Who's next for induction at the Macon Sports Hall of Fame? Tuesday is the big night
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
The newest class for the Macon Sports Hall of Fame covers quite the spectrum of generations, dating back to the early days of girls basketball to a head coach set to begin the playoffs in search of a state soccer championship.
The 10-member class will be inducted on Tuesday at the Macon Centreplex.
Here are the bios, edited from information provided by the Hall.
Dee Hazel, Appling, girls basketball
Hazel was a four-year varsity player for the Peter G. Appling Lady Wildcats basketball team back when the girlsā game was 6 on 6.
She helped Appling to state titles in 1962-63-64, averaging more than 30 points a game her junior and senior years under coach Clara Everett Hollins.
She temporarily gave up basketball and began working and starting a family, but was persuaded by Mercer womenās coach Peggy Collins to return to the game. After a decade. She had two solid seasons with Mercer, dropping 39 points on Georgia Southern in an old Georgia Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women state tournament.
Brett Hendley, Stratford, baseball
Hendley was a hitting machine during his Little League, high school and collegiate career. He was a .40 hitter during an illustrious career at Stratford, helping his team win back-to-back GISA state titles in 1985 and 1986. He belted 11 home runs in 1986 for the Eagles, and knocked in eight runs in a game against John Milledge.
Hendley earned All-State Honors in 1984, 1985 and 1986, also being named the best male athlete at Stratford and winning the schoolās Best Male Citizen Award. His jersey is retired and heās in the Stratford Hall of Fame.
He earned a scholarship to Georgia Southern and started for three years, opening with a 16-homer freshman season. Hendley was the Trans America Athletic Conference tournament MVP in 1987 and all-tournament in 1987 and 1988. The All-TAAC pick was drafted by Oakland in 1989.
Bobby Huellemeier, Mount de Sales, baseball
A multi-sport standout at Mount de Sales, Huellemeirās forte was in baseball. He led the Cavaliers to the 1966 GHSA state baseball championship, starting a run that saw MDS win 5 state titles in a 7-year span. He struck out 18 batters in the 1966 Class C State title game vs. Meriwether in a 3-hitter. He picked up another win and a save during the Cavaliers state title run.
During the state tournament, he allowed only five hits and one unearned run in 14 2/3 innings while striking out 28 batters. In the 1967 Class C Region tournament, he struck out 31 batters in 13 innings while batting .300.
His stellar work with Cavaliers earned Bobby a spot in the 1967 state all-star game at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. He was drafted by the L.A. Dodgers, but chose to play baseball at Mercer under legendary coach Claude Smith. He compiled an excellent career at Mercer, including a sparkling 1.86 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 58 innings as a junior.
Casey Jones, basketball coach
Jones has had a love for the coaching profession for over 50 years but before he answered the coaching call he was a standout on the court and the diamond. He earned All-State honors as a pitcher and infielder at Mark Smith High School and scored 43 points in a basketball game during his prep career. He played college baseball at Middle Georgia and Appalachian State, helping App State reach the NAIA World Series.
A five-decade coaching career covering 11 different high schools in Central Georgia followed, primarily with basketball and baseball, and more than 1,000 wins along the way.
He led the Stratfordās girls to a pair of state basketball titles in the 1980s, and Monroe Academy to the finals. Jones steered three different schools, including Tattnall, to state baseball finals, racking up coaching honors along the way.
Clint Kent, Westside, football
Kentās potential began to show in the Pee Wee ranks, and blossomed at Westside under legendary football coach Robert Davis.
Kent set the Seminolesā record for interceptions, and scored five defensive touchdowns as a three-year starter while earning All-City, All-Middle Georgia, and All-State honors, leading to a jersey retirement.
The next step was at James Madison, where he was a key member of the 2004 NCAA I-AA national champions. He was a highly decorated athlete at James Madison and was named a College Sports Report All-American, first-team All-Atlantic 10, and team captain. He finished his career as JMUās all-time interceptions leader with 13 while also racking up over 200 tackles.
Another step followed, with Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Montreal in the Canadian Football League. He was a team captain on the 2011 Winnipeg team that made it to the Grey Cup finals.
Reggie āDocā Manuel, Southwest, basketball
Manuel was one of a long line of legendary players to wear the Southwest Patriots uniform and excel under the guidance of legendary head coach Don āDuckā Richardson. Manual was a 2-time Middle Georgia Player of the Year, a two-time All-State performer and a high school All-American.
He played a key role on the 1989 Southwest state championship team, the schoolās sixth title under Richardson. He averaged 15 points a game that year, and more than 17 points per game during his senior season.
He went to UNLV, recruited by Jerry Tarkanian ,one of five head coaches he had with the Rebels. Despite constant transition, Manuel scored more than 1,100 points with the Runninā Rebels, averaging nearly 22 points as a junior.
He also earned Big West All-Freshman honors in 1992 and All-Big West first team in 1994. The Las Vegas Review Journal ranked Manuel among the Top 50 players to ever wear the UNLV uniform.
His career continued overseas in Israel, Poland, Switzerland and Cypress.
Claude Smith, Mercer, baseball
Smith earned legendary status in Central Georgia as the long-time baseball coach at Mercer, but his excellence on the field surfaced long before he moved to Macon.
He was a three-sport high school star in Illinois and earned All-State football honors. That led to All-America honors at Appalachian State, and a school hall of fame induction.
Smith became a successful high school football coach in North Carolina before finding his way to Macon and Mercer in 1948, leading the Bears for 34 years.
His teams amassed more than 400 wins, including three straight 30-win seasons in the mid-1970s. He also led the teamās transition from NAIA into NCAA Division 1.
Smith, for whom the baseball field is named, is a Mercer Hall of Fame member, who also had more than 30 years of high school football officiating under his belt.
Andy Summers, Lanier, football
Summers was a standout football player at Lanier, where he teamed up with legendary running back Isaac Jackson to form a potent offensive backfield combination affectionately known as Salt & Pepper.
Summers scored three touchdowns as a junior for the Poets, and exploded as a senior. He scored 12 touchdowns and showcased his speed and elusiveness by ripping off touchdown runs of 50, 72 and 82 yards. He was also credited with scoring the final touchdown in Lanier football history, against Columbus High in the 1969 state playoffs.
Summerās emergence earned him a scholarship to Florida, where he eventually moved to defense and earned a reputation as a hard-hitter and special-teams ace.
He went into coaching, working at one point with the legendary Gene Brodie ā a Macon Sports Hall of Famer ā at Tift County. Son Tyson followed in his fatherās footsteps and is a longtime college coach.
Josh Trieste, FPD, soccer
Trieste has been a fixture on the soccer pitch at FPD for more than two decades, starting as a community coach under Charlie Parrish before taking over as the boys head coach in 2002 and girls head coach in 2007.
Sustained success defined by solid play and sportsmanship has marked his FPD career, en route to nearly 600 wins. Many of those wins came during a remarkable streak in which the girls team won five state titles in 18 years. They won it in GISA in 2007 and 2023, and in the GHSA in 2012, 2012, and 2018.
His boys teams have more than 250 wins, and Trieste has had only two losing seasons.
Maggie Johnston Waldrop, FPD, track and field
Johnston was a prime-time performer at FPD, winning two state titles under coach Dave Sparrow, setting school records in the shot put and discus. She could multi-task: On one memorable Saturday she won a state title in the discus and scored a goal for the Lady Vikings soccer team.
Her success in high school track earned her a scholarship to Samford, where she earned All-Freshman honors in both field events. Johnston was the Most Outstanding Performer at the 2019 Southern Conference meet, with wins in the shot and discus (also in 2020). s winning both the shot put and discus in 2019 and 2020.
She won four SoCon discus titles, and did it three times outdoors. The 2020 MOP at the conference indoor meet went to the NCAA Regions in 2020.
Obie Smith, Bobby Pope Service to Sports Award
Smith grew up in the Unionville area of Macon and attended Southwest. He passed up an opportunity for a college scholarship and stayed home to help raise a family.
He has spent the past 30-plus years serving his community in a variety of roles with an emphasis on helping young people stay focused on the path to success. Heās been a driving force behind the Middle Georgia Community Youth League helping kids succeed on the field, court and diamond. Among the graduates of that league ā future pros Jeff Malone, Sharone Wright, Kareem Jackson and Roger Jackson.
Heās also served in a variety of roles with the Southwest Kickoff and Tip-off Clubs. In the spring and summer, the deacon at Kings Chapel Baptist Church helps coach in Macon Little League, as well as umpiring and working concessions.