Sept. 28, 2004
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech basketball All-American Mark Price and golf standout Larry Mize are among six athletes elected to go into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, the Macon, Ga.-based organization announced Monday.
The Hall of Fame’s Honors Court selected nine individuals for its Class of 2005 on Monday morning. The class also includes Donn Clendenon (baseball), Bill Corry (coach), Frank Glover (contributor), Alfred Jenkins (football), Jaime Kaplan (tennis), Katrina McClain (basketball) and Larry Munson (contributor).
The 2005 GSHF Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 14 at the Macon City Auditorium. Individual tickets are $125 and a table of eight is $1,000.
Mize won the 1987 Masters and three other PGA Tour events.
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Mize, an Augusta, Ga., native who played golf at Tech from 1976-78 and qualified for the NCAA championship in 1978, went on to much greater fame as a professional. He is best remembered for shocking Greg Norman with a 140-foot chip to win the 1987 Masters. Mize won three other PGA Tour titles (1983 Danny Thomas-Memphis Classic, 1993 Northern Telecom Open, 1993 Buick Open), and also captured four victories internationally. Mize was a member of the 1987 Ryder Cup and 2000 Dunhill Cup teams. The 1991 Georgia Golf Hall of Fame inductee was selected as one of the 50 greatest athletes at Georgia Tech in the 20th century, and he now makes his home in Columbus, Ga.
Price, a native of Enid, Okla., who now lives in Duluth, Ga., helped revive Georgia Tech basketball in the mid-1980s, leading the Yellow Jackets to their first Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 1985 and into the NCAA Tournament twice in four years. He was a three-time All-America selection at Georgia Tech, earning first-team honors in 1985, was chosen first-team All-ACC in 1984, 1985 and 1986 and named the league’s Player of the Year in 1985. He became the first freshman to lead the ACC in scoring in 1983, when he won ACC Rookie of the Year finished his college career with 2,193 points, 510 assists and an 85.0 free throw shooting percentage. Drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and then traded to Cleveland in 1986, Price went onto play 12 years in the NBA, made the All-Star team four times and set an NBA career record for free throw percentage, Price has had his jersey retired both at Georgia Tech and in Cleveland, and was inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame in 1991.
Clendenon starred at Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta and was a four-sport star in college at Morehouse (1953-56). He played in the major leagues from 1961-1972 for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1961-1969), New York Mets (1969-1971) and St. Louis Cardinals (1972). During his 12-year career, Clendenon earned MVP honors in the 1969 World Series as the “Amazin” Mets upset the Baltimore Orioles. He also collected 1,273 hits, belted 159 home runs and fashioned a .274 batting average. Clendenon is a member of the Morehouse Hall of Fame.
Corry, a Union Point, Ga. native, led Morgan County High School to four Class B state football championships (1956, 1958, 1959, 1962) between 1956-1963. During that same time, his teams also captured five region titles. He amassed a career record of 78-6-3 – a 91.4% winning percentage. While at Morgan County, he was also the head coach in girl’s basketball, boy’s basketball, baseball, and girls and boys tennis.
A product of Macon, Georgia, Glover was one of the National Football League’s (NFL) first black referees. He called NFL contests from 1972-1989. Glover later said he was the fourth black referee in the NFL and the first from the South. Prior to calling professional games, Glover worked Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) games for 17 years. This member of the SIAC Hall of Fame graduated from Morris Brown, earned a master’s degree from New York University and a doctorate from Georgia State.
A native of Hogansville, Ga., Jenkins played the majority of his football career, high school – college -professional, in the Peach State. The Morris Brown product played for the Atlanta Falcons from 1975 – 1983 earning first-team All-Pro honors in 1981. Jenkins played in the 1980 and 1981 Pro Bowls as one of the league’s dominant receivers. In nine seasons, he caught 359 passes, 40 TD’s, totaled three 50 catch seasons and caught 70 in 1981. He still ranks first in Atlanta Falcons’ history in yards gained receiving career (6,257), season (1,358 – 1981) and most 100-yard games receiving (17).
Kaplan played on the women’s professional tennis tour from 1983-1989 earning five doubles titles during her career. The Macon, Georgia native played in five Wimbledons, four U.S. Opens, four French Opens and one Australian Open. She played collegiately at the University of Georgia (1979-1981) and Florida State University (1982-1983). After winning the SEC doubles championship at UGA, she transferred to FSU and won the 1982 and 1983 Metro Conference singles and doubles’ crowns. In high school, Kaplan won the state singles crown four consecutive years and finished her prep career undefeated (87-0 singles, 69-0 doubles).
McClain captured two gold medals as a member of the 1988 and 1996 U.S. Women’s Olympic basketball teams. McClain is one of only three people to play in three Olympic Games. At the University of Georgia, she was a two-time All-American and voted the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s 1987 National Player of the Year. In her four seasons at UGA, McClain scored 2,196 points and grabbed 1,193 rebounds.
Munson, the legendary voice of the Georgia Bulldogs, has been behind the mike since 1966, and generations of fans associate UGA athletics with the sound of his voice. He has called seven SEC football championship seasons and the 1980 national championship campaign. Munson also served as the voice of UGA basketball from 1987-1996.
The Class of 2005 brings the total number of members in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame to 334.
“This is as diverse a group as you will ever see,” said GSHF Executive Director Jackie Decell. “That right there shows how deep and rich the sports landscape in Georgia is. These individuals’ accomplishments have made huge impacts on generations of Georgians. We are very proud and pleased to have them in the Class of 2005.”
For more information on the Class of 2005 and the Induction Ceremony next April, please call the GSHF at (478) 752-1585, ext. 101 or 102. The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame website address is www.georgiasportshalloffame.com.
