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“FATHER
OF SPORTS MEDICINE” AMONG GEORGIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME’S
STELLAR 2006 CLASS
MACON,
GA – Dr. Jack Hughston, known as the “Father of Sports
Medicine”, has been chosen as a member of the Georgia Sports
Hall of Fame’s Class of 2006 inductees.
The 2006
GSHF Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 20
at the Macon City Auditorium.
Hughston
was a “trailblazer” in the field of sports medicine becoming
one of the first known physicians to attend to high school
and college athletes on the sidelines. He endured ridicule
from many in his profession for these actions but persevered
and served as Auburn University’s Orthopaedic consultant
from 1952-1994.
“Dr.
Jack Hughston was an amazing individual,” said GSHF
Executive Director Jacquelyn Decell. “He truly changed the
face of athletics. His groundbreaking techniques have
extended the careers of thousands upon thousands of athletes
and his impact has extended to physicians all over the
world.
“I think
of people like Dan Reeves and Tommy Nobis who endured
countless knee surgeries. How long would their careers have
lasted if they played today with Dr. Hughston’s procedures?
We are extremely proud he has been chosen for induction.”
The 1938
Auburn University graduate invented the protective
mouthpiece that was made mandatory for high school football
players across the nation in 1962. He was also the founder
of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the
American Journal of Sports Medicine and presided over the
first sports medicine conference in Georgia in 1960.
His
first teaching course on “The Prevention of Athletic
Injuires” was in August of 1961. It was attended by over
300 high school coaches and team physicians in Atlanta.
Seven years later, Hughston, a 1949 graduate of the Duke
University Orthopaedic Training Program, created the
Hughston Sports Medicine Foundation. His clinic treated its
100,000th patient in 1982 and his Hughston Sports
Medicine Hospital open in 1984.
Others
in the Class of 2006 include:
Taz
Anderson:
Six-year NFL veteran who played tight end for the St. Louis
Cardinals (1961-1964) and the Atlanta Falcons
(1966-1967)…Finished his career with 87 receptions for 1,335
yards and nine TDs…Best season came in 1965 with 35 catches
for 535 yards and three TDs…Lettered three years at Georgia
Tech playing halfback, fullback and end…Played in the 1959
Gator Bowl and 1961 Senior Bowl…Led Tech in receiving with
10 catches in 1959...Inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of
Fame in 1982…Named All-State in 1954 and 1955 at Savannah
High…Co-captained the South squad in the state high school
all-star football game.
Bobby
Cox:
One of the winningest coaches in professional baseball
history and the winningest coach in Atlanta Braves’
history…During his 23 years (not counting 2005) as a head
coach, he has compiled a staggering record of 2002 wins and
1531 losses…In Atlanta, he is 1,647-1,239…Cox has led the
Braves to 13 consecutive divisional titles, 1995 World
Series championship and five overall appearances in the Fall
Classic…He was named Manager of the Year by the Baseball
Writers Association of America in 2004…He also received the
same honor from the Sporting News for the sixth time – more
than any other manager since the magazine started balloting
in 1936.
Ray
Donaldson:
Enjoyed a 17-year NFL career with the Baltimore/Indianapolis
Colts, Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys…He earned six
Pro-Bowl honors and became the first African-American to
play center in the NFL…Won a Super Bowl title with the
Cowboys in 1995…Played in 244 career games…1979 All-SEC
selection at the University of Georgia…Lettered three years
at UGA from 1977-79…All-American and All-State performer at
East Rome High School…High School jersey retired by East
Rome.
Bobby
Gaston:
One of the most respected men in college football
officiating…Has been involved in Southeastern Conference
football officiating for nearly five decades… Received the
Officiating Award by the National Football Foundation and
College Football Hall of Fame in 1995…Supervisor of football
officiating for the Southeastern Conference since 1988…Was
as an SEC official from 1957-1981 and worked 18 bowl games.
Lea
Henry-Manning:
Starting point guard on the 1984 gold medal winning U.S.
Women’s Olympic Basketball team…Four-year starter at the
University of Tennessee…Captained three teams that competed
in the Final Four…Two-Time Academic All-American…Scored over
1,000 points and compiled 593 assists in her UT career…1983
All-SEC selection…Played on US international teams from
1978-1984…Selected as a 1979 Kodak High School All-American
at Southwest Georgia Academy.
Bettye
McClendon:
Became the first female to officiate a men’s college
basketball game…Women’s college basketball
official…Officiated the Final Four of the Mid-Eastern (MEAC)
and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women’s
basketball tournaments…Physical Education Coordinator for
Atlanta Public Schools from 1974-1991.
Al Mead:
The first paralympic athlete to ever be selected for
induction into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame…Dominant
figured in amputee track and field for 14 years…Won the gold
medal while setting a world record in the long jump at the
1988 Seoul Paralympic Games…Captured silver medal in the
long jump at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympic Games…World
record holder in the 100 meters from 1982-1988…Seven-time
national champion in the 100 meters…14-time national
champion in the long and high jumps.
Marian
Morgan:
An influential figure in the development of African-American
Olympic track athletes from 1949-1971…Her coaching produced
gold medalists like Mildred-McDaniel Singleton, Margaret
Matthews Wilburn, Wyomia Tyus, Edith McGuire Duvall, Lucinda
Williams Adams, Isabell Daniels Holston and Martha Hudson
Pennyman (all in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame)…Was
selected to coach the US Women’s National team that competed
against Russia in Moscow in 1961.
Sugar
Ray Robinson:
Arguably “pound for pound” the best prize fighter in boxing
history…Born in Ailey, Georgia, Robinson held the world
welterweight title from 1946-1951 and was the world
middleweight champion five times from 1951-1960…In 200
career fights, he never took a 10 count…In 1997, Ring
magazine chose Robinson as the best boxer in its 75 years of
publication…Fought the “Raging Bull” Jake LaMotta six time,
winning five…Finished his career with a record of 175-19-6.
The
Class of 2006 brings the total number of members in the
Georgia Sports Hall of Fame to 344.
“Every
induction class is special, but I have to say this is one of
the most balanced I have ever seen,” Decell. “Their
distinguished careers and pioneering efforts are
staggering.”
For more
information on the Class of 2006 and the Induction Ceremony
next May, please call the GSHF at (478) 752-1585, ext. 101
or 102.
CONTACT: Robbie Burns
Public Relations Director
Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
(478) 752-1585, ext. 101
(478) 752-1587 (fax)
robbieb@gshf.org
www.georgiasportshalloffame.com |
