Welcome to the
Waycross-Ware County
Sports Hall of Fame
Welcome to the Waycross-Ware County Sports Hall of Fame! The Hall is located in the historic Railroad Depot, 315 Plant Ave, in beautiful downtown Waycross, Georgia. The building has remained an integral part of the great history of City of Waycross and the County of Ware.
This grand old building has been the place where so many local citizens departed on trains for business trips and vacations to all parts of the country. In years past, this was the place where families gathered to greet their loved ones returning from college, from the armed services, and even from war. Yes, the trains roared in and out of this site linking our small town to a sprawling, ever growing America. Back in the day, the train steps even hoisted our citizens onto passenger cars destined for high school football games across the great state of Georgia. And while the days of passenger train travel have come and gone to a large degree, the old Rail Depot downtown still remains a place of vibrant community activity. The Sports Hall of Fame is happy to simply call this grand old place our home.
During March of each year the Sports Hall of Fame holds its Annual Induction Banquet. The Banquet is a time of great fun and fellowship, and frankly it’s also a time for a little reminiscing of sorts about the remarkable local high school athletes who entertains us over the decades. But the main agenda for the banquet agenda is to recognize the class of inductee who are voted into the Hall of Fame each year by the Hall’s Board of Directors.
We hope you will click on the Member Tab above and view the names of the local greats who are now enshrined in the Hall. While you are browsing, please also click on the Inductee’s name and read the biographies of these local greats. You will soon discover how these individuals thrilled their spectators with their uncanny athleticism during their playing days. You will also learn how as adults they have made us proud all over again. Yes, we have been dazzled at times by their athletic gifts on the field and equally blessed by their friendships and leadership off the field. The Hall is filled with the name of sons and daughters form our community. And frankly it is our opinion it is a collection of the very best in the world of local high school sports. We hope you will visit us soon!
A Little History about the
Ware County Sports Hall of Fame
A telephone conversation between two long time friends (Coot Cribb and Paul Robinson) in early 1985 led to a meeting at the YMCA with others of like mind which resulted in organizing what is known today as the Waycross – Ware County Sports Hall of Fame. Those two, with a combined total of eight decades of sporting experience, called a meeting for June 20, 1985 to discuss their plans and the organization was formed.
A constitution and by-laws were adopted along with a method of electing inductees and for securing nominees that included a call for public submission of names.
Of the first 10 directors chosen, 8 are deceased. They are Oscar Moody, E. L. “Coot” Cribb, George Bowen, Paul Robinson, Vernon Willis, Fleming Tyre, Bill Green, and Jimmie Lee Dowling.
The first induction banquet was held in 1986 with 15 former local athletic greats becoming charter inductees in the Hall of Fame. The Hall was also granted tax exempt status, making contributions tax deductible. At the 1987 banquet, 10 more former stars were inducted. The 1988 ceremony saw 5 more inductees admitted. The Hall also began to recognize a male and female student athlete from each local high school that year. Each succeeding year five new inductees and the student athletes have been honored.