MONTGOMERY – Twelve major contributors to prep athletics in Alabama were inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame Monday night at a banquet held at the Montgomery Renaissance Hotel and Spa Convention Center. The Class of 2025 was selected by a committee of coaches and administrators assembled by the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association from nominations submitted by member schools and other organizations.
The Class of 2025 include administrators, coaches and officials.
Those individuals selected were football coach Brent Hubbert; volleyball coaches Melanie Donahoo and Tanya Broadway; basketball coaches Emanuel ‘Tubb’ Bell, now deceased; Robert Burdette; Renard Davis; and Floyd Mathews, Jr., deceased; baseball coach Matt Cimo; tennis coach Meridy Lyle Jones; administrator Steve Bailey; contributor Drew Ferguson, now deceased; and selected from the “Old-Timers’ Division was coach/administrator Hadley Provience, also deceased.
Bailey, who served as the Director of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors and Coaches Association (AHSADCA) after retiring from coaching, spoke on behalf of the Class of 2025 thanking the selection committee for the recognition.
“I’m sure I am speaking for everyone up here when I say thank you for a wonderful evening,” Bailey said. “The response of the Class of 2025 is one of being humble and grateful. We wish to thank many people: our spouses and families for always being there to support us in the good times and the bad. We wish to thank the many students who allowed us to be a part of their lives, leading, teaching, and guiding them in their formative years.
“We thank parents for trusting us with the precious lives of your children and for your support… We thank our adminstrators for supporting us in our daily efforts to conduct our program. We thank our support personnel for always keeping our facilities clean and functioning.”
Bailey added, “We thank the many co-workers throughout the years who in many instances helped to mold us into who we are today. We thank the classes who came before us for the example you provided. We are honored to take a place beside you in this Hall of Fame. And wed thank the people who nominated us, the committee who selected us.”
Bailey closed quoting Albert Einstein which he said summed up the inductees’ feelings. “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”
The Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association, the coaches’ wing of the AHSAA, oversees the Hall of Fame.
Sponsors of the Hall of Fame program include the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association (AHSADCA) and the AHSAA. The corporate partners include Alabama Power, ALFA, Coca-Cola, Encore Rehabilitation, Jack’s, Future 1s, TeamIP and Wilson Sporting Goods.
The first class was inducted in 1991. These 12 new inductees will run the total enshrined into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame to 415.
A profile of each selectee:
OPTIONAL BIOS ON EACH INDUCTEE
STEVE BAILEY (ADMINISTRATOR/COACH): A graduate of Montgomery’s Robert E. Lee High School and Auburn University-Montgomery, Bailey began his coaching career in Montgomery at Capitol Heights Junior High in 1982 while he was still in college. He then coached at Saint James and Jeff Davis, where he served as an assistant coach on a state championship team in 1996 and later served as head coach leading the Vols to the Class 6A finals in 2002. He was 40-23 in six seasons as head coach and was 6-4 in one season at Saint James as head football coach and athletic director for a 46-27 overall head-coaching record.
His role as an administrator was equally important. He served as athletic director at Jeff Davis until he retired from teaching and became the AHSAA’s first full-time Director of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association. Known for his faith and patience by example, he helped the AHSADCA grow into one of the largest coaching associations in the NFHS. Under his direction, he put together advisory committees for championship sports, started the Coaches Education program, and helped the AHSAA All-Star Sports Week and Summer Conference Coaching School become one of the largest of its kind in the nation.
His leadership in providing professional development for coaches and administrators helped the AHSAA move positively into the 21st Century. Among his chief contributions was the development of the AHSAA Sportsmanship Guide, established an on-line mentoring program, established the Coaches’ Children Scholarship Program, the Coaches’ Mini-Clinic Lunch & Learns, the Principals and Athletic Directors Conference, organized the NFHS education courses for its members, worked with the NIAAA and NFHS in selection of coaches and athletic directors for national recognition awards, and managed the AHSAA yearly Hall-of-Fame process.
After retiring, Bailey, a man dedicated to his family, continued to collaborate with coaches, youth, and games through his work with the City of Montgomery. He now helps the Montgomery Cancer Center and is an active member of Heritage Baptist Church where he teaches Life Groups and is an active deacon.
EMANUEL ‘TUBB’ BELL (COACH): Wenonah High School’s legendary head girls’ basketball coach was affectionately known as “Coach Tubb” because of his love for hugging people. A graduate of Birmingham’s Wenonah High School in 1973 and Lane College in 1976, Bell began an amazing career as a teacher and coach in the Birmingham City School System until he passed after a long battle with cancer in 2019 at the age of 54. His high school basketball coaching record was 530-194 from 1996-2019 – all at Wenonah. His teams won state championships in 2004, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. The Lady Dragons finished second in the state in 2013 and 2018 – making Wenonah’s stretch from 2013-2018 one of the most impressive in AHSAA history.
Bell was also active in developing girls’ basketball throughout the Birmingham, Jefferson County, and the state through The Alabama Roadrunners AAU Basketball Club he founded. The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame named him the “Frank House” Award recipient for his profound and lasting impact on the hundreds of children and adults he mentored along the way. In 2016, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. He continued to coach while undergoing treatment – guiding his team to a state title in 2017 while undergoing intense cancer treatment. His motto was always, “Faith, not fear.” His passing in 2019 was a tremendous loss to the city and state, but his legacy of service, dedication, and excellence is still strong in 2024. Outside his teaching and coaching profession, he was very active in his community serving on the Usher Board at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Birmingham.
TANYA BROADWAY (COACH): Broadway, 53, grew up in Calhoun County where she was an outstanding student-athlete at Pleasant Valley High School graduating in 1989. She earned her teaching degree from the University of Alabama-Huntsville in 1984 while participating on the volleyball team and later earned a master’s in education administration. In 1994 she began her head-coaching career at Grissom High School in Huntsville where she became a pillar of the volleyball coaching community.
From 1994-2020, she led the Tigers’ volleyball program to a 1,257-395 record with Class 6A state titles in 1998 and 2003. Her teams finished as state runner-up eight more times (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005). Her team reached the Final Four in 2007 and the Elite Eight in 2006.
Among her coaching honors were Huntsville City Coach of the Year seven times (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2005). She also earned several Huntsville Times All-Metro Coach-of-the-Year honors, was chosen Birmingham News Coach of the Year in 2003. She coached in the North-South All-Star Game in 1998 and 2003.
Broadway moved to Kate Duncan Smith DAR High School in 2021 where she has coached ever since. Her record at DAR is 86-65. She served on the AHSAA Volleyball Coaches Committee from 2002-2018 and has been a member of the Alabama High School Volleyball Coaches Association since 1996. She received numerous awards in college at UAH including team MVP in 1990 and 1991 and graduated Maga Cum Laude.
She was inducted into the Huntsville-Madison County Sports Hall of Fame in 2022, the Alabama High School Volleyball Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame in 2022, and the University of Alabama-Huntsville Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
ROBERT BURDETTE (COACH): Burdette, 63, was a coach that changed the way basketball would be played in Alabama when he introduced his high octane offense at South Lamar High School in the 1990s. A graduate of Talladega High School in 1980 where he played basketball for Hall-of-Fame Coach Chuck Miller, he learned how to teach the passion of basketball to his teams.
Burdette earned his college degree at UAB in 1986 and later earned his master’s degree at the University of Montevallo. He began his coaching career at South Lamar High School in 1986 leading the team to the 1992 state boys’ championship. South Lamar set the AHSAA state record for most points scored in a season (3,605) in the 1991-92 season over 35 games – breaking the record it set in 1990-91 (3,286). The team averaged 106 ppg in 1991 and 103 ppg in 1992. In the ’92 season, the team scored 153 points, 151 points and 141 points in three wins. South Lamar’s 151-119 win over Lamar County in 1992 is still the record for most points scored in a single game.
Burdette coached Homewood from 1992-1995 with Patriots averaging close to 90 ppg, and he then moved to Calera from 1995-2014 winning state championships in 1995, 1996, and 2005 and reached the Final 4 in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 in not one but two different classifications. He retired in Alabama in 2016 and moved to Mississippi where he has been coaching ever since.
MATT CIMO (COACH): Cimo, 63, graduated from Joliet Catholic High School in Illinois in 1979 and earned his college degree from Eastern Illinois University in 1985. He earned a master’s degree from Auburn University-Montgomery.
He came to Auburn High School in 1992 as a teacher and head baseball coach. Cimo, who retired after last season, led the Tigers to a 673-424 record over 32 years from 1993-2024. His teams won back-to-back Class 6A state titles in 2009 and 2010 and won the 7A state crown in 2018 and 2021. Auburn had runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2017.
His 2021 and 2009 teams each won 36 games. His teams had 24 playoff appearances, 13 Elite 8 appearances and 11 Final Four appearances. He sent several players to the college ranks.
He was a four-time AHSAA Coach of the Year, three-time winner of the NFHS Alabama Coach of the Year and was named the ABBCA Southeast Region Coach of the Year. In 2021, Cimo was inducted into the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
RENARD DAVIS (COACH): Davis, 67, graduated from Clarke County High School in 1974 and Stillman College in 1978. He served McIntosh High School as a teacher and coach since 1999. He man of many talents, he has served the school in a variety of roles including head girls’ basketball coach from 1999-2022 compiling a 602-165 record with seven Final Four appearances, three Elite 8, three Sweet 16 appearances and winning 14 area championships.
He has served in the classroom and as an administrator earning the admiration of students and teachers alike. He received the AHSAA Making a Difference Award in 2012, was named Teacher of the Year in 2022, coached in the North-South All-Star Classic twice and coached in the Alabama-Mississippi Classic all-star game in 2011.
He has from time to time stepped in to serve as head football coach from 2010-2012 and again in 2018 and 2019. He led the team to the Class 1A semifinals in 2012. He has also served as head baseball coach. Active in the community, he provides community service for the McIntosh and Mt. Vernon communities and teaches Sunday School at Langs’ Chapel. He played college basketball at Selma University and Stillman College and was a member of Phi Beta Sigma.
MELANIE DONAHOO (COACH): Donahoo, 52, graduated from Oak Hill Academy in West Point (MS) in 1990. She attended the University of Alabama-Huntsville and Athens State earning degrees in 1994 and 1996. She received a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of West Alabama in 2021.
One of the AHSAA’s most prominent volleyball coaches in history, she began her career coaching volleyball at Whitesburg Middle School in Huntsville (1996-1999) winning the city championship in 1997 and 1998 and finishing runner-up in 1996. She served as an assistant coach at Grissom for one year helping the team finish as Class 6A runner-up. She became the head coach at Huntsville High School in 2000 where she has remained ever since – compiling a record of 777-151. Her team won the 5A state championship from 2002-2004, then continued by winning the 6A crown from 2005-2007 for six straight titles. After a 6A runner-up finish in 2008, she guided Huntsville to the 6A state crown the next four years.
Donahoo has also served as assistant athletic director, has been on the AHSAA Volleyball Coaches Committee, and currently is president of the AHSADCA. She was inducted into the Madison County Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.
DREW FERGUSON (CONTRIBUTOR): Ferguson, 73, now deceased, passed away on Oct. 1, 2024, after living a life of service through his work as a certified athletic trainer. He is being inducted into the Hall of Fame as a contributor. He served on the AHSAA Medical Advisory Board since 2010 but was serving the young student-athletes of Birmingham and Jefferson County for more than three decades.
He graduated from Clarkston (GA) High School in 1969 and the University of Georgia in 1974. He earned his master’s degree from UAB in 1975.
Ferguson was considered the state’s most prominent certified athletic trainer for many years and played a key role in getting Alabama’s current concussion law passed into law. He also worked closely with the Monday Morning Quarterback Club through his affiliation with Children’s Hospital for many years playing a key role as a volunteer for the AHSAA state championships including the Super 7 and State Basketball Championships.
Drew’s deep interest in sports medicine and athletic training was heavily influenced by his own health challenges which led to him undergoing successful kidney transplants.
He moved to Birmingham to serve as athletic trainer for the Birmingham team in the World Football League. In 1975, he and Dr. Kurt Niemann founded the Sports Medicine Institute of Alabama which is now known as Children’s Alabama Sports Medicine.
He was inducted into the Alabama Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame, recognized by the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and more recently, the UAB Sports Hall of Fame. He got his start as an athletic trainer at the University of Georgia working for Coach Vince Dooley and in Birmingham worked closely with UAB and Coach Gene Bartow’s program.
His work statewide included getting the Alabama Athletic Trainers Licensure Act passed in 1993 and the Alabama Concussion Law in 2011. He also served as Chair of the Public Policy Committee of the Alabama Concussion Task Force from 2020-2024, and as Chair of the Alabama State Board of Athletic Trainers. More recently, he was most proud of creating the Robert A. Ferguson Endowed Lecture Series, and of his participation with The CoachSafely Foundation.
BRENT HUBBERT (COACH): Currently the head football coach and athletic director at T.R. Miller High School, Hubbert, 53, is joining his own father, Jim Hubbert, who was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
Brent graduated from Lanett High School in 1989 and earned his college degree from Jacksonville State in 1994. He began his teaching and coaching career in 1994 at Waccochee Junior High, moved to Smiths Station Intermediate School in 1995 and became defensive coordinator at Jemison High School in 1996 – helping lead the team to a Class 4A state runner-up finish.
He got his first varsity head-coaching position at Jemison in 2000 and compiled a 17-15 record over the next three years. He then moved to Maplesville in 2003 and led the Red Devils to a 166-26 record over the next 17 years in one of the AHSAA’s impressive coaching performances over a single decade. His teams won Class 1A state titles in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
He moved to T.R. Miller High School in 2019 and has compiled a 58-17 record – including leading the Tigers to a 12-0 record in 2024 heading into the quarterfinal round.
His overall current head-coaching record is 241-58 – a winning percentage of 8o.6%, which ranks second among coaches in the AHSAA with more than 200 games.
He has been a leader in his profession and in his community. He has been active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is a fund raiser for several charities including the American Cancer Society. In 2023, he was honored in Brewton as the “Man of Miller”.
MERIDY LYLE JONES (COACH): Jones, 66, graduated from Julia T. Wright School in 1976 and the University of Alabama in 1980. The UMS-Wright girls’ tennis coach since 2004, Jones has set coaching records that will be difficult to top. Her teams have won 16 state tennis titles – winning crowns in Class 1A-3A, Class 4A, Class 4A-5A, and Class 6A. Her girls’ program also set a state record with 11 consecutive state titles from 2009-2019. Her won-loss match record was 261-39 through the 2023 season.
As a teacher/counselor, she has served UMS-Wright since 2004. Her first job came as an elementary school teacher at UMS-Wright from 1981-2003.
She has had various leadership roles at UMS-Wright including Project Engage Coordinator, Leadership Team, and AP Coordinator. She has served on the AHSAA Tennis Coaches Committee since 2015. She has played a key role in organizing local varsity and junior varsity tennis schedules, runs the AHSAA Section tourney, and is a mentor for new coaches.
Jones is a member of Dauphin Way United Methodist Church, has served on the Underage Drinking Task Force, Camp Smile and is also a Community Mental Health liaison. She has received numerous AHSAA Coach-of-the-Year awards throughout her career.
FLOYD MATHEWS, JR. (COACH): Mathews, 73, graduated from St. Jude Educational Institute in 1969, and earned degrees from Alexander City Junior College and St. Bernard College (1975). He earned his master’s degree at Alabama State University.
He returned to St. Jude in Montgomery to begin his teaching and coaching career in 1975 where he served as an assistant football and basketball coach. He became head boys’ basketball coach in 1983 compiling a 50-75 record through 1985 – and won the Class 2A state championship in 1984. He moved to Sidney Lanier High School in 1985 where he remained for the rest of his career. He managed a variety of tasks at Lanier including serving as head track coach and assistant football coach from 1985-2003, was assistant boys’ basketball coach from 1985-1993, and head boys’ basketball coach from 1994-2013. He served as athletic director from 2007 until his retirement in 2013.
His boys’ basketball record was 382-311.
HADLEY PROVIENCE (OLD TIMER): Provience, now deceased, proved to be one of the most influential coaches/administrators in the Alabama Interscholastic Athletic Association (AIAA) leading up to its merger with the AHSAA in 1968. A graduate of Industrial High School in 1942, he got his college degree from Alabama State University in 1946 and earned his master’s degree from Alabama A&M. He began his teaching and coaching career immediately at Morgan County Training School in 1946 and one year later he took over as head football coach at Trinity High School in nearby Limestone County where he remained through 1967. He passed away in 1986 – leaving a legacy of leadership that went beyond the boundaries of an athletic field.
During his tenure at Trinity, he coached two undefeated football teams (1951 and 1958) during his 21-year stretch. He also coached track for 16 years, basketball for 15 seasons and baseball for 12. His 1951 team outscored opponents 116-6.
His 32-13 Trinity victory over Alabama A&M High in 1952 was considered by many as the biggest win in the AIAA’s North Alabama Athletic Association Conference history. Among his players was Arthur “Redbone” Kirby, considered the most prolific scorer in conference football history, and coached Ronnie Fletcher, who was also considered one of the top basketball players in AIAA history. Fletcher scored more than 50 points in six different games. He and Kirby are in the Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame with their legendary coach, who coached in seven North Alabama All-Star Games and won more than 150 football games as a head coach.
Provience became the leader of the North Alabama Conference helping schools manage schedules, taught schools how to solve problems among themselves and was a mentor to many of the coaches at the schools in the North Alabama Conference leading by example as a great motivator, disciplinarian, and coach. He dedicated his life as an educator to the North Alabama Conference even writing his master’s thesis on the North Alabama Athletic Association.
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