Former Atlanta Braves greats Glavine, Jordan headline 2021 Georgia Sports HOF class

The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame welcomed its newest class of inductees Saturday night, headlined by Braves legend Tom Glavine alongside seven other Georgia sports greats.

Glavine was joined by Brian Jordan, Maya Moore, Joe Hamilton, Tony Barnhart, Janet Harris, Matt Stinchcomb and Ray Lamb.

The night began with opening remarks from UGA great Loran Smith, elected to the hall in 1997. All former inductees who were in attendance were acknowledged, including Vince Dooley — the former Georgia head coach who led the team to the 1980 national championship — as well Georgia women’s basketball coach Andy Landers, former Braves GM and president John Schuerholz and Georgia head coach Ray Goff, among others.

Hall of Famers

Tony Barnhart, who has been given the moniker Mr. College Football, launched his successful career in journalism as the former sports editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Barnhart said when he received word that he was chosen to be inducted into the hall of fame, he told organizers two things.

“There are a lot of people who deserve this more than I do, but I promise you that no one will ever be as grateful as this little country boy from Union Point, Georgia.” Barnhart said.

Glavine spoke after a video detailing all his various accomplishments including bringing home a pair of Cy Young awards and a World Series-clinching victory for the Braves in 1995 when he was named the MVP of the series. As Glavine walked on to the stage, members of the audience broke out the signature chop.

Glavine told The Telegraph after the ceremony that he has come to appreciate the fans and his impact on the state of Georgia more since he retired.

“I think as time goes by I appreciate it more. When you are playing you get caught up in what you are doing but you know there is great support out there,” he said. “It is a very humbling and special feeling to know that I was a part of such great memories.”

Glavine also said that it was a great feeling to be able to go into the hall of fame alongside his former teammate Brian Jordan but also alongside other great players, coaches and journalists in the class of 2021.

“You look at the Georgia hall of fame in general and you see how many great people that are in it. It is a pretty good group to be a part,” he said. “Having an opportunity to go in with a teammate makes it more fun. I obviously couldn’t have had the success that I had without great teammates, Brian being one of them. It is humbling.”

Jordan, a former Atlanta Brave and Atlanta Falcon who now writes children’s book and covers the Braves as an on-air personality, thanked current Stratford Academy head tennis coach and class of 2005 inductee Jaime Kaplan for helping get him into the hall of fame. The pair became friends through the Kevin Brown golf tournament held in Macon. Jordan also took the time to shout out his friend, Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller.

Jordan has been coming to the hall of fame events for the last few years to watch former teammates and coaches get inducted. He said he was excited to finally earn his spot alongside them.

“I was hoping one day I would make it and tonight it is truly an honor to celebrate with family,” Jordan said. “It was a lot of fun playing together (with Tom) on so many winning teams. To go in at the same time is a joy and something that I will always remember.”

Janet Harris, a star basketball player under Andy Landers at the University of Georgia gave a crowd-pleasing speech, thanking her coaches for helping her achieve the great honor.

“I signed with Georgia. There was a lot of negativity. Why would you choose Georgia? We have never heard of Georgia. My response was ‘oh you will,’” Harris said. “I wanted to be a part of an up and coming program. I want to thank you coach (Landers) for bringing out the best in me and helping me adapt to the college level. You were tough as hell and your legendary practices, lord have mercy they were intense.”

Ray Lamb shines

The star of the night was former high school football coach Ray Lamb, the patriarch of the Lamb family that includes former Mercer head coach Bobby Lamb and former Calhoun High School head coach Hal Lamb.

Lamb’s speech lasted over 10 minutes and he spent his time thanking his kids, grandchildren, his wife and former players for their support over the years. He also threw in some fun stories like the first time he met his wife and thanked coach Dooley and Goff for allowing him to hang out at the University of Georgia for 19 years.

The former coach received a standing ovation as he exited the stage.

Maya Moore, the former standout at Collins Hill in Suwanee and UConn superstar, was tasked with following Lamb. Moore took the time to talk about her work off the court after retiring from basketball in 2020 to pursue criminal justice reform.

She was a two time Naismith College Player of the Year while starring for the Huskies and a three time Big East player of the year before she was drafted No. 1 overall by the Minnesota Lynx. Moore was a four time WNBA champion with the Lynx, winning the league’s Rookie of the Year award in 2011 and MVP award in 2014 to go along with six All-Star selections.

The 65th edition of this event wrapped up with former Georgia great Matt Stinchcomb, who made sure to mention his fellow inductee in the class of 2021 Joe Hamilton for ruining his senior season when the Yellow Jackets knocked off the Bulldogs. The pair of gridiron greats were rivals on the field but join the hall of fame together.

Hamilton, the 1999 Heisman runner-up and Davey O’Brien winner at Georgia Tech, played four seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He later began a career as a coach and administrator. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.