Sports Hall of Fame Class of ’20 announced

The Laurens County Sports Hall of Fame will induct five members into its fourth class on April 30, 2020.

The induction ceremony will be held at The Ridge at Laurens at 6:30 p.m.

The process of selecting the 2020 class of the Laurens County Sports Hall of Fame began in the summer of 2019. Nominations were taken from Sept. 15 until Dec. 31.

Once nominations were complete, the nominating committee, made up of eight individuals from Laurens County, narrowed the field of 40 nominations down to 10 finalists. The 10 finalists were then taken to the anonymous three-person selection committee that picked the five finalists that will make up the class of 2020.

To be eligible for the Laurens County Sports Hall of Fame, nominees must have lived in Laurens County for five years and must be 10 years out of high school.

Current members of the Laurens County Sports Hall of Fame include: Keith Richardson, Chrissy Floyd, J.D. Fuller, Kevin Long, King Dixon, Barry Atkinson, Cally Gault, Sam Owens, Kinard Littleton, Rickey Foggie, Truman Owens, Bobby Ivey, Chick Galloway, William Hill, Bill Hogan, Lonnie Pulley, Phil Rogers and Clovis Simmons.

“After three great classes of inductees, we are excited about the group that we have assembled to induct in 2020,” said Billy Dunlap, president of the Laurens County Sports Hall of Fame. “It is once again a who’s who of individuals that have made up the sports landscape of Laurens County for the past century. I think the committees did a great job of selecting this class and it is something that we can all be proud of.”

Members of the class of 2020 of the Laurens County Sports Hall of Fame are:

Shell Dula – A native of Laurens and a graduate of Presbyterian College, Dula coached high school football for 40 years. During his illustrious career, Dula was a head coach for 32 years, winning 254 games and six state championships. Dula was head coach at Greenwood, Ninety Six and Union. He is one of two coaches to win state championships at three different schools. 

Buddy Jennings – Jennings led Laurens to back-to-back AAAA Division II state football championships in 1983 and 1984. He was the head football coach at LDHS from 1982-1987, winning region coach of the year four times. Under Jennings, the Raiders won region titles in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1986.

Ann Simmons Dean Parks – Parks coached at Clinton High School from 1974-1980. She won an upper state championship in track and girls basketball in 1978-79. Parks was named the SC High School Basketball Coach of the Year in 1978-79. She coached at Newberry College from 1983-1990. As a player at Ware Shoals High School, Parks led her team to back-to-back state basketball championships in 1968-69 and 1969-70 and a perfect 42-0 record.

Edward Pitts – A native of Clinton, Pitts played football at Clinton High School from 1952-55 and the University of South Carolina from 1956-1959. Regarded as one of the Gamecocks finest linemen, Pitts was a two-way starter at tackle. He was twice named All-ACC and was named All-American after his senior season. Pitts was the director of the Gamecock Club for 22 years.

Roy Walker – Walker was an All-State and All-Region football player for the Clinton Red Devils, winning a state championship in 1975. Walker was a captain on the Presbyterian College football team as an All-Conference and All-American offensive tackle. Widely considered one of the greatest players in Blue Hose history, Walker won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the top offensive lineman in South Carolina, regardless of classification.

Tickets for the induction banquet will go on sale on Monday, March 30 at the Clinton YMCA and Laurens YMCA. Individual tickets are $25 and includes a meal catered by Lee’s BBQ.

For more information on the Laurens County Sports Hall of Fame, visit www.laurenscountysportshalloffame.com or email bdunlap@golaurens.com.