Category Archives: track

track and field

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”.



 

Alden Acker

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30-year old Alden Acker is the youngest member of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame Induction class of 2017. She competed in track and field, basketball and cross country at Fannin County High School from 2000 through 2004, earning four varsity letters in track and field, four in basketball and two in cross country.

Alden’s strongest event in track and field was the 400-meter run. This event involves running around the entire track one time. The 400 meter run is not for sissies. When asked about her strategy in the event, Alden echoes the words of a Clemson University track coach who taught at one of the camps she attended as a youth: ‘Start running as fast as you can and keep it up for as long as you can’. It is a demanding, grueling discipline.

Alden Acker won the Region 7AAA championship in the 400 meters all four years that she competed at FCHS. She went on to finish 5th at the state meet twice and finished 4th the other two times. She was not, however, a one trip pony in the track and field wars. She also won Region championships in the 800 meter run and long jump and was the anchor of the 400 meter, 800 meter and 1400 meter relay teams that also won gold medals at the Region level for the Lady Rebels. Overall she had a total of 12 first place finished in Region track and field competition, 6 individual titles and 6 relay titles.

Alden began competing in organized track and field and basketball before reaching the age of 10. A native of McCaysville, she was a member of the Fannin County Recreation 10 and under basketball teams that won state titles in 1995-96 and 1996-97. In Recreation League track and field, she competed in the 800 meters and long jump and won the USA track and field competition in the long jump at the state level.

The Fannin County High School girls track team won the Region 7AAA Championship in 2000-01, Alden’s freshman season. It was the first such title in school or county-wide history.

In addition to her track and field accomplishments at Fannin County High, Alden was also a valuable member of the Lady Rebel basketball squads. She was named MVP of the Battle of the States Tournament held at Towns County High School in 2003. She received the FCHS Best Defensive Player award for the 2003-04 season. While at Fannin, her basketball teams advanced to the 2001-02 state AAA Final Four and to the 2003-04 title game.

Her athletic prowess resulted in her selection as the Most Athletic Senior Girl in the 2003-04 Fannin County High School graduating class.

After graduating from high school, Alden was awarded a track and field scholarship to Georgia Southern University. She competed there for two seasons before hanging up her spikes.

Alden had developed an interest in medicine and continued her education at Chattahoochee Tech in Acworth. She embarked upon a grueling schedule of attending classes at Chattahoochee two days a week and devoting the remaining three week days to completing her clinicals at Kennesaw Wellcare, all of which required a commute from McCaysville. She persevered, however, and is now a surgical technologist at Fannin Regional Hospital. Her next goal is to become a surgical first assistant.

Alden certainly came by her athletic excellence honestly. Her mother, Sandy Brown Acker, was an outstanding basketball player at West Fannin High School and her father Charlie was involved in athletics as a youngster in his native Charlotte, North Carolina.  Sandy is the school nurse at Fannin County High School and Charlie is a geologist.

Alden currently makes her home in McCaysville with her 9-year old daughter Ava. When asked if Ava might carry on the family athletic tradition, Alden says that, so far, Ava is more interested in academic and artistic endeavors than in athletics.  But who knows what the future may hold for Ava — at about the same age her mother discovered that she could outrun just about everyone around.


Bill Franklin

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Bill Franklin 1Bill Franklin was born to run. He grew up near Epworth, Georgia and spent countless hours running camping and simply enjoying the outdoors in the mountains and wilderness near his home. Sometimes he would run the several miles home from Epworth Elementary School. It wasn’t that he was in any urgent hurry to get home, he just loved to run.

Bill entered West Fannin with the new school’s first batch of students in the fall of 1955. He was not very big so he did not participate in any of the sports offered at the school during its first year of 1955-56 nor in the second year of 1956-57. During the spring of his junior year, however, the powers that be at West Fannin decided that the school needed a track and field team. Bill Franklin then had a stage to showcase his running skills. During his junior year, he ran several events but did not concentrate on any specific discipline. He did find himself as a member of the 4-man mile relay team that year. Along with Carlton Guthrie, Leon Guthrie and Rene Godfrey (all members of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame) Bill became one of the first 4 athletes to compete at the state level thanks to their second place finish at the Region 3AA track and field meet.

When he began the track season toward the end of his senior season, Bill decided that his running skills were more suited for the distance races rather than sprints. He concentrated on the mile run and was rewarded by winning that event at the Region 3AA track and field meet and proceeding to finish 2nd in the state Class AA meet. His accomplishment was the first time any athlete or team from West Fannin ever earned a medal in athletics at the state level.

Following his graduation from West Fannin, Bill had the idea that he would like to pursue an outdoors-related career, perhaps as a warden or ranger. To that end, he decided to travel to Tifton, Georgia at the south end of the state to begin his pursuit of a degree in Forestry. The college that he chose was Abraham Baldwin Agricultural Junior College, commonly referred to as ABAC. It did not hurt that ABAC had up and coming programs in cross country and track and field. Scholarship aid to track and field athletes was virtually non-existent in the world of 1960-61 so Bill was attending college on his own dime at this point.

Bill had an outstanding career in athletics at ABAC. He was elected captain of both the cross country and track and field teams both years that he was there. He led the cross country team to the first state title in school history in 1961-62, by finishing 2nd overall in the event. His track and field teams won two state titles with Bill as their captain in 1960-61 and 1961-62. He was the winner of the 880-yard run in the 1960-61 state meet and followed up with a victory in the 2 mile run in 1961-62 meet. Distance runners at ABAC were only allowed to participate in one event per meet, so Bill’s versatility in the longer running events made him a valuable team member.

Bill Franklin was also an honor student at ABAC and active in a number of community-related activities. His work was recognized by the Tifton Rotary Club in 1962 when the club awarded Bill its annual sportsmanship award to him.

After receiving an associate’s degree from ABAC, Bill was briefly unsure what he should do next in his academic career. He did, however, know two things. He would continue to run no matter where his next stop might be. Second, he had decided to pursue a degree in education instead of forestry. He had come to feel that he would like to work with youngsters as either a coach or an educator.

Fate intervened shortly after Bill participated in a distance race held on the University of Georgia campus in Athens. Bill won the race and the attention of legendary Georgia track and field coach Spec Towns. Coach Towns offered Bill a partial scholarship for his junior year and the promise of a full scholarship for his senior year. Towns kept his promise and Bill Franklin was a UGA track and field distance runner for two seasons. Although slowed by injuries during his career as a Bulldog, Bill did win two varsity letters from the SEC school. He earned a degree in Education from the University in the spring of 1964.

America was at war in the mid-1960s and all able-bodied young men were expected to serve in the military for a time. Billy enlisted in the Army and proceeded to serve 2 ½ tours of duty in Vietnam. He rose to the rank of captain with the 82nd Airborne Division.

Having served his country in the military, Bill returned to Fannin County where he became a Special Education teacher for 20 years. Throughout his teaching career, Bill continued to pursue his passion for running, entering distances races throughout central and north Georgia. He won a roomful of trophies but is particularly proud of his first place finish in the 5K race at the Georgia Marble Festival in Jasper, Georgia in 1985. He was 43 years old at the time and won the event against a field of talented runners much younger than himself.

Bill Franklin loved to run but he was unable to outrun a number of physical ailments that dominated the final years of his life. He was elected to the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2016 and attended a ceremony introducing the class to the public on Monday, August 10. Bill was confined to a wheelchair but made the supreme effort to attend and be honored for his many accomplishments. A scant nine days later, on Wednesday, August 19 Bill passed away.

Bill Franklin epitomized all that is positive in athletics and in life. The Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame is honored to call him a member in good standing.


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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Stacy Parris

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Stacy Parris

Stacy P019Stacy Parris has been elected to the 2015 class of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame. Stacy earned four varsity letters in basketball, four in softball and one in track and field during her time at Fannin County High School from 1995-1999. Her basketball career spanned a period of unequalled success in basketball competition at the school. During her four years the Fannin County girls posted an amazing record of 103 victories and only 9 defeats.

Stacy, the only child of Glenda and Jerry Parris, grew up in the Epworth community and attended elementary school there. She began playing basketball in the Recreation Department League at the age of ten. She was a good basketball player from the get-go, but admits that she worked very hard to improve her game. She experienced team success early on as her 10 and under team won a state championship. It was in the Fannin Recreation League that she began playing with Tina Grice, Roxie Reed and Leah Nelson, three of her teammates on the great Fannin County High School teams.

Individual and team success continued immediately for Stacy in high school. During her freshman season of 1995-96, the Fannin County High girls posted a 28-1 record and did not lose a game until the class AA state tournament final 4. Stacy made a significant contribution to this team and won her first varsity letter.

Stacy gained a starting spot as a shooting guard before her sophomore season and was a force to be reckoned with at the region and state level for the next three seasons. In her sophomore season, the team finished with a 23-5 record and earned the runner-up spot in the state tournament. Stacy was named to the all Region 7AA team and earned recognition as the Northwest Georgia Tip-Off Club player of the month in December, 1996.

The Fannin girls made the sweet 16 in Stacy’s junior year and posted a 23-2 record. She continued to garner individual awards including all Region 7AA honors, Christmas tournament all-tournament team and Northwest Georgia Tip-Off Club player of the month in January, 1998.

Everything came together for Stacy Parris and the Fannin County girls team in the season of 1998-99. She readily reveals that the goal of the members of that team was the State Championship, nothing short of a # 1 finish would be acceptable. From the beginning of the year, Stacy and the team rolled over opponent after opponent on their way to a 29-1 record and the Class AA Georgia State Championship. It was the second and, to date, the last team state championship in the history of Fannin County sports.

The individual honors that came Stacy’s way during and after the 1998-99 season were numerous and included:

-Northwest Georgia Tip-Off Club Player of the Year

-Coca Cola Classic Christmas Tournament MVP

-Region 7AA Player of the Year

-MVP of the team

-State of Georgia North All-Star Team

-Atlanta Journal Honorable Mention All-State

-Atlanta Journal Top 30 Players Watch List

Stacy Parris possessed all of the physical skills necessary to succeed in athletics. Her ‘intangible’ attributes, however, set her apart from the field and made her one of the best players in the state.  One of those important intangible factors was her resilience and ability to bounce back from adversity.

In the semi-final round of the state tournament, Fannin County was matched against Dodge County, a south Georgia powerhouse. Stacy was given the assignment of defending an all-state guard on the Dodge County team. Her defensive performance was outstanding but, on the offensive end, she struggled through a poor shooting night and scored only 5 points, far below her average of 18 points per game. Undaunted, Stacy exploded for 40 points the next night in an 81-64 Fannin victory over Putnam County in the state championship game. Her performance included drilling 5 of 8 three-pointers and 15 of 17 free throws

To honor her accomplishments Fannin County High School retired Stacy’s jersey # 10. She registered a total of 1296 points during her high school career. Plus, she was an Honor Roll student all four years in high school.

Needless to say, college recruiters came calling and Stacy signed a full scholarship to attend college and play basketball at North Georgia College. She played four seasons at North Georgia and was a starter for the last three seasons there. She was named to the Conference All-Freshman Team and graduated with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing.

Stacy Parris currently resides in Atlanta where she is employed by the Corporate Executive Board Company in Business Development. She travels extensively in her job and enjoys life in Atlanta. In her spare time, Stacy enjoys sports and all types of outdoor activity, especially hiking.

Stacy Parris Bio

Video at FCHS HOF Game

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Stacy Parris Banquet Video

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Rene Godfrey

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Rene Godfrey West Fannin Rene Godfrey was always the kid who could run faster, jump further, catch better and hit the ball better than anyone else. Rene went to  McCaysville and then to Epworth Elementary School.  He recalls that the only game that his teams at Epworth played against a team from another school was during his 8th grade season of 1956. Epworth met the McCaysville/Copperhill ‘River Rats’ in a game played at halftime of the Copper Basin vs. West Fannin game at West Fannin. Epworth won 24-0 with Godfrey running for four touchdowns in the short contest. Continue reading →

Ashley Herendon

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ashley-2Ashley Herendon.  It is impossible to find the adjective that describes the athletic career of Ashley Herendon. Outstanding, exceptional, stellar, remarkable, notable, prominent, distinctive and other superlative descriptions come to mind but all seem inadequate. For lack of a stronger word, EXTRAORDINARY is probably best. Continue reading →

Jim Woodall

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Jimmy Woodall West FanninJim Woodall began his career in organized athletics as a freshman at West Fannin High School in 1957 and ended it at Northwest Whitfield High School in 2008. He was involved in competitive athletics as a player or coach for roughly 47 of those years.  In recognition of his many accomplishments during that  period, Jim has been elected to the 2014 class of the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame.

Jim was an excellent all-around athlete. He and his older brother Charles hailed from the community of Epworth. Charles was the first outstanding athlete at Continue reading →

Michael Hartness

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Michael Hartness Biography – 2013 FCSHOF Inductee

Michael HartnessThe 1960-61 West Fannin basketball team had a 21-9 record, finished as runners-up in the Region 3AA tournament and advanced to the State Tournament in Atlanta. It was the first West Fannin team to qualify for the State Tournament. The team was very experienced and had four seniors in the starting lineup, so only one starter from the team would be back to compete during the 1961-62 season. When the 1961-62 team opened the season with a 60-30 loss at Ringgold, the other opponents on the Jacket schedule must have been licking their chops for their chance to tear into the inexperienced West Fannin 5.

What the West Fannin opponents did not realize, however, was that the 61-62 model had a not so secret Continue reading →

Carlton Guthrie

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Carlton Guthrie Biography – 2013 FCSHOF Inductee

Carlton GuthrieOn the night of September 11, 1959 the West Fannin football eleven was engaged in an epic, rockem-sockem defensive struggle with the arch-rival Gilmer County Bobcats on the Gilmer field in Ellijay, Georgia. The game was nearing the end and neither team had posted any points on the scoreboard. The Yellow Jackets had threatened a few times but were never able to cash in. Given one last chance, the Jackets marched down the field but appeared to be stymied once again as they faced a fourth down and 15 yards to go situation at the Gilmer County 25-yardline. At that point, the great West Fannin quarterback, Carlton Guthrie, took the snap from center turned to his left, made a 180-degree turn and swept  toward the right sideline behind a phalanx of blockers. In a flash he turned the corner and sped down the sideline and into the end zone 25 yards away. The Jackets won 6-0. Continue reading →