Fayette County High School will hold their athletic hall of fame dinner and induction ceremony on Saturday, March 18. It will be their first induction ceremony since 2003. This year’s inductees include Kathy Addison-Morrison, Mike Gable, Shane Norris, Kevi Thiem-Schram, Charlie Waller and Charles Winslette. This year’s distinguished alumnus will be Huie Bray.

Addison-Morrison is being inducted for her accomplishments in basketball, a sport in which she lettered all four years (1988-1992) but she also lettered for three years in softball and soccer and one year in track. In basketball, she was was the team captain and most valuable player in her junior and senior years. As a senior, she averaged 18 points, five rebounds, five steals and five assists per game. Addison-Morrison attended the University of North Florida after high school and holds the record for most career steals and assists and most assists in a season.

Gable (1968-1970) is being inducted for his accomplishments in track, which he lettered in for three years, though he also lettered in football and wrestling. As a senior, Gable won the region in both the mile and two mile run. He held school records in the 880, the one mile and the two mile run and was a state champ in the two mile run for Class B.

Norris was a goalkeeper and four year letterman for the Fayette County Tigers from 1983-1987. He was named the most valuable player on defense as a junior, participated in the junior olympics, recorded a 0.80 goals against average as a senior and was named to the Georgia All State soccer team and the All Metro Atlanta soccer team. He was also a member of the state champion Under 19 Premier team for three years. In college, Norris recorded six shutouts in 18 games in 1988, was named co-MVP at LaGrange College and was named to the NAIA District 25 All-Conference team.

Kevi Thiem-Schram (1984-1988) was the first athlete to represent the school in swimming. She held Georgia USS state records in the 1,650 yard and 1,500 meter freestyles and was a state champion in 1987 in the 500 yard freestyle. She was awarded outstanding achievement from the swimming Hall of Fame and was named most athletic senior by her peers. Before starting high school, she swam in a relay swim across the English Channel. Thiem-Schram attended the University of North Carolina Charlotte and held the school record in the 1,500 meter freestyle. She also competed for Georgia State University, where she also served as athletics trainer. She was also a US Swimming All Star for seven years.

Waller lettered in football all four years (1981-1985) and also lettered in wrestling for one year. He played center and defensive tackle for the Tigers and was team captain in his senior year. Waller also received all region honors as a defensive tackle. After graduation, Waller played football at Georgia Southern University under Erk Russell. He was a starter for four years, participated in three national championship seasons and was a senior leader in 1989 in a 15 win, national championship season.

Winslette was a coach at Fayette County for eight years (1977-1983), serving primarily as the football coach but also coaching golf, tennis and baseball. The football team had a run of making the state playoffs for five consecutive years under Winslette. As a golf coach, one of his players was Cindy Schreyer, who was a NCAA champion for the University of Georgia and also won some LPGA tournaments. Winslette also coached some region champion girls tennis teams while at Fayette County. He stays in touch with some of his former players and has heard from many more since his induction was announced.

After coaching at Fayette County, he also coached state champion teams at Statesboro High School and West Rome High School. He is still coaching football for the Gatewood School near his home town of Eatonton.

Bray, this year’s distinguished alumnus, attended Fayette County High School beginning in 1939. His time at the school was interrupted by World War II and Bray enlisted in the Navy in 1943. He served on the USS Nicholas, the most decorated ship in the Navy, and on Sept. 2, 1945, the ship led the armada of U.S. ships into Tokyo Bay. Returning from the Navy in 1946, Bray started working in the building and construction industry. In 1947, he established his own company and has been a fixture in the community for 59 years. He has been on the board of directors for the Home Builders Association of Atlanta, was the Home Show Chairman for a number of years, served as a Scoutmaster for troop 71, is a 50 year member of the Fayetteville Kiwanis Club and, perhaps most significantly, fronted the effort to establish a professionally trained EMS.

All of this year’s honorees expressed how humbled they were to be recognized by their former school. For many, the announcement that they were among this year’s inductees came as a surprise.

“This is very special,” said Bray, who added that the area of Fayette County, has been very good to him.

The ceremony this Saturday will be a time for former teammates and coaches to reunite and remember their former glory days and each one of the Athletic Hall of Fame’s Class of 2006 is looking forward to it.

Those who have Athletic Hall of Fame nominations for next year should e-mail them to Principal Dr. Charles Warr at warr.charles@fcboe.org. Distinguished Alumni nominations should be e-mailed to fredward@bellsouth.net.

login to post comments