Alabama Sports Hall of Fame announce 2019 inductees
Published 1:42 pm Friday, November 30, 2018
The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame announced its eight inductees for the Class of 2019 this week.
Tommie Agee, Bull Burgess, Willie Davenport, Luis Gonzalez, Bud Moore, Antonio Langham, Steve Savarese and Catherine Reddick Whitehill are the 51st class of the ASHOF, bringing its membership to 361. They will be inducted on April 27 in the Birmingham Ballroom, at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel.
Here’s a brief synopsis of each inductee:
Tommie Agee: The Maplesville native was a four-year starting fullback at Auburn and later earned two Super Bowl rings with the Dallas Cowboys in 1992 and 1993.
Bill Burgess: The Birmingham native was a fullback at Auburn in 1962, but is best-known for coaching Jacksonville State to a Division II national championship in 1992. He’s in the D-II Hall of Fame. He also coached prep football at Woodlawn High School and Oxford High School.
Willie Davenport: The Troy native is a two-time Olympic medalist. He won a gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1968 Summer Olympics, a bronze medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. He’s a member of the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame and U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
Luiz Gonzalez: The Tampa, Florida native played at South Alabama and played 18 years in Major League Baseball. He had the game-winning hit in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the New York Yankees.
Antonio Langham: The Town Creek native was a three-year starting cornerback for Alabama, playing a key in its 1992 national championship. Still holds the school’s career interception record with 19. He’s a former first-round NFL Draft pick and played seven NFL seasons.
Bud Moore: The Jasper native played baseball and football at Alabama. He was named Big Eight Coach of the Year by the AP and UPI in 1975 at Kansas. In 1996, he was named recipient of the Paul W. Bryant Alumni-Athlete Award.
Steve Savarese: Grew up in Leeds and best-known for being the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Executive Director. At the AHSAA, his changes include rotating the state championship football games between Auburn and Tuscaloosa and a revenue-sharing plan for additional opportunities for student-athlete participation.
Catherine Reddick Whitehill: She grew up in Birmingham and became a soccer star at Briarwood Christian School. She became a star at the University of North Carolina, winning four national championships and named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team four times