The Glynn County Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the unveiling of a new display at the Glynn County Schools Athletics Center.
The display is located in the conference room on the second floor of the new facility which houses the Glynn County Schools Athletics offices at Glynn County Stadium.
The display includes the names of the inductees in each of the first six Hall of Fame classes and also features the state championship teams from the county’s three major high schools.
The local sports hall of fame began as a non-profit organization in 2011 and inducted its first class the following year. The Hall of Fame currently includes 35 members and six more will be inducted into Hall membership at the 2020 banquet scheduled for this coming March on Jekyll Island.
The Hall of Fame will continue to showcase its inductees in the original display at Southeast Georgia Health System. This display includes plaques detailing the accomplishments of each individual inductee. It is currently being relocated within the local hospital as the medical campus undergoes a major restoration and expansion.
The Hall discussed the possibility of putting a second display in the new Athletics Center with school system officials last spring and both parties agreed on the arrangement in a short time. The display was produced by Nitro Signs here in Brunswick and was installed in the upstairs room shortly after the new facility opened this summer at the local stadium.
“Our board of directors was excited when Glynn County Schools Athletics accepted our proposal,” said Kevin Price, president of the Hall of Fame. “The new facility turned out really well, and we appreciate the opportunity to have a presence in the building. It’s great exposure for the Hall of Fame and our inductees. A good many of them went through the school system and played sports or coached at the local high schools, so it really just makes sense for us to have something in a county athletic facility that honors some of the best of all-time in our community.”
As a way of giving back to the community, the Hall of Fame annually recognizes top players in the rivalry matchups between Glynn Academy and Brunswick High in several sports.
Also each spring, the Hall hosts its Ambassadors Event which recognizes outstanding senior student-athletes from Brunswick, Glynn and Frederica Academy who have excelled in both athletics and academics during their high-school careers. The Hall awards scholarships to student-athletes from each school at this event.
Steve Waters, athletic director for Glynn County Schools, said the school system was happy to further its relationship with the Hall of Fame by accommodating this new display in its newest facility.
“The Glynn County School System is extremely happy to partner with the Glynn County Sports Hall of Fame and pay tribute to the great athletes that have been honored as members of the Hall of Fame,” Waters said. “The Glynn County Athletics Center was built to be the centerpiece of athletics in Glynn County, and I think having the display in this building honoring the Hall of Fame members is perfect for recognizing these great athletes and coaches for all of their accomplishments.
“We have had many guests come through and take tours of the Athletics Center and they all comment on how much they like seeing the tribute in the building. We appreciate all that the Hall of Fame does to promote sports in our community and are glad to form this partnership with the organization.”
Along with recognizing the individual inductees, the Hall of Fame also wanted to recognize all of the county’s state championship teams in high-school athletics on the new display. This display is currently the only place in the county where all 106 teams that have won a state title are listed together. The teams are listed in chronological order by the decade in which they claimed their state championships.
Also, the Hall of Fame is excited to announce that it will begin honoring these championship teams during the ceremonies at future induction banquets starting with the upcoming 2020 banquet. This coming year, the Hall plans to kick off this endeavor by celebrating the athletics history of Risley High School which includes 12 state championships won by four different programs when the school existed.
The Hall of Fame is currently discussing several options for recognizing the state champions from the other high schools in the years ahead.
“This is big news. It’s a big deal, and it’s very important to us,” Price said. “State championships are special. A lot goes into winning them, and those who were fortunate enough to be part of a team that won one or more should cherish them and the memories that were created as they made their championship runs.
“Part of our mission is to preserve our community’s athletics history, and these state championships won by our local teams are meaningful parts of that history. We want to honor these teams, the people that were involved and celebrate their accomplishments once again with our community. We hope this will be something that people enjoy and look forward to in the coming years.”
The Hall of Fame encourages people to check out the new display when it has the chance at upcoming athletic events and other future functions held at the stadium.
You can also read about past Hall of Fame inductees and get more information on the county sports hall on its web site. The address is www.gcshof.com