BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Board of Directors of the State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce that Angus Cooper II and John McMahon, Jr. will be recognized as 2021 Distinguished American Sportsmen at the State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame 53rd Annual Induction Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, May 8, 2021.
Angus R. Cooper II was born March 28, 1942 in Mobile, AL. He graduated from University Military School in Mobile in 1960, where he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. He served as team captain of all three sports his senior year. Cooper earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alabama in 1964. Throughout his business career, he has leveraged the success of his family business to benefit sports and education institutions throughout the Southeast. For a number of years, he served on the Athletic Committee of Tulane University and played a role in the construction of a new football stadium for the school. From 2000-2012, he served on the University of Alabama Board of Trustees and was chosen to lead the Chairman of the Board’s Athletic Committee. During Cooper’s tenure as Chairman of the Athletic Committee, the University of Alabama developed one of the most successful athletic programs in the nation. In 2006, Cooper was involved with the search process for a new head football coach that resulted in the hiring of Coach Nick Saban. Since 2010, Cooper has served as Chairman of the Senior Bowl in Mobile. Along with serving as the final evaluation of college football players before the NFL Draft, Cooper has expanded the Senior Bowl’s mission to encourage and support inner-city kids through year-round athletic programs.
John J. McMahon, Jr., a well-known business and community leader in Birmingham, has supported numerous civic, public, and athletic efforts of statewide significance during his career. McMahon graduated with his bachelors degree from Birmingham-Southern College in 1965 and his law degree from the University of Alabama in 1968. He currently serves as Chairman of Ligon Industries, LLC, and formerly served as President and Chairman of McWane, Inc. He served on the Board of Trustees at both Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Alabama, where he served as Chair of the Athletic Committee. He has served as a board member and officer of the Crimson Tide Foundation since its inception. He is also an original member of the 4 and 20 Club – a support organization established in the mid-1970s for University of Alabama basketball. For many years, he has been a member of the Monday Morning Quarterback Club, Red Elephant Club, and Birmingham Tip-Off Club. McMahon played an instrumental role in assisting the Birmingham Athletic Partnership with the development of the BAP Corporate Partner program, which provides funding to athletic and extracurricular programs within the Birmingham City Schools. For his generous contributions to the success of University of Alabama Athletics, he has been recognized as a member of the Bryant Society and an honorary member of the Alabama A Club.
Cooper and McMahon join an impressive list of others who have been honored as Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Distinguished American Sportsmen. They are: Bob Hope (1988), Hugh Culverhouse (1991), Former President George H.W. Bush (1992), Charles O. Finley (1993), Larry D. Striplin, Jr. (1998), Bill Ireland (2000), Roy Kramer (2003), Jim Wilson, Jr. (2005), Michael E. Stephens (2006), Joseph Gibbs (2008), Nick Bollettieri (2009), Rick Woodward (2010), Don Logan (2011), Ron Froehlich (2015), Mike Slive (2015), Edgar Welden (2016), Pete Derzis (2017), Jimmy Rane (2018), Daniel Moore (2019), and Robbie Robertson (2020).
The 53rd Annual Induction Banquet and Ceremony will be held in the Birmingham Ballroom, at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, on Saturday, May 8, 2021. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum at (205) 323-6665.
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