WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, ALAlabama Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2012

The Board of Directors of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the Class of 2012 for induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.  The accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers tabulated the votes by the selection committees.

The newly elected inductees for the Class of 2012 are as follows:

MODERN CATEGORY

Artis Gilmore

E.J. Junior

Bryan Kirkland

 Andre Tippett

Steve Wallace

Dan Washburn

OLD TIMERS CATEGORY

Mal Moore

 Charley Pell

The newly elected eight inductees now bring the total of all inductees since 1969 to 305. 

The 2012 Induction Banquet will take place in the Birmingham Ballroom, at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, on Saturday, May 12, 2012.  Reception and banquet tickets will be available at a later date.

MODERN CATEGORY

ARTIS GILMORE/BASKETBALL – Born September 21, 1949 in Chipley, FL, and was reared in Dothan, AL and graduated from Dothan's Carver H.S.  He played for Gardner-Webb Junior College and Jacksonville University.  He led Jacksonville to the 1970 NCAA Championship game, but lost to the UCLA Bruins.  He is one of only five players in NCAA history to average at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in his career.  He led the NCAA in rebounding both years at Jacksonville University and his career average of 22.7 rebounds per game is still the highest in NCAA Division I history.  He was drafted by the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA in 1971.  He earned the rare distinction of being selected both Rookie of Year and the League MVP.  He led the Kentucky Colonels to the ABA Championship in '75 and was the ABA Playoffs MVP.  He established ABA League records for career field goal percentage (.557), career block shots (750), block shots in a season (287) and rebounds in a game (40).  He is a member of the ABA All-Time Team.  He was a five time ABA All-Star, five time All-ABA First Team, and ABA All-Star Game MVP.  In the NBA he played for the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics.  He was a six time NBA All-Star, and the NBA career leader in field goal percentage (59.9).  He scored 24, 941 points during his career in both the ABA and NBA and had a total of 3,178 block shots.  He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2011.

E.J. JUNIOR/FOOTBALL – Born December 8, 1959 in Salisbury, N.C.  He played collegiately at the University of Alabama.  He was a consensus All-American selection in 1980.  He was three time All-SEC selection and was SEC Lineman of the Year by both the Atlanta Touchdown Club and the Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club.  He was a finalist for the Lombardi Trophy his senior year.  He helped lead Alabama to two National Championships in 1978 and 1979.  He was the fourth overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.  He played 13 years in the NFL.  He was an All-Pro two consecutive years with the Cardinals (1984 & 1985).  He also played for the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks.  He has coached on both the collegiate and professional levels; and presently is the Head Coach at Central State University.

 BRYAN KIRKLAND/PARALYMPIAN – Born August 18, 1971 in Leeds, AL.  He was a member of the USA Paralympic Gold medal teams in wheelchair rugby in both 2000 and 2008.  In 2004 he was a member of the USA Team that won the Bronze Medal.  He was also a member of two World Championship Wheelchair Rugby teams.  He played wheelchair rugby for 16 years; and as a member of the Lakeshore Demolition Team, they won five National Championships.  In 2003 he was named the USQRA Athlete of the Year.  In 1998, he competed at the World Wheelchair Games where he medaled in three different track and field events (Gold Medal in the 200m and set a world record, Silver Medal in 100m and a Bronze in 400m).  In 2009, he was selected as a Hartford Athlete; one of a select group of elite athletes nationwide who travel the country to tell the story of their athletic career and illuminate the power of sport.

ANDRE TIPPETT/FOOTBALL – Born December 27, 1959 in Birmingham, AL.  He played collegiately at the University of Iowa.  He was a two time All-Big Ten selection two consecutive years (1980 & 1981). He holds the Iowa record for tackles for lost yardage in a season (20 tackles for 153 yards in 1980).  He was voted to Iowa's all-time football team at defensive end in 1989.  He is a member of the University of Iowa's Varsity Hall of Fame.  He was selected in the second round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots and played his whole twelve year career with the Patriots. He was a five time Pro-Bowl selection.  He was selected to the NFL's All-Decade team of the ‘80's.  He recorded the highest two-season sack total by a linebacker in NFL history (35) during the 1984 and 1985 season.  He holds the Patriots' franchise record with 100 career sacks.  NFL Players Association voted him AFC's Linebacker of Year three consecutive years.  He was selected to the Patriots 35^th Anniversary Team in 1994 and their Team of Century in 2000.  He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

 STEVE WALLACE/FOOTBALL – Born December 27, 1964 in Chamblee Georgia.  He was an offensive lineman for Auburn SEC Championship Team in 1983.  He was All-SEC offensive tackle in 1985.  He was a fourth round draft pick in the 1986 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.  Playing 11 years with the 49ers, he was a Pro Bowl selection (1992) and a two time All-Pro (1992 & 1994).  He was a part of three Super Bowl Championships with the 49ers (1988, 1989 & 1994).  While playing for the 49ers, he was named Community Player of Year for his work with the United Way.  He played one year with the Kansas City Chiefs before retiring.

DAN WASHBURN/ADMINISTRATOR – Born May 19, 1940 in Langdale, AL.  He coached 15 years at Lanett H.S. compiling a 109-45-4 record. He coached one year at Autauga County (Prattville) and five years at Valley as an assistant.  He served on the AHSAA Central Board and Legislative Council and was Superintendent of Lanett City Schools for seven years.  He served sixteen years with distinction as the third full-time Executive Director of the AHSAA.  Several new and revitalized AHSAA events have flourished under his leadership, including the Super Six H.S. Football Championships, the Final Four H.S. Basketball Championships, the Elite Eight H.S. Volleyball Championships and the All-Star Sports Week in the summer.  He was president of the National H.S. Federation Athletic Association in 2005-06 school year.  He was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.  On September 29, 2006 the Lanett High School football stadium was renamed the Morgan-Washburn Stadium. He is only the eighth individual from this state to be inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame; inducted in 2011.

OLD TIMERS CATEGORY

MAL MOORE/COACHING – Born December 19, 1939 in Dozier, AL.  As a player and coach, he was a part of 14 SEC championships and 27 bowl trips.  During a coaching career that spanned 31 years, Moore spent 22 of those at Alabama with stops at Montana State, Notre Dame and the NFL's St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals. At Alabama, Moore started as a graduate assistant under Coach Bryant in 1964, then as defensive backfield coach for six seasons (1965-70) before becoming quarterbacks coach from 1971-82, serving as the Tide's first offensive coordinator starting in 1975. He would go on to coordinate all of the offensive plays for several of Alabama's national championship football teams.  He has been associated with the University of Alabama as a student, graduate assistant, assistant coach, administrator, and now as Athletic Director for more than 50 years.  He is the only individual connected with Alabama that has the distinction of being a part of eight national championship teams (1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1992 and 2009) with the first coming as a player, the next six during his coaching career, and the most recent during his tenure as director of athletics.  In 2007, he was named Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Distinguished Alabama Sportsman for his contribution to sports in Alabama as an administrator.

CHARLEY PELL/FOOTBALL – Born on February 14, 1941 in Albertville, AL. He played collegiately at the University of Alabama and was a member of their 1961 National Championship team.  He was an All-SEC guard and defensive tackle.  In 1968, at the age of 28, he became the youngest Head Coach and Athletic Director in the country at Jacksonville State.  He led the Gamecocks to the Gulf South Conference Championship in 1970; and finished second in the nation in Division II.  He was 33-13-1 at Jacksonville State.  In 1976, he was named Defensive Coordinator at Clemson and the following year he was named Head Coach.  In 1978 his Clemson Tigers went 10-1 and captured the ACC Championship.  For the second year in a row he was named ACC Coach of the Year.  After the 1978 season he left Clemson to be the Head Football Coach at the University of Florida.  His overall coaching record was 84-43-5 and a .636 winning percentage.  He passed away on May 29, 2001.