1970s
2023 INDUCTEES
Ray Donaldson
East Rome High School graduate
Ray Donaldson, a six-time Pro Bowl center and 17-year NFL player, began his historic football career as a two-sport star for East Rome High. He played just two varsity football seasons in addition to earning letters on the basketball team. He starred as a fullback, tight end and linebacker on the gridiron. As a senior in 1975, he was named a first-team AJC all-state player. The University of Georgia recruited Donaldson to play linebacker before he switched to center. He was named first-team All-SEC and third-team All-America in 1979. The Baltimore Colts drafted Donaldson in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft (No. 32 overall). He is believed to be the first African American full-time starting center in NFL history. He made 127 starts in his career and made four straight Pro Bowls (1986-89) for the Indianapolis Colts. In 1988, he helped pave the way for NFL rushing champion Eric Dickerson (1,659 yards). Donaldson made his final two Pro Bowl teams at age 37 and 38 with the Dallas Cowboys and was a member of the Cowboys’ Super Bowl winner for the 1995 season. Donaldson was inducted into the Rome Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
Anthony Flanagan
Southwest Atlanta High School Graduate
Anthony Flanagan, the first African American quarterback at the University of Georgia, was a historic multi-sport athlete at Atlanta’s Southwest High. He was named AJC Class 2A Back of the Year and a Parade All-American in 1973, when he led Southwest’s football team to the Class 2A championship. Flanagan was 126-of-233 passing for 2,136 yards and a state-record 31 touchdowns on a 13-0 team. He also scored 12 touchdowns and kicked 56 extra points and two field goals. Additionally, the 1973 team was the first all-Black football team to win a GHSA championship. Flanagan was ambidextrous and could throw a football 70 yards with his throwing arm and nearly 60 with the other. Flanagan was an all-state basketball player who led Southwest to state championships in 1972 and 1973. He also was a baseball player. Flanagan signed with Georgia and played basketball the first two seasons, leading those teams in assists. In the second game of the 1976 football season against Clemson in a backup role, Flanagan became Georgia’s first Black quarterback and first athlete to play both football and basketball since Zippy Morocco in the 1950s. After leaving Georgia, Flanagan returned to Atlanta and became a coach. He died Jan. 12, 2001, at age 44 from complications of diabetes. The City of Atlanta named a recreation center after Flanagan in 2016.
Ray Goff
Moultrie High School Graduate
Ray Goff was a standout player at Moultrie High, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year at Georgia and the coach who replaced Vince Dooley as head coach of the Bulldogs in 1989 at age 33. At Moultrie – now Colquitt County – Goff helped the Packers to a 19-3 record in his two seasons as the starting quarterback in 1971 and 1972. He passed for 1,571 yards for the 1972 Moultrie team that won the state’s strongest region and lost to Central of Macon in the semifinals of the Class 3A playoffs and finished 11-1. Goff was the first player from Moultrie to pass for more than 300 yards in a game. Before switching to quarterback, Goff played in the defensive backfield and made seven interceptions as a sophomore. He also was an outstanding baseball pitcher who once threw a 19-innning shutout in a 1-0 victory in which he had the winning hit. Goff went on to Georgia, where he would lead the Bulldogs to an SEC title and Sugar Bowl berth in 1976 and finish seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting. Goff transitioned into coaching and was an assistant at South Carolina before returning to Georgia in 1981. He became head coach in 1989 and served for seven seasons. Goff was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. Goff is now a part owner of Zaxby’s Chicken franchises and lives in Oconee County.
Mackel Harris
Americus High School Graduate
Mackel Harris was the state’s fastest football player and the ringleader of Americus’ undefeated state championship teams in 1974 and 1975. A linebacker, Harris averaged 12 tackles per game as a senior on a defense that shut out a state-record 13 opponents in 14 games and held every Georgia opponent scoreless. The 1975 Americus team allowed only eight points for the historic season and defeated Dalton 34-0 for the championship. Harris was the 1975 AJC Class AA lineman of the year and was a two-time AJC first-team all-state pick (1974, 1975). At the 1976 Class AA track-and-field meet, Harris won the 100-yard dash (9.6 seconds) and the 200-yard dash (21.9 seconds) with the fastest times in any classification. Harris went on to Georgia Tech, where he was a four-year standout and part of Tech’s dynamic defensive duo with fellow linebacker and 2023 Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame inductee Lucius Sanford. As a freshman in 1976, Harris tallied 109 tackles and was the recipient of the Clint Castleberry Award, given to Tech’s rookie of the year. Harris finished his career with 390 tackles. Harris spent a brief time in the NFL with the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys before beginning a career at Life University School of Chiropractic Medicine. He is currently the school’s director of recruitment/multicultural affairs. In a 2007 AJC article, Harris was ranked the No. 9 Georgia high school player of all-time. In 1987, Harris made the AJC’s 20-year all-state team (1966-86).
Eddie Lee Ivery
Thomson High School Graduate
Eddie Lee Ivery was a starter at running back and safety at Thomson and rushed for 1,701 yards, averaging more than 10 yards per carry, for a 6-4 team as a senior. He made first-team all-state and was one of the state’s top recruits. Ivery went on to Georgia Tech, where he became the school’s all-time leading rusher (3,517 yards) and finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1978. The highlight of that season was his 356-yard performance against Air Force, where he scored on runs of 80, 73 and 57 yards in snowy conditions. Ivery was selected by the Packers with the No. 15 overall pick in the 1979 NFL Draft. He played eight seasons, appearing in 72 games with 50 starts despite suffering a torn ACL on the third carry of his first NFL game against the Chicago Bears. He reinjured the knee two years later. Despite the two knee surgeries that wiped out two seasons, Ivery led the Packers in rushing three times. Ivery went back to Georgia Tech and got a degree in 1992. He has worked in Tech’s athletic department and helped coach at Thomson in his retirement. Ivery was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.
Guy McIntyre
Thomasville High School Graduate
Guy McIntyre is a three-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Pro Bowl guard. He first starred at Thomasville High and was named All-State by the AJC and All-American by Coach and Athlete Magazine. McIntyre was a tight end in high school, then moved to the defensive line at the University of Georgia before ultimately settling in as an offensive tackle. McIntyre was a member of the Bulldogs’ 1980 national championship team and their 1980, 1981 and 1982 SEC championship teams. He made All-SEC in 1982 and 1983 and won the Jacobs Award for the SEC’s best blocker in 1983. The San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the third round, and he played 13 NFL seasons as a guard and occasionally as a blocking back/fullback in coach Bill Walsh’s innovative offenses. He won Super Bowls in 1984, 1988 and 1989 and made five straight Pro Bowl teams (1989-93). McIntyre has worked the past 20 years in the 49ers’ front office and is currently the team’s director of alumni relations. McIntyre was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
Lucius Sanford
West Fulton High School Graduate
Lucius Sanford was a letterman in football, track and basketball at Atlanta’s West Fulton High. He was a four-year football starter and a 1973 first-team all-state pick. He led West Fulton to an 8-2-2 finish as a senior and the school’s first region championship. He was named to the AJC’s 20-year post-integration (1966-86) Georgia high school team in 1987. At Georgia Tech, Sanford was a four-year starter (1975-1978). He recorded 14 tackles in his debut against No. 2-ranked Notre Dame. Sanford’s 124 tackles that season set a school freshman record that still stands. He finished as Tech’s career tackles leader (433). Sanford was a three-time All-South Independent selection and first-team AFCA and Sporting News All-American in 1977. The Buffalo Bills selected him in the fourth round of the 1978 NFL Draft. He played 10 years in the league, nine with the Bills. Sanford was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. He joined the Georgia Tech Athletic Association staff in 1998 as director of student life after a nine-year career in the financial industry. Sanford is currently the executive director of Georgia Tech’s Letterwinner Association.
Scott Woerner
Jonesboro High School Graduate
Scott Woerner, who earned his highest honor in making the College Football Hall of Fame for his career at the University of Georgia, was an all-around athlete at Jonesboro High. He lettered in basketball and track and field and played quarterback and running back for GACA Hall of Fame coach Weyman Sellers. Though his high school teams were not outstanding, Woerner stood out. He was a first-team all-state player as a senior and one of three Georgia players named to the 1976 Coach & Athlete All-America team. At Georgia, he became a starting cornerback and return man as a sophomore in 1978 on the Wonder Dogs team that went 9-2-1. Woerner made first-team All-SEC in 1979 and 1980. He was a consensus first-team All-American in 1980. In his final college game, Woerner intercepted two passes in Georgia’s 17-10 victory over Notre Dame that clinched the national title in the Sugar Bowl. Woerner gained more than 2,000 return yards in his college career on punts, kickoffs and interceptions. The Atlanta Falcons drafted Woerner in the third round of the 1981 NFL Draft. He played a season with the Falcons and moved on to the new USFL and won championships in 1984 and 1985 with the Baltimore/Philadelphia Stars. Woerner was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2014 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
PREVIOUS INDUCTEES
William Andrews
Thomasville High School Graduate
William Andrews was the leading rusher for Thomasville’s consecutive state champions in 1973 and 1974. He was the 1974 AJC Class 3A Back of the Year and was a 1974 Coach & Athlete All-American. In three high school seasons, Andrews rushed for 4,252 yards, averaging 7.2 yards per carry, and scored 58 touchdowns. GHSF Daily recently named him the best player in Thomasville High history, and the AJC in 2007 ranked him the No. 25 Georgia high school player of all-time. Andrews signed with Auburn and rushed for 1,347 yards in three seasons playing in a backfield with fellow Georgia backs James Brooks and Joe Cribbs. The Falcons drafted Andrews in the third round, and he rushed for 1,000 yards in four of his first five seasons before a knee injury cut his career short. Andrews was named to four Pro Bowls and earned two second-team All-Pro selections. When Andrews retired, he ranked 24th all-time in the NFL in rushing yards. In 2004, the Falcons retired his jersey No. 31.
Buck Belue
Valdosta High School Graduate
Buck Belue is best known as the quarterback who led Georgia to its 1980 national championship, but he was widely known before that as a high school athlete. Belue set the state record for career passing yards with 5,214, which he accumulated as a four-year starter at Valdosta. He also added 1,487 rushing yards and 87 passing or rushing touchdowns. He was the 1977 AJC Class 3A back of the year. He went on to play both football and baseball at Georgia. In baseball, he had a career .356 batting average and became a second-round pick in the 1978 MLB Draft. He played two seasons of minor league baseball in the Montreal Expos organization. In football, Belue was named to the first-team All-SEC team in 1981. Belue played two seasons in the USFL with the Jacksonville Bulls and was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
James Brooks
Warner Robins High School Graduate
Before he was an All-SEC running back at Auburn and played 13 NFL seasons, James Brooks led Warner Robins to a 1976 Class 3A championship and a National Sports News Service (NSNS) national title. Brooks rushed for 1,816 yards as a senior, 1,852 yards as a junior and 1,088 as a sophomore. His career total of 4,756 set a state record for the highest classification. Brooks scored 70 touchdowns at Warner Robins. In 2007, the AJC ranked him the No. 10 high school player in state history. Brooks would become Auburn’s all-time leading rusher with 3,523 yards, which remains third in school history. He was the 24th overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers, but his best seasons came in Cincinnati, where he was selected to the Pro Bowl four times (1986, 1988-1990). Brooks finished with 7,962 rushing yards and 3,621 receiving yards in his NFL career and was named to the Bengals’ 40th Anniversary team in 2007. Brooks made the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
Larry Kinnebrew
East Rome High School Graduate
Larry Kinnebrew rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a fullback and was the dominant force defensively on East Rome’s 15-0 Class A champion that shut out nine opponents and held four others to seven points or less in 1977. Kinnebrew was named the AJC’s Class A Lineman of the Year and was a Parade All-American. He played at 6 feet, 2 inches, and 240 pounds but was exceptionally fast. In the spring of 1978, he won the Class A 100-yard dash in 10.02 seconds. The runner-up was Herschel Walker, then a sophomore. Kinnebrew signed with Georgia but transferred to Tennessee State. The Bengals drafted him in the sixth round of the 1983 NFL Draft. He set a Bengals record in 1984 with four rushing touchdowns in a game against the Houston Oilers. The following year, he put up a career-best 714 rushing yards. His 37 career touchdowns are fourth all-time for the franchise. He rushed for 3,133 yards in a nine-year NFL career. In 2007, the AJC ranked Kinnebrew as the No. 4 Georgia high school football player of all time.
George Rogers
Duluth High School Graduate
George Rogers, the 1980 Heisman Trophy winner while at South Carolina, was the AJC’s Class A Back of the Year in 1976 and Class B Back of the Year in 1975. He rushed for 1,332 yards as a senior, when Duluth missed the playoffs despite finishing 8-1-1, and ran for 2,300 yards and 28 touchdowns as a junior on a state runner-up team. Rogers was among three Georgians named to the 1976 Coach & Athlete All-America team. As a highly recruited back, Rogers went to South Carolina, where rushed for 5,091 yards, including 1,781 as a 1980 senior. He was the first Georgia-grown player to win the Heisman. He also became the first active player at South Carolina to have his jersey retired, No. 38. The Saints drafted Rogers in 1981, making him the first Georgia-grown player selected first overall in an NFL Draft. Rogers was the 1981 NFL Rookie of the Year. He started in 78 out of 92 career games, made three Pro Bowls and was first-team All Pro once. He was a member of the Redskins’ Super Bowl champion in 1988.
Stan Rome
Valdosta High School Graduate
Stan Rome was a dominant two-sport athlete who still holds the state record for most receiving yards in a career (4,477) despite playing in a run-dominated era. He set other state records in high school football that lasted decades, including the single-season receiving record of 1,573 yards as a sophomore in 1971. This record stood for 29 years. His 1971 state-record 21 receiving touchdowns stood until 2010. He played for what is regarded as the greatest Valdosta team ever, which went 13-0 in route to a Class 3A title. Rome was ranked the No. 3 Georgia high school football player of all time by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2007, and this is just his football career. In basketball, Rome averaged 32 points per game as a high school senior and was MVP of the Georgia all-star basketball game. He played both football and basketball at Clemson and was a three-year starter on the hardwood. He was drafted by the Chiefs of the NFL and the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. Rome settled on professional football, playing four NFL seasons with the Chiefs.
Ron Simmons
Warner Robins High School Graduate
Ron Simmons was a monumental piece of Warner Robins’ state and National Sports News Service (NSNS) national championship team that went 13-0 and was considered by some the most dominant Georgia team in history. Simmons, a defensive lineman and tight end, was the AJC’s Class 3A Lineman of the Year and a Coach Athlete All-American and Joe Namath All-American. He was credited with 130 tackles as a senior. The highly recruited player chose Florida State and became the Seminoles’ first two-time consensus All-American (1979-80). He finished ninth in the Heisman trophy voting in 1979. His coach, Bobby Bowden, called Simmons the most significant recruit and player in turning FSU into a national power. Simmons was considered undersized for the NFL and went in the sixth round. He played four seasons in the CFL and USFL, then became a professional wrestler and the WCW heavyweight champion in 1992. Simmons was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
Herschel Walker
Johnson County High School Graduate
Herschel Walker was the lone unanimous selectee for the inaugural class of the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame, selected on 35 of 35 ballots. As a Johnson County senior in 1979, Walker rushed for a state-record 3,167 yards and 45 touchdowns and led the Trojans to the Class A championship. He set Georgia’s career rushing record of 6,137 yards. In 1979, Walker was the AJC Class A Back of the Year, a Parade All-American, a Coach & Athlete All-American and the No. 1 recruit in the country. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution named Walker the No. 1 high school football player of all-time in a 2007 article. Walker led Georgia to a 1980 national title and finished his career with 5,259 rushing yards, the most ever in three seasons. In 1982, Walker won the Heisman Trophy. He bypassed his senior season and went to the USFL and totaled 7,046 all-purpose yards and 61 touchdowns in three years. He played nine NFL seasons, made two Pro Bowls and finished with more than 18,000 all-purpose yards.