Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame announces 2024 inductees from Columbus area
The Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame has announced their list of 2024 inductees, which features familiar faces from around the area.
The full list of inductees includes the following:
Tommy “Mac” Chambers
James “Monk” Johnson
Mason Lampton
Dell McGee
Dusty Perdue
Chambers was a member of the 1966 state of Alabama Boy’s Basketball championship team and later attended Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, according to a press release.
Johnson played football at Spencer High School and would help the team to the state championship game two years in a row. He was named the Golden Helmet recipient in 1970 and would earn a scholarship to play at Tennessee State University, the Hall of Fame said.
He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1975, the release said.
Lampton founded and developed the Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain in 1985 as a fundraiser for the arts organizations in the Columbus area, according to the Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame said the Steeplechase is one of the top five steeplechase events in the U.S. with more than $4.3 million raised for the arts over the event’s 38-year history.
McGee was a former Auburn Football player who played for the Tigers during their undefeated season in 1993 and was a fifth round NFL draft pick. The former Carver High School coach is now a running back coach for the University of Georgia, according to the release.
Perdue has coached for 18 years at Glenwood High School in Phenix City having coached both the boy’s and girl’s basketball teams. He has an combined record of 440-134 and has led the boy’s team to four state titles, according to the release. He was named ACCC Coach of the Year after leading the Chattahoochee Valley Community College Lady Pirate’s basketball team for two years and finishing 27-5 in his second season as coach, according to the release.
The genesis of the Hall
In 1995, a group of local sports enthusiasts gathered to consider how they might begin a process of recognizing, as well as, honoring those who have and those who will contribute to sports from the Chattahoochee Valley. After a series of meetings, the organization we know today as the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame, Inc., came into existence, according to its history on its website.
Nominations for consideration for selection into the “Hall of Fame” may be made only by members of the “Hall of Fame” Selection Committee of the Corporation, the site explained. Categories in which all nominees are slotted for consideration include: Baseball, Football, Basketball, Golf, Coaching, Contributors, Track, Tennis, Hockey, Multi-Sports, and Other Sports. The first class inducted into the “Hall of Fame” was the “Class of 1996”.
The Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame, Inc., maintains a 3,500 square foot inductee memorabilia display area in the Columbus Civic Center in which memorabilia of over 100 past year inductees is on display for the viewing public
