Month: December 2022

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Board of Directors of the State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce that Rick Karle will be recognized as the 2023 Mel Allen Media Award recipient at the 55^th Annual Induction Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, May 13, 2023.

The Mel Allen Media Award was created to honor media members in the State of Alabama who have made a lifetime contribution to sports through their work as a media member. The award is named after the 1974 ASHOF Inductee Mel Allen, of Birmingham, who was known as the “Voice of the New York Yankees” for two decades.

Rick Karle was born and raised in Syracuse, NY. He attended the University of New Hampshire where he received his B.A. degree in journalism. Karle spent 38 years as a TV sports anchor in Birmingham, Jacksonville, FL and Hanover, NH. Karle also worked for 30 years anchoring high school football coverage in Alabama. He joined WVTM 13 in 2019 where he currently serves as a co-host of the WVTM 13 morning news. Karle is in his 43^rd year of television broadcasting. During his time in Alabama, Karle, a cancer survivor, has served as a board member for the American Cancer Society. He has also volunteered with the Big Oak Ranches, United Cerebral Palsy, and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Karle is a 24-time Emmy award winner with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The most recent Emmy that Karle was awarded was in June 2018 for “Best Sports Anchor” in the southeast. Karle has received more than 50 Emmy nominations and has won over 50 Associated Press awards, including the Alabama AP “Best Sports Anchor” award in 2017 and the AP “Best Sports Program” award for “Sideline”. He has also been recognized with six Edward R. Murrow Regional Awards and one Edward R. Murrow National Award.

Karle joins a distinguished list of others who have been honored by the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame as Mel Allen Media Award recipients. They are: John Pruett (2014), George Smith (2014), Tom Roberts (2015), Ron Ingram (2017), Cecil Hurt (2019), Paul Finebaum (2020), Rubin Grant (2021), and Mark McCarter (2022).

The 55^th Induction Banquet and Ceremony will be held in the Birmingham Ballroom, at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, on Saturday, May 13, 2023. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum at (205) 323-6665.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Board of Directors of the State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce that William Booth will be recognized as the 2023 Frank “Pig” House Award recipient at the 55^th Annual Induction Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, May 13, 2023.

The Frank “Pig” House Award is given to someone who has performed outstanding service to sports in Alabama, and whom the Board of Directors feels worthy of special recognition. The award is named after the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame’s first Chairman of the Board who was instrumental in the founding of the Hall of Fame.

William Booth was born in 1944 in Hartselle, AL. He became a math teacher at Hartselle High School in 1966. Booth taught math for 22 years before he was convinced by Hartselle’s principal to coach their baseball team. Booth’s son would soon be joining the high school baseball team, so he figured he would try coaching for two seasons. After leading the team to a 27-4 record in his second season, Booth has stuck with the team ever since. With his 648^th win in 2006, Booth became the state’s all-time winningest high school baseball coach. At 78 years old, William Booth still leads the Hartselle Tigers baseball team and has compiled a record of 1163-508. Booth has also won nine state championships, good for the second-most in Alabama history, and 21 area championships. Booth was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

Booth joins a distinguished list of others who have been honored by the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame as Frank “Pig” House Award recipients. They are: Sammy Dunn (2004), Avalee Willoughby (2007), Buddy Anderson (2014), Emanuel “Tubb” Bell IV (2017), Don Hawkins (2020), Reeves Sims (2021), and Eddie Conyers (2022).

The 55^th Induction Banquet and Ceremony will be held in the Birmingham Ballroom, at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, on Saturday, May 13, 2023. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum at (205) 323-6665.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Board of Directors of the State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the Class of 2023 to be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame on May 13, 2023. The Class was selected by ballot through a statewide selection committee; votes were tabulated by the accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The newly elected inductees for the Class of 2023 are as follows:

KAREN MAYSON BAHNSEN

KARLOS DANSBY

ROMAN HARPER

LARRY KENON

THEO RATLIFF

JACKIE SHERRILL

GERALD WALLACE

RODDY WHITE

Starting with the first class in 1969, this will be the 55^th Class inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. The eight newly elected inductees will bring the total number of inductees to 393.

The 55^th Annual Induction Banquet and Ceremony will be held in the Birmingham Ballroom, at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, on May 13, 2023. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum at (205) 323-6665.

CLASS OF 2023 BIOGRAPHIES:

KAREN MAYSON BAHNSEN – GOLF | Born October 11, 1960 in Mobile, AL. Bahnsen was the first female golfer to receive an athletic scholarship at Louisiana State University where she played from 1980-83. She was head coach of the Lady Tigers from 1985-2018. During Bahnsen’s 34 years as head coach, her teams recorded 28 team titles and 28 individual titles. She led the Tigers to an SEC Championship victory in 1992 and her teams qualified for the NCAA Championship Tournament eleven times. In 2011, Bahnsen’s team finished third in the NCAA National Championship Tournament, and LSU golfer Austin Ernst won the NCAA Individual Championship. The National Golf Coaches Association inducted Bahnsen into its Coaches Hall of Fame in 2009.

KARLOS DANSBY – FOOTBALL | Born November 3, 1981 in Birmingham, AL. Dansby was an All-State linebacker and wide receiver at Woodlawn High School and played football at Auburn University from 2000-2003. During his career at Auburn, he was a First-Team All-American and Butkus Award semi-finalist. Dansby was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. During his 14-year NFL career, he spent time with the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals. When Dansby signed with the Dolphins in 2010, his $43 million contract made him the highest paid inside linebacker in NFL history at that time. He finished his career with 1,422 tackles, 43 sacks, and 20 interceptions.

ROMAN HARPER – FOOTBALL | Born December 11, 1982 in Prattville, AL. Harper played football at the University of Alabama where he started at safety for three seasons. During his time at Alabama, Harper accumulated 302 tackles along with five interceptions and five forced fumbles. He was named First-Team All-SEC his senior year. Harper was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. In Super Bowl XLIV, Harper led the Saints with eight tackles, and the team won their first Super Bowl in franchise history. He played eight years with the Saints before signing with the Carolina Panthers as a free agent in 2014. After two seasons with the Panthers, Harper played his final year with the Saints in 2016. He finished his 11-year NFL career with 819 tackles, 18 sacks, 16 forced fumbles, and 11 interceptions. In 2020, Harper was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame.

LARRY KENON – BASKETBALL | Born December 13, 1952 in Birmingham, AL. Kenon played two years at Amarillo College before transferring to Memphis State University. In his junior year, Kenon was named the Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and helped lead Memphis State to the NCAA Championship Game. As a member of the New York Nets, Kenon won the ABA Championship as a rookie and was also named to the ABA All-Rookie First Team. After three seasons with the Nets, Kenon was traded to the San Antonio Spurs who merged with the NBA in 1976. Kenon also spent time with the Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland Cavaliers. He was a three-time ABA All-Star, two-time NBA All-Star, and holds the NBA record for most steals in one game with 11. Kenon finished with 12,954 points and 6,701 rebounds in his 11-year ABA/NBA career.

THEO RATLIFF – BASKETBALL | Born April 17, 1973 in Demopolis, AL.  Ratliff attended the University of Wyoming where he led the country in blocks in 1993 and was named First-Team All-Conference in 1994 and 1995. He was drafted 18^th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1995 NBA Draft. Ratliff played three seasons in Detroit before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. After four years with the 76ers, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks where he was named an NBA All-Star in 2001 and led the NBA in blocks in 2001, 2003, and 2004. Ratliff also spent time with the Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Bobcats, and Los Angeles Lakers before retiring in 2011. Ratliff finished his 17-year NBA career with 5,809 points, 4,596 rebounds, and 1,968 blocks. He was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

JACKIE SHERRILL – FOOTBALL – COACHING | Born November 28, 1943 in Duncan, OK. Sherrill played football at the University of Alabama and was a member of two consecutive National Championship teams. After his playing career, Sherrill was a graduate assistant at Alabama and Arkansas. He was an assistant coach at Iowa State and Pittsburgh before receiving his first head coach position at Washington State in 1976. After one season at WSU, he returned to Pittsburgh, serving as head coach from 1977-1981. He was named the Walter Camp Coach of Year in 1981.  In 1982, Sherrill became the head coach of Texas A&M and, from 1985-87, led them to three consecutive Southwest Conference Championships earning SWC Coach of the Year honors in all three seasons.  He was the head coach at Mississippi State for 13 years and won the SEC Western Division in 1998.  He is one of only two Division I-A head football coaches to ever lead three different schools to ten wins or more in a season. His overall record was 180-120-4.

GERALD WALLACE – BASKETBALL | Born July 23, 1982 in Sylacauga, AL. During his senior year at Childersburg High School, Wallace was named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year and First-Team Parade All-American. He played collegiately at the University of Alabama for one season and then declared for the NBA Draft. Wallace was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the 25th overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft.  He was later selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2004 NBA Expansion Draft. In 2006, Wallace led the NBA in steals.  He was an NBA All-Star in 2010 and was named NBA All-Defensive First-Team. Wallace is one of three players in NBA history to average at least two steals and two blocks per game over the course of an entire season. He was selected to the 2010–2012 USA Basketball Men’s National Team to represent the United States in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Wallace also played with the Portland Trail Blazers, New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, and Boston Celtics. He finished with 9,993 points, 4,838 rebounds, and 1,725 assists over his 15-year NBA career.

RODDY WHITE – FOOTBALL | Born November 2, 1981 in Charleston, SC. White played college football at the University of Alabama-Birmingham from 2001-2004 where he amassed over 3,000 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns. During his senior season, White led the nation with 1,452 receiving yards. He was selected 27^th overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2005 NFL Draft. In 2010, White was named First-Team All-Pro and led the NFL in receptions. He was also selected to four consecutive Pro Bowls from 2008-2011. White spent his entire 11-year NFL career with the Falcons and leads the franchise in career receiving touchdowns. He finished his career with 808 receptions, 10,863 yards, and 63 touchdowns.

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