Fayette County High School will induct the seventh class for their Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the high school.

This year’s class includes Chris McKnight (baseball and football), Becky Robertson Kouns (soccer) and two former coaches and administrators, Gary Phillips and Trigg Dalrymple.

McKnight, a graduate of the Class of 1991, lettered in football, baseball and basketball. He threw for over 1,500 yards and was named Best Offensive Player for the football team, was a pitcher, first baseman and center fielder for the baseball team and hit over .400 as a senior. He attended Kennesaw State University, the 1994 National Champions, and was named to numerous teams, as well as the Kennesaw State University Hall of Fame. In 1995, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves and was fifth in league pitching in the Northwest League.

Robertson - Kouns, a graduate of the Class of 1995, lettered in soccer, basketball, cross country and track. She played on teams ranked in the top two sports in the state during her career, teams which won both the sub-region and region. She had 70 goals and 45 assists in her career, was a four-time offensive MVP for the team, was the area’s leading scorer her senior year and made the South Metro and All State team. Robertson Kouns went to Auburn University on an athletic scholarship and was third team All-SEC in 1995.

Dalrymple was a staff member at Fayette County from 1967-1979. He was the head basketball coach for the Tigers and coached in the world’s longest overtime game (10 overtimes) in 1971, the same year that the team finished fifth in the state. He served as both an assistant and head football coach, head golf coach, athletic director and assistant principal during his time at the school. He was the principal of Huddleston Elementary from 1979-1985 and superintendent of Fayette County Schools from 1985-1996.

Phillips started as an assistant coach at Fayette County High School in football, basketball and track. He started the cross country program in 1970 and the girl’s track program in 1973. The girls were region champs in 1973, 1974 and 1975 with a combined record of 22-0. He went on to Johnson County High School and coached the football team, which featured running back Herschel Walker, to a Class A state championship, before returning to Fayette County in 1984 as the assistant principal. He was principal of the school from 1986-2001, the longest tenure for any principal at the high school. Fayette County was named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 2000 and a Georgia School of Excellence in 2001. He is currently serving as an assistant executive director for the GHSA.

The Hall of Fame also recognizes distinguished alumni who have made contributions outside the sports arena. This year’s honorees are the students who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service to our country in World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Viet Nam War. Those “Fallen Heroes” from FCHS include PFC Emerson Calloway USMC, PFC Jerry Dettmering, US Army, SP5 Joe Hyatt, US Army, SSG Louie Kelley, US Army, SMS Gary Pate, US Air Force, PVT Norman Putman, US Army, SP5 Raymond Simpson, US Army, PFC Darriel Thompson, US Army and PFC Jimmy Williams, USMC.

“Recognition as a Distinguished Alumnus is an honor which few achieve. Our past recipients have come from every walk of life and have had a profound influence shaping thousands of lives in this community, state, nation and world,” said Fred Edwards, chair of the Black and Gold Selection Committee. Other committee members are Terry Green Bryant, Sue Ellen Gable, Rose Walker Harris, and Janet Stubbs Lester.

The board of directors for the hall makes the selections and Don Apking, Trigg Dalrymple, Terri Gapierik, Norman Hart, III, Addison Lester, Howell McElroy, Tommy Mitchell, Gary Phillips, and Dr. Charles Warr.

The board of directors will also honor with special recognition the 2007 FCHS Football team for the outstanding record season.

Tickets are $20 per person and are available at Fayette Sporting Goods and at the Principal’s Office at Fayette County High School.

For additional information on the event please contact Don Apking at404-683-4799.

For more stories on the 2008 Hall of Fame inductees, including a story with Dalrymple and Phillips and a story on the “Fallen Heroes,” visit www.thecitizen.com.

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