesville Junior College where he played both basketball and baseball for two years. Following his graduation from Gainesville, he earned a baseball scholarship to Berry College in Rome, Georgia. Two different college scholarships in two different sports is quite a feat.

Armed with a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Berry College, Gary Mealer entered the world of coaching and education at Murray County High School in 1977. For the next ten years, he coached at Murray County High, Gordon Lee High and Armuchee High School. His assignments included four years as the head coach of the Murray County girls’ basketball team, several different football coaching jobs and even a four year stint as golf coach at Murray County.

While coaching, Gary was able to improve his resume by earning Masters and Specialist Degrees in Business Education from West Georgia College. He also earned a Specialist Degree in Educational Administration from West Georgia.

Gary’s career path brought him back to Fannin County for five years between 1988 and 1993. During that time his duties included positions as Principal at Morganton Elementary School, Assistant Principal at Fannin County High and a period as assistant varsity basketball coach at Fannin County High. He left Fannin County again in 1993 and has devoted the last 21 years to the administrative side of education in several parts of North Georgia, including five years as Principal of Murray County High School.

Gary and his wife Jodi continue to make their home in Chatsworth just across Fort Mountain from Ellijay. They have three children, Zach, Jenny and Luke. Gary is currently employed by the Georgia Department of Education as an Education Career Partnership Coordinator.

As he concludes his 6th decade on the planet, Gary Mealer is still going strong. If his epitaph were written today, however, it should read: ‘Gary Mealer – a life of accomplishment and service’.

Gary Mealer Bio

Video at FCHS HOF Game

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Gary Mealeer Banquet Video

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