1948-59

2023 INDUCTEES

Billy Lothridge

Gainesville High School Graduate

Billy Lothridge, best known as the 1963 Heisman Trophy runner-up to Roger Staubach while at Georgia Tech, was a bona fide high school star under GACA Hall of Fame coach Graham Hixon at Gainesville, where he was a three-year starter and two-time first-team all-state player in the 1950s. Gainesville was 23-7-2 during those seasons with a 1959 region title and Class 2A semifinal appearance. Lothridge quickly made an impact at Tech. He was the Yellow Jackets’ starting quarterback over his three varsity seasons. He passed for 2,394 yards and rushed for 746 yards in his career. He was runner-up to Navy’s Staubach in 1963 partly on his ability as a punter/place-kicker in a defensive era where field position and field goals often won the day. Lothridge ranked fourth nationally in points scored and averaged 40.8 yards per punt. He was twice named to the All-SEC team. The Dallas Cowboys of the NFL and Oakland Raiders of the AFL drafted him. He signed with the Cowboys and played nine NFL seasons, mostly as a punter, and mostly with the Atlanta Falcons. He was a member of the original Falcons 1966 team. He led the NFL in punting average in 1968 at 44.3 yards. He started seven games as a free safety in 1968 and intercepted three passes. His final games were played with the 17-0 Miami Dolphins of 1972. Lothridge passed away in 1996 at age 54.

Pepper Rodgers

Brown High School Graduate

Pepper Rodgers excelled in football, track and baseball at Brown High School in Atlanta’s West End neighborhood. He was a two-time all-state quarterback who led the Rebels to the Class 2A championship in 1949. In a 41-13 upset win over Glynn Academy, Rogers completed 12 of 15 pass attempts for 214 yards and four touchdowns. Rogers was one of seven Brown seniors who signed with Georgia Tech. Rogers was the backup quarterback of Tech’s 1952 national championship team and went on to share the quarterback role as a senior on the 1953 Tech team. He was named MVP of the 1953 Sugar Bowl after throwing three touchdown passes and leading Tech to a victory over West Virginia. Rogers also was an exceptional place-kicker in high school and college. After graduating from Tech and playing under coach Bobby Dodd, Rodgers was a 12th-round NFL Draft pick in 1954 (293rd player overall). Rather than signing, Rodgers spent five years in the Air Force, then became a college coach. He is best known as the head coach at Kansas (1967-70), UCLA (1971-73) and Georgia Tech (1974-79). He also coached in the USFL (1984-85) with the Memphis Showboats. Rodgers was vice president of football operations at the NFL level with the Washington Redskins. Rodgers was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Rodgers passed away on May 14, 2020, at age 88.

PREVIOUS INDUCTEES

Bill Curry

College Park High School Graduate

Bill Curry was the AJC’s Class 2A Lineman of the Year in 1959 despite playing for an average high school team at College Park. His fame would only rise as Curry would become a three-time NFL champion and a longtime college head coach. Curry played on the Green Bay Packers’ 1965 NFL championship team as a rookie, then was the starting center for quarterback Bart Starr on the Packers’ 1966 team that won Super Bowl I. Four years later, he again was the starting center for a Super Bowl champion, this time the Baltimore Colts and Johnny Unitas. Curry was a second-team All-Pro (1969) and a two-time Pro Bowler (1971, 1972). He turned to coaching in 1976 on alma mater Georgia Tech’s staff. Curry then became the assistant head coach for the Green Bay Packers before earning the head coaching job for Georgia Tech from 1980 to 1986. He led Tech to the 1985 ACC title. He was the SEC’s coach of the year in 1989 at Alabama. Curry also was head coach at Kentucky (1990-96) and Georgia State (2010-12).

Pat Dye

Richmond Academy Graduate

Pat Dye is best known for his 12 seasons as head coach at Auburn, where his teams won four SEC titles, but he was a high school star at Augusta’s Richmond Academy in the 1950s and then a college All-American at Georgia. In 1956, Dye played guard and linebacker and was the AJC’s Class 3A Lineman of the Year. He led the Musketeers to a Class 3A championship and recorded a game-clinching sack against Stan Gann and No.1 Northside-Atlanta for the 13-7 upset victory in the title game. At Georgia, Dye was member of the 1959 SEC championship team. He would go on to play for the Edmonton Eskimos for two seasons in the CFL. Then he turned to coaching. Dye was the linebackers coach at Alabama and head coach of East Carolina, Wyoming and, of course, Auburn. Dye is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Dye passed away in 2020 at age 80.

Stan Gann

Northside (Atlanta) High School Graduate

When Stan Gann passed away in February at age 81, Georgia lost a beloved former coach and perhaps the state’s biggest high school football star from the 1950s. In his senior season in 1957, Gann was named AJC Class 3A Back of the Year, Senior Scholastic All-American and Wigwam Wiseman All-America after leading Atlanta’s Northside High to the Class 3A championship under coach Wayman Creel. Nicknamed "The Man,” Gann was a first-team AJC all-state quarterback in the state’s highest classification during his junior and senior years. Gene Asher stated in his book, “Legends: Georgians who Lived Impossible Dreams,” that Gann was the best high school player he covered in his six years as Atlanta Journal sports editor (1957-62). Considered the state’s top prospect, Gann received 23 scholarship opportunities and chose Georgia Tech. As a Yellow Jacket, he started two seasons as a quarterback and running back. After his playing career, Gann turned to high school coaching and became the offensive coordinator for two Warner Robins state-championship teams. He was head coach at Northside of Warner Robins from 1986 to 1993 and achieved an overall record of 55-37.

Larry Morris

Decatur High School Graduate

Former Decatur linebacker and fullback Larry Morris was the ultimate champion, winning high school state titles with Decatur (1949, 1950), a college national title with Georgia Tech (1952) and an NFL title with the Chicago Bears (1963). In high school, he was the AJC Class 2A Back of the Year in 1950. Morris’ physical capabilities were far before his time as he was just 16 years old when he played his senior year. In 2007, the AJC ranked Morris the No. 14 Georgia high school player of all time. During his four years at Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets went 40-5-2, making a bowl game every season. He was a three-time first-team All-SEC player. He became the first former Georgia high school player to be taken in the first round of an NFL Draft when the Rams selected him No. 7 overall. As a linebacker for the Bears, he was the MVP of the 1963 NFL championship game against the New York Giants. Morris played 10 NFL seasons, starting 100 games, and was named to the NFL’s all-decade team of the 1960s.