In 1999, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame opened its doors in Macon. The Hall of Fame works to showcase famous athletes and coaches, as well as artifacts and paraphilia of different teams. All of these displays work to preserve the history of Georgia sports and recognize famous individuals who have made an influence in the world of athletics.
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
The displays of Sports Hall of Fame inductees change yearly, with the class of 2024 showcasing people like the famous tennis player Wendy White and media coordinator for both the Georgia Bulldogs and NCAA Champion Events Claude Felton.
Anyone is able to nominate a potential inductee on the Georgia Hall of Fame website, however, according to Nathan Jones, the curator for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, who is selected for the display is by a voting system through the Georgia Sports Authority Board.
The selection committee looks through the nominees to see if they meet the requirements to be eligible — being either born in Georgia or playing or coaching in Georgia in some capacity. The selection committee then transfers it over to the honors committee who narrows the number of nominees down to about eight finalists.
“There’s plaques out there where there’s some years where it was six people or maybe five people, but no more than eight,” said Nathan Jones, the curator for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. “This year they decided to do 10. I’m not really sure why,”
After a lot of deliberation the inductees will be announced and honored at a banquet. They will then get their display put up. There is also a category known as legends, in which folks who were nominated and passed away still have the opportunity to be showcased.
HALL OF FAME EXHIBITS
The upstairs of the Hall of Fame is dedicated to showcasing sports history and providing an interactive area for guests to learn more. The second floor is also home of a golden figure with large wings that extend from its back and arch upward. It’s a statue of the Greek goddess Nike who is known to represent victory in both war and friendly competition.
“They like looking at it (the Nike statue). It’s gold. It has no head or arms, but, you know,”Jones said. “You can tie it into sports in terms of victory and all that stuff. Kids love that. People love that. People love that in general, we get art students from Middle Georgia State and even Mercer. They come in and they sit up there and draw it.”
There is also a section of the museum labeled “School Sports” This area is filled with pictures of old high school sports teams, displays of old records, and jerseys hanging from the ceiling that were once worn by young athletes filled with the thrill of the game. As an institution, According to Jones, the Hall of Fame has been around since the 50s and was formerly known as the Georgia Prep Sports Hall of Fame. It showcased high school players and coaches. However, the high school section has been expanded upon to add more room for college and professional sports.
Within the college and professional sports section, the two are separated by the type of sports. There is a wide range of different athletics, from football, to racing and boxing. One of the most interesting displays is of the owner of the Braves and Hawks, Ted Turner. His display doesn’t not showcase either of the sports that the teams he owns plays, but rather his yacht.
“He liked yachting. So there’s the yachting equipment and his duffle bag and all that. There’s a big picture of him on a yacht that’s up there and then, you know, sporting because that’s sporting in a way,” Jones said. “When I saw up there, I was just like, that is bizarre but kind of neat, kind of cool, kind of interesting.”
The displays are separated into a section for college football, which is divided even more by Georgia teams, Olympic athletes, baseball, golf and other sports. At the end of these displays, there is an area for children to play some of the sports showcased within the displays.
“So every year those are the most popular exhibits, you know, the statue, the interactive area and the new inductee exhibits,” Jones said.
The Hall of Fame also includes a theater and they often rent out their space for events.
