Emily Myers, Chair of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Authority, is pleased to announce the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Class for 2018.  “I am delighted the selection committees, consisting of representatives from throughout Georgia, chose the following eight individuals for Induction.  Each member of the new class has contributed so much to the world of sports and each has made a huge impact and brought great acclaim to our state.  I want to thank the committees for their hard work in reviewing the nominations of so many worthy individuals and making the final selections after lengthy deliberations.  This was not an easy task and the Consulting Committee and the Honors Court are to be commended for their dedication to athletics in the State of Georgia.”
 
Arthur Blank is the owner of the Atlanta Falcons National Football and the Atlanta United Soccer teams in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams play in the newly opened Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.  In 1978, Mr. Blank co-founded Home Depot.
 
Champ Bailey, a consensus football All American at the University of Georgia who went on to have a 16-year career in the NFL.  He was a first round draft choice of the Washington Redskins and after 5 seasons in the nation’s capital, spent the next 8 seasons in Denver before playing his final year in New Orleans.  Mr. Bailey is a 12-time Pro Bowl selection.
 
Tom Cousins is a Atlanta real estate developer that purchased and brought the Atlanta Hawks to Atlanta as well as the south’s first professional hockey team, the Atlanta Flames. Mr. Cousins is responsible for the revitalization of the East Lake Golf Club, legendary Bobby Jones’ home course, which is now home to the PGA’s Tour Championship.  The East Lake Golf Club and PGA Tour has produced great growth in the community of East Lake.
 
Chris Haack is the University of Georgia’s men’s head golf coach and Director of Golf.   He has led the Bulldog linksters to two national championships and eight SEC titles since taking over the program in 1996.  The Newnan native has also led the Dog Golfers to 60 tournament titles during his tenure in Athens.
 
Terri Moody Hancock was the first woman to be awarded a full athletic scholarship to the University of Georgia.  The Athens native proved her worth by winning the AIAW Championship (prior to NCAA for Women) as a senior.  She also became the first Georgia woman golfer to play on the LPGA tour.
 
Tracy Rocker was a two time All State Football player at Fulton High School in Atlanta before signing a scholarship to Auburn University where he became a two-time consensus All American.  He was SEC Player of the Year his senior season and won both the Lombardi and Outland Awards, the first player in the SEC to do so.  He played three years in Professional football and has coached for more than two decades in the college ranks.
 
Angelo Taylor is a three-time Gold Medal winner at the Olympic games.  He won the 400 meter hurdles at the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia.  Eight years later he won two more Gold Medals, one in the 400 meter hurdles and one for being a member of the United States 4x400 relay team.  He was also a member of the 2004 and 2012 Olympic teams, serving as Captain of the 2012 squad.
 
Kenny “Sky” Walker led Crawford County High School to back to back state championships in the early 1980’s before going on to the University of Kentucky.  While with the Wildcats he became the school’s second all team leading scorer and was named SEC Player of the Year, twice.  He was the fifth overall pick in the l986 NBA draft by the New York Knicks.
 
Tickets and Sponsorships for the 2018 Induction Ceremony, held at the Macon City Auditorium, February 24, 2018, are available by contacting 478 752-1585