Greg Sirmans
Inducted 2024

Greg Sirmans grew up playing all the sports in the recreation league in Waycross during the early 1970s. He soon found his niche as a tennis and baseball player, and he excelled at both. He was introduced to tennis at a young age by his father, Hamp Sirmans, who played tennis for the University of Georgia. He also was taught baseball at an early age and was coached by Jimmy Joyce (Hall of Fame Class of 2000). Mr. Joyce often had Greg and his own son Jeffrey, Greg’s best friend, play up in the 12 year old junior league from the 10 year old midget league. He credits this experience of playing against older and bigger players in helping him learn the finer points of the game.

As a three-year letterman in tennis and a two-year letterman in baseball for the Waycross Bulldogs Class of 1976, Greg had the difficult task of playing as the #1 singles in tennis while also being a starter and all-star on the diamond during the same season. He was twice selected to the Phillips 66 all-tournament baseball team, and along with Ware County’s Hank Aldridge (Hall of Fame Class of 2007) was one of only two players to achieve that honor. While in high school, he was also a member of the National Honor Society and participated in the Governor’s Honor Program.

He would earn a baseball scholarship to Berry College in Rome, GA and became a freshman starter on the baseball team. He also caught the eye of the Berry tennis coach at a local city-wide tournament where he lost in the finals to a former Berry College standout. The coach asked if he would be willing to play against current Berry tennis players, which he did, and he defeated the top 2 singles players at that time. He was offered an invitation to join the tennis team on the spot, but that proposal was overruled by his baseball coach.

After transferring to Georgia College, he was reunited with his former foe Hank Aldrige, where he finished his college career holding down the right side of the infield alongside his friend. After college, he continued playing baseball for the local men’s travel team, the Waycross Expos, and tennis in statewide recreation department tournaments. In a brief move to Atlanta in 1984, he joined the North Dekalb Baseball Association, a city wide league of former college players, where he led his team to the championship and was voted the all-star shortstop by league coaches. Not wanting to stop the fun, he played softball in the old Industrial League and later the Church League until his mid-fifties.

In 2000, he joined the Ware County Gator football broadcast team and worked with one of the best play-by-play broadcasters, Brian Blount of WKUB, until 2010. He became a member of the Board of Directors in the fall of 2002 and is the current Treasurer of the Waycross-Ware County Sports Hall of Fame.

Greg is married to the former Alesia Walker, and they have two daughters and five grandchildren. They currently reside in Pierce County and are active members of Trinity Methodist Church in Waycross.