Hall of Fame to honor 1979 Red Bud Wrestling Team
Cardinals’ state-championship squad to be recognized at annual banquet
The 1979 Red Bud High School Wrestling Team accomplished something that every athletic team in every sport strives for… perfection.
The group that went undefeated in duals competition and captured a state championship almost four decades ago will get to relive that special season in a few weeks as they are honored at the 2017 Calhoun- Gordon County Sports Hall of Fame banquet.
During the 1979 campaign, the Cardinals went undefeated in dual matches in its march to the state championship. They also had 10 individual region champion wrestlers out of the 12 weight classes, three individual state champions, three state runners- up and three wrestlers who finished third at State.
Calhoun- Gordon County Sports Hall of Fame President Dewayne Bowen said as an organization, they are thrilled to be able to honor the great accomplishments of the Red Bud state championship team.
“There are numerous great teams from the city and county, but the 1979 Red Bud Wrestling team has come up in the Board’s discussions since we started the Sports Hall Of Fame, so I wasn’t surprised it was a near- unanimous vote to recognize them this year,” said Bowen. “I mean, to go undefeated in duals competition in wrestling is pretty rare so they were obviously a great team.”
The Hall of Fame invites all members of the team to be a guest at the banquet on Aug. 12 at Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s Gordon Campus. A complimentary ticket will be provided for the ceremony to each team member and additional tickets are available for purchase.
Team members who wish to attend are asked to contact Chuck Ruth, a member of the 1979 team and one of the Board of Directors of the Hall of Fame, by calling him at 770-5485620.
This will be the third Hall of Fame banquet and the Cardinals will be the second team of honor following the 1952 Calhoun High School Football Team, which was recognized last year.
The Class of 2017 will also be inducted during the banquet on Aug. 12. The third-ever class includes Jacin Bagwell, Staci Miller Banks, Casey Baxter, Ann Rogers Gallman, Barry Hall, Clarence Porch and Lynn Walter.
The 2017 Class enters the Hall of Fame with 21 others who were previously inducted in the first two classes. The inaugural class in 2015 was made of 14 local legends, including Sharan Adamson Bass, Billy Bearden, Miranda Monyette Chattam, Charlie Culberson, Kris Durham, Mitch Frix, Lawrence J. ‘Pete’ Garigan, Freda Hunt Glass, Chip Henderson, Hal Lamb, Bob Nance, Vaughn Robbins, Diane Smith and Ray Tucker. They were followed by the impressive Class of 2016, which included Maude Chattam, Michael Durham, Zeke McDaniel, Helen Jane McDonald, Ken Moore, Mike Nance and Matthew Pitts.
Tickets are available now for the Hall of Fame Banquet, which includes a steak dinner. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact one of the Board of Directors or email bowen.dewayne@ gmail. com or sfletcher@textilemanagement. com.
The Calhoun- Gordon County Sports Hall of Fame was formed in 2014 to honor Calhoun and Gordon County citizens who have made significant contributions to Calhoun and Gordon County as athletes, coaches, or in other sports related fields.
The Board of Directors includes President Dewayne Bowen, vice president Scott Fletcher, Pete Garigan, Andrea Brumlow, Jimmy Palmer, Barry Blevins, David Scoggins, Suzanne Roland, Chuck Ruth, Chris Tarpley, Todd Holbert, Jeff Clements, Frank Hall, Jerry Smith, Shane Faulkner and Freda Hunt Glass.