Four with UGA ties to be inducted into Georgia Sports Hall of Fame

Four Bulldogs will be inducted into this year's class at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Garrison Hearst, Manny Diaz, Liz Murphey and Laura Coble are a part of an eight-person class of 2016 that will be enshrined on Feb. 25 at the Macon City Auditorium.

Hearst, a running back from 1990-92, is Georgia's second-leading all-time rusher with 3,232 yards. His total trails only Herschel Walker's 5,259 yards, set from 1980-82. Hearst was the 1992 Doak Walker Award winner, was the 1992 SEC Player of the Year, finished third for the Heisman Trophy and earned consensus All-American status.

Hearst battled injuries throughout his NFL career after being drafted by the then-Phoenix Cardinals in 1993. Hearst still ran for 7,966 yards and 30 touchdowns in 10 total seasons with the Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos. He was named the 2001 NFL Comeback Player of the Year with the 49ers.

Diaz has been the Georgia men's tennis coach since his predecessor Dan Magill retired in 1988. Diaz has since compiled a 651-140 all-time record with 26 SEC championships and six national titles (four NCAA, two ITA indoor). Every team he's coached has finished the season nationally ranked.

Diaz has been named SEC Coach of the Year five times and has produced 34 All-Americans. Prior to being Georgia's head coach, Diaz played tennis for the Bulldogs in the 1970s on teams that won four SEC titles.

Murphey was Georgia's first women's golf coach and led the program to six top-10 finishes during her tenure. She was named the 1984 National Coach of the Year and was a charter member of the Collegiate Gold Hall of Fame. Her teams won four NCAA titles and 31 individual championships. Murphey was inducted into Georgia's Ring of Honor in 2001.

After her coaching career ended, Murphey was Georgia's Senior Woman's Administrator for 14 years. She passed away at the age of 72 in 2005.

Coble played golf at Georgia from 1982-84 and later won the Tommy Barnes Award for being the state's best golfer in 2000, 2005 and 2009. Coble has competed 30 national amateur championships and has been named the GSGA Women's Player of the Year 14 times.

Joining Hearst, Diaz, Murphey and Coble in this year's Georgia Sports Hall of Fame class NFL players Keith Brooking and Jeff Saturday, basketball player Matt Harpring and track athlete Willie Gault.

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Four with UGA ties to be inducted into Georgia Sports Hall of Fame."