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CLASS OF 2006

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JANET ALLMAN BATTCHER

Macon native Janet (Allman) Battcher led Baldwin High School in Milledgeville to three consecutive girls basketball State Titles in 1986, 1987 and 1988. The Bravettes came close to making it 6 championships with Runner-up positions in 1979, ’81 and ‘85. During a six season run from 1983-1988, Baldwin was in the State Final Four every season and compiled a 152-21 record during that span. Battcher won the prestigious Atlanta Tipoff Club Coach of the Year honors in both 1986 and 1988. Janet retired following the 1990 campaign. Her husband Jeff was inducted into the Macon Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 making them the only husband/wife duo in the shrine.

Janet
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REGGIE ANDREWS

Reggie Andrews was voted Lanier’s best all-around athlete after helping the Poets to State Championships in football and baseball and a Region title in baseball. He received a baseball scholarship to the University of Georgia where he led the Diamond Dogs to back to back SEC crowns in 1953 and 1954 while gaining All Conference honors. He was named All-America becoming just the second Bulldog player to ever receive that honor. Andrews finished his career with a .301 batting average with 7 home runs and 72 RBI. He was a three-year letterman, named team captain of the 1955 team and following his senior season, signed a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Neil
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NEIL CALLAWAY

Neil Callaway was an All-State football player at Central in 1971. He then moved to Tuscaloosa and would play five different positions at Alabama for “Bear” Bryant. Callaway began his coaching career as a part of Pat Dye's staff at East Carolina University. He stayed with Dye as the staff went first to the University of Wyoming before landing at Auburn where Callaway was named Offensive Line coach. In twelve years with Auburn, the team won a share of four Southeastern Conference titles and Callaway coached four All-Americans. After working as an assistant at both Houston and his alma mater Alabama, Callaway joined Mark Richt's staff at the University of Georgia in 2001 as line coach and coordinator, where the team won three SEC division titles and two conference championships in six years there. He left Georgia to become head coach at UAB where he stayed 5 seasons from 2007 until 2011.

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FRANK GLOVER, SR.

Dr. Frank Glover, Sr. was a longtime educator and NFL Official. He was the first NFL official of any nationality from the South and the fourth African-American referee in the history of the league. He served seventeen years on the field and another seventeen years as an NFL Observer. He started out as a Field Judge and worked in that role for one season before he became a head linesman for the remainder of his career. Glover officiated 14 playoff games including Denver’s 34‐21 victory over Pittsburgh in 1977. He also served as head linesman for two Hall of Fame games. Prior to working in the NFL he officiated in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. He is a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. He retired from the Atlanta Public Schools as Assistant Superintendent after thirty-five years of service.

Willie
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WILLIE GOOLSBY

Willie Goolsby is one of Macon’s top high school girls basketball coaches. Willie spent 4 years at Southeast High School but the majority of his 40+ years in coaching have been at Southwest. The Willingham graduate began his coaching career with the Patriots working as an assistant for the legendary and fellow Hall-of-Famer Don Richardson. But Goolsby was asked to lead the Southwest girls and in 28 years at the helm he posted an impressive 529-308 record. He has produced three State Runner-up teams: 1994, 1995, and 2020. Among Willie’s standout players is fellow Hall member Latavia Coleman. In addition to his basketball success, Goolsby has coached 8 high school track All-Americans and 9 All-State runners.

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CLAUDE GREENE

Claude Greene won four letters at Lanier High School In 1947 and was named the school's Most Outstanding Athlete. He played on three consecutive State Championship teams: the Poets 1947 baseball title team, he 1948 state champion football and basketball teams. He attended the University of South Carolina, earning a football scholarship but he also played basketball for the Gamecocks. Then he joined the Navy and he showcased his boxing skills winning the Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship. After the Navy, he played professional baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950. Three decades later, Greene began coaching women's competitive softball. He coached the Lady Elite 18-Under softball team that won the 1987 USSSA State and Atlantic Region Crowns. In the 1990’s his Class A Blaze team won the Flag City Shootout twice, and USSSA Class A State Titles from 1993 to 1995.

Harold
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HAROLD HALLMAN

Harold Hallman played his high school football at Southwest where he was Team’s Most Valuable Player in 1981. He signed a football scholarship to play at Auburn where he was a three year letterman while helping Tigers to the 1983 SEC title. Hallman was a first-team All-SEC selection at nose guard in 1985 and was a 10th round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 1986 NFL Draft. But Hallman opted for the Canadian Football League and he was named Rookie of the Year in 1986 with Calgary after recording a team-high 19 quarterback sacks. He spent 8 seasons in the CFL with stops in Calgary and Toronto and was a 4 time All-Star. His 1991 Toronto team claimed the league’s Grey Cup Championship.

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JEFF HARPER

Jeff Harper was the 1976 SEIAS Football Player of the Year for Edgar Hatcher at Monroe Academy and earned All-State honors for three straight years with the Mustangs. He signed a football scholarship to the University of Georgia where he played offensive guard for three seasons and was a member of the 1980 National Championship team. Jeff played briefly in the NFL spending two seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He also had stints in the USFL with Oakland and Pittsburgh. Harper will forever have a spot in UGA football history. There is a campus statue of him helping carry Coach Vince Dooley off the field following the Bulldogs' win over rival Georgia Tech. His son Cullen, was the starting quarterback at Clemson in 2007 and 2008 and also played in the NFL for a short time.

Barney
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BARNEY HESTER

Barney Hester is one of the winningest prep football coaches in Georgia history. The Georgia Southern graduate actually started his coaching career on Erk Russell’s first staff at Southern in 1981. But Hester would soon transition to the high school sidelines. He’s one of only 13 coaches to win 300 or more games compiling a record of 340-167-9. He won 19 Region Championships and 11 State Titles in 31 seasons at Tattnall Square Academy before taking over at Howard High School in 2013. He also had 7 state Runner-up teams. As a track coach he won one girls and five boys GISA State Titles. He was named GISA boys track coach of the year in 1996. His 340 wins ranks him in the top 10 for Georgia coaches all-time. Hester retired from coaching in 2018 to become Bibb County Athletic Director.

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JIM McLEMORE

Jim McLemore was a high school tennis standout at First Presbyterian Day School. During the years 1974-1978, McLemore was consistently ranked in the Southern Top Ten rankings which covers nine states. He was never ranked lower than number 8 in the state of Georgia rankings. He signed to play college tennis at the University Of Florida where he was All-SEC First Team member in 1980, ‘81 and ‘82. He fashioned a career singles record of 79 wins and 29 losses (73 percent winning percentage) for the Gators. He posted 20 or more wins twice playing No. 5 singles (21-6) as a freshman and No. 3 singles (23-4) as a senior. McLemore played No. 1 singles his entire junior year and part of his sophomore year. His 79 wins ranks in the Gators all-time Top Ten list.

Pope
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BOBBY POPE

Bobby Pope and Sports in Middle Georgia have been synonymous for more than six decades. In 1970, the Thomaston native became WMAZ TV/Radio Sports Director, producing a daily sports show for both radio and television. During his time with the station he completed his degree from Georgia College. Bobby created “The Saturday Scoreboard”, a football call in show that he hosted for 37 years and a daily sports vignette show entitled “A Great Day in Sports.” While still at WMAZ, Bobby joined Mercer University as a part-time Sports Information Director. He later became the school’s Athletic Director in 1989. During his time at Mercer he was instrumental in upgrading many campus facilities as well as playing a role in construction of the University Center where the Bears play their basketball and volleyball games. Mercer teams won men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, men’s soccer, and women’s soccer championships under his guidance. He was inducted into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.

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TOMMY REID

Tommy Reid was one of the most accomplished all-around athletes to ever come from Macon. Consider this: he was a three-year basketball and baseball letter winner at Willingham High School and was his team’s MVP in basketball and track his senior season. He was named the basketball team’s best offensive player three straight seasons, but he made baseball his college choice signing with the University of Georgia. With the Bulldogs, Reid gained All-SEC honors in 1965. He was Georgia team captain as a senior batting .300 during his final season. After his days in Athens, Reid devoted even more time to yet another sport, Golf and he won various tournaments around the state including the Georgia State Senior Amateur Championship in 2001.

Sapp
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THERON SAPP

Fullback Theron Sapp will long be revered by Georgia Bulldog football fans. His performance in the 1957 Georgia-Georgia Tech game led to him bearing the nickname of “Drought-Breaker.” Sapp scored a one-yard touchdown on fourth and goal for the game's only score and a 7-0 UGA win snapping the Jackets 8-game winning streak in the series. Sapp came to Athens after a stellar career at Lanier High School in which he led the Poets to the 1953 State Championship game won by Erk Russell’s Grady High team 9-6. Sapp was All-SEC in both 1957 and ’58 and his jersey, number 40, is one of four to be retired by UGA along with Frank Sinkwich, Charley Trippi, and Herschel Walker. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 10th round of the 1958 NFL Draft, and played running back for them through the 1963 season and later briefly for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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