Fannin County Introduces 2014 Hall of Fame Class

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The Fannin County Hall of Fame Class was introduced. The class consists of 13 members, 12 individuals and the 1993 Fannin County High School Girls Basketball Team.The 1993 Girls basketball Team, led by head coach Johnny Farmer was the first team to win a state championship in the history of Fannin County sports. Team members were: Tonya Walker; Melissa Pierce; Jennifer Cooley; Julie Mealer; Tina Davis; Renee Pelfrey; Melissa Holler; Katie Collins; Leslie Jabaley; Suzianne Green; Angela McDaris: April Pack; and Shannon Dillinger. Angie Taylor and Melissa Core were the mangers, and fellow 2014 inductee, Carla Sisson Boutin was an assistant on the coaching staff.

Carla Sisson Boutin played for four years for Fannin County High School, earning four varsity letters, and starting three years from 1983-86. Boutin won the team award for best offensive player in both her junior and senior seasons.

Boutin was two time All Region, and lead the region in scoring her senior year with 23.7 points a game. She averaged 10.5 rebounds a game as well.

Boutin moved on to Georgia Southern for two years, before transferring to North Georgia. At North Georgia, she was voted team MVP, as well as team Captain as a senior. She also was voted to both All-District and All-Conference he senior year, averaging 15.7 points per game.

Boutin is the first player in the history of Fannin County High School to have her jersey retired.

Wayne Black who was born in Mineral Bluff, but raised in McCaysville, played basketball for Copperhill High School in Tennessee from 1930-33. There was no high school in McCaysville at the time.

Black was also a stand out baseball player, and after attending Tennessee Wesleyan College on a basketball scholarship, began a professional baseball career in 1935, playing six years of professional baseball.

After retiring from baseball and pursuing a career in pharmacy, Black relocated to Dallas Georgia, where after years of involvement in the youth baseball program, Black was honored with a marker at the Paulding County Recreation Center.

Tom Bowling played basketball for West Fannin High School from 1960-64. He was voted team MVP his junior and senior seasons.

He led West Fannin to the 3AA Region Championship and first round victory in the state tournament in 1964. He was named to both the All-3AA Region and All AA-State team in the 63-64 season and was selected to the North Team in the North vs. South All-Star game.

Steve Cheatham played basketball and football for West Fannin from 1962-1966, earning three varsity football letters. Cheatham was the only person in West Fannin history to rush for over 1,000 yards in 1965, leading the Region in rushing with 1,134.

Cheatham score eight touchdowns in 1965 and set an individual game rushing record with 206 yards vs. North Whitfield.

Cheatham was named: Most Valuable Back and Co-Captain of the 1965 West Fannin team; the Atlanta Journal Constitution Class AA All-State Honorable Mention; and the Chattanooga Times All Tri-State first team.

Gene Crawford earned four football letters, starting three years at center, from 1957-1961. In 1959 Crawford was named Copper City Advance lineman of the week twice, after games against Polk County and Copper Basin respectively. In 1960 he was named AJC Class AA All-State Honorable Mention.

After two years as a back-up center at Tennessee Tech, and graduation, Crawford spent 30 years in education, with six years as the Fannin County School Superintendent. He retired in 1995 at the age of 53.

Steve Fry was a four year letterman in football, and a three year starter at West Fannin from 1960-64. He was awarded the Best Sportsmanship Trophy, an award voted on by teammates, after both his junior and senior campaigns.

Fry led the 63-64 team to the 3AA Region Championship and a first round State Tournament victory, while averaging 17 points a game, and was selected as an alternate for the North squad in the North vs. South All-Star Game.

After averaging 12.5 points a game as a freshmen a UGA, Fry transferred to LaGrange College and earned three varsity letters.

As a junior and senior at Lagrange, he won the Free Throw Accuracy Award hitting 89.2 and 91.4% from the charity stripe respectively.

Rene Godfrey was a four sport star at West Fannin from 1957-1961. He started for three years in both football and basketball, played baseball, and was a member of the 3AA State Title winning 440yd relay team.

Godfrey won the broad jump at the 3AA State meet and set a Region record with a 20’7. Godfrey was named Copper City Advance back of the week five times.

He score eight touchdowns his senior year and intercepted a late game pass to seal the 1960 7-6 win over Dalton, the only win over Dalton in West Fannin history. He also was the lead scorer in the first West Fannin State Tournament game with 19 points in 1961.

Clyde Henry was the head coached the Fannin County (Morganton) girls’ basketball team from 1945-48, leading the team to a 76-5 record with two State Runner-Up finishes.

In the fall of 1955 Henry took over as coach of the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at McCaysville Elementary School, winning eight Fannin County Championships with the girls and five with the boys over a nine year period.

Ashley Herendon was a three sport star at Fannin County High School from 1994-98, starring in basketball, softball, and track and field.

Herendon advanced to the State AA meet all four years, finishing third, fourth and winning the shot put event twice. She also had two second place and two first place finishes in the discus as well, setting a state record in 1997 with a throw of 131 feet 8 inches.

She was the first FCHS basketball player named to the All-State First Team, following the 96-97 season. She was Region 7-AA Player of the Year in 1997, and led FCHS to a 23-5 record and a State-Runner Up finish, while averaging 18 points per game.

In 1998 she was selected to play in the Coca-Cola Georgia-Tennessee All-Star Game.

She was also a second basewoman on the 1997 softball team that finished third in the state. She is one of four FCHS athletes who have had their jerseys retired.

Lynn Phillips played four years of basketball for West Fannin from 1965-69, starting his junior and senior years. He was named Team MVP both years as a starter.

As a senior, he led the team in both points and rebounds with 22.7 and 17 respectively. He set a single game scoring record, with 41 points against Chattooga County.

Phillips was named second team All-State following the 68-69 season. He earned a scholarship to UTC, earning two varsity letters as well as leading the team in scoring and rebounding as a freshman while being voted Most Valuable Freshman after the 69-70 season.

Travis Summers is the “all-time winningest wrestler” in the history of Fannin County High School, following a four year career from 1998-2002, with a record of 152-10.

He won three state championships, at the 112, 125, and 135lbs weight classes, and won an Area championship at 103 in 1999.

He was a Team Georgia wrestling selection from 2000-2002 and was named to the All Classification All-Star Wrestling Team in 2001 and 2002.

Jim Woodall was a three sport star at West Fannin High School from 1957-1961, playing football, basketball and running track. He started at halfback for the football team his junior and senior years, and was a member of the state winning 440 Relay team in 1960.

Woodall was named to the AJC prep honor roll after scoring two touchdowns in a 1959 game against Swain County. After a game against Rossville, he was named Copper City Advance Lineman of the Week.

Woodall walked on to the Tennessee Tech football team in 1962, eventually earning a scholarship and two letters as a football.

After college, Woodall took a high school coaching job at Cleveland High School in Tennessee, and coached for 40 years at Cleveland Bradley Central and Northwest Whitfield High Schools.

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