Six athletes from Pine Bluff will be the first inductees into the newly established Jefferson County Sports Hall of Fame.
Monte Coleman, Rickey Henderson, Torii Hunter, Don Hutson, Willie Roaf and Basil Shabazz are considered all-time greats and will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame on April 26th at Pine Bluff Country Club. I am planning to enter. The greats were revealed Wednesday at a press conference at the Main Library in downtown Pine Bluff.
The group of 12 to 15 legends will be announced in January, and the rest of the inaugural Hall of Fame class will be announced in February, according to Jeff Gross, JCSHOF president and former sports editor of the Pine Bluff News. It is said that
Coleman, a 1975 graduate of Pine Bluff High School, played 16 seasons with the team now known as the Washington Commanders, appearing in four Super Bowls and winning three (1982, 1987 and 1991 seasons). He was selected in the 11th round of the 1979 NFL Draft out of the University of Central Arkansas and played in 216 games, second only to Darrell Green.
Coleman became an assistant coach and then head coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, where he led the Golden Lions to their only outright SWAC championship in 2012.
“I truly enjoyed working with Monte during his time as assistant football coach and head coach for the UAPB Golden Lions,” said Karl Whymper, former UAPB sports information director and JCSHOF committee member. he said. “He has always been a great leader for young people on and off the soccer field.”
Henderson is best known for his 25-year major league career, primarily with the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees. He spent his childhood in Pine Bluff, moved to California at the age of seven, and went on to become baseball’s all-time leader in stolen bases (1,406) and is considered the greatest leadoff hitter of all time. Henderson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.
“When I was scouting for the Texas Rangers, I had a chance to watch Ricky play when he played in Oakland and Arlington Stadium,” Gross said. “He’s more than halfway through his 24-year major league career, and his ticket to Cooperstown was pretty much sealed.”
Hutson, a Pine Bluff native and PBHS graduate, is a charter member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. According to NFL Film Productions, he was considered the league’s best player during his time with the Green Bay Packers (1935-1945) and was ranked among the top 10 greatest players in league history.
Hutson, who died in 1997 at the age of 84, was selected to the NFL’s 50th, 75th and 100th anniversary teams. The former University of Alabama standout was an eight-time first-team All-Pro selection, made four Pro Bowl appearances, led the NFL in receptions eight times, and recorded seven receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
Immediately after graduating from PBHS, Hunter was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft. He played 19 seasons in the major leagues, won nine Gold Glove Awards, appeared in five All-Star Games, and won two Silver Slugger Awards. Hunter had 353 home runs, 1,391 RBIs and a .277 batting average in his career.
“I’ve known Torii since he played Little League Baseball at Pine Bluff and lived about seven houses away from me,” Gross said. “Torii made incredible catches in center field throughout his nine-time Gold Glove-winning career. His catches were shown on highlight reels across the country every night of the season.”
Roaf was a first-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft and played for the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs until 2005. Roaf, a 1988 graduate of Pine Bluff High School, was a nine-time All-Pro and an 11-time Pro Bowler in college. at Louisiana Tech University. Roaf was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
IC Murrell, senior reporter for the Pine Bluff Commercial and JCSHOF committee member, covered Roaf’s induction into the Pro Football Hall in Canton, Ohio, while serving as the commercial’s sports editor.
“As important as championships are to the spirit of competition, I think there is no greater reward for a career than being called a Hall of Famer,” Murrell said. “My friends will recognize young Willie Roaf, who was raised by great servant leaders at Pine Bluff, along with nearly 300 other select men who gave their all and hearts to the game of football. It was an honor to be able to directly cover football matters. ”
Shabazz was a four-sport All-American at Pine Bluff High School, graduating in 1991. He scored five rushing touchdowns in the state championship win over Texarkana, cementing his greatness on the football field and being named Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year. his senior season.
The St. Louis Cardinals selected Shabazz in the third round of the 1991 MLB Draft. He played five years in the minor leagues, made the All-Star team once, and was ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the Cardinals organization.
Shabazz returned to Pine Bluff in the late 1990s and played football at UAPB.
“Arkansas has had some outstanding athletes over the last 100 years, but none better than Basil Shabazz,” Gross said. “Basil was great in baseball, basketball, football and track and field. He held records from 30 years ago that still stand.
“I remember when he tried out for the Texas Rangers when George W. I wanted them to do the same,” Gross added. “I remember President Bush saying, wow, this is the fastest I’ve ever seen.”
Jim Harris, managing editor and former commercial sports editor of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, is also a member of the JCSHOF committee.
JCSHOF is located in the Bill Carr Museum on the first floor of the Central Library. Sheri Storey, advertising director for the city of Pine Bluff, said she looks forward to helping promote the hall.
“I think we can definitely promote this as an attraction,” Storey said. “I think this will definitely be added to our list of assets for visitors to see and learn about the great history of Pine Bluff and Jefferson County.”
Former Dollarway High School principal and Pine Bluff School District administrator Guy Santucci also attended Wednesday’s announcement and has been involved in many of the area’s historic sports moments throughout his career. Santucci recalled Mayor Shirley Washington’s comments about the importance of sports to keep young people busy.
“I remember when I was at Dollaway High School, Coach (Lee) Hardman would take the kids to church on Sunday mornings and have them come to his house on Sunday afternoons. We had them out at night during the summer,” Santucci said. “This could be an extension of that, and I think the kids of Jefferson County would buy into this.”
Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library System Director Ricky Williams welcomes visitors to the Jefferson County Sports Hall of Fame’s all-time greats presentation. (Pine Bluff Commercial/IC Murrell)