CLASS OF 1964
WILLIAM ALEXANDER
William A. Alexander was born in Mud River, Kentucky and played football for the legendary John Heisman at Georgia Tech. He went on to be the second winningest coach in Tech history, compiling a career coaching record of 134-95-15 between 1920 and 1944. Alexander was the first college coach to place his teams in all four major bowl games: Sugar, Cotton, Orange, and Rose. His teams won eight conference championships and the 1928 National Championship. He was succeeded as Tech’s football coach by Bobby Dodd, one of his assistants, who would become the winningest team in Tech history. Alexander is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He also served as head coach of Tech’s basketball team from 1919 to 1924.
LUCIUS (LUKE) APPLING
Lucius (Luke) Appling born in High Point, North Carolina and got his start in professional baseball with the Atlanta Crackers before beginning his major league career with the Chicago White Sox in 1930. He played his entire major league career (1930-1950) with the White Sox. Appling was a seven time All-Star and two time American League batting champion. His number four was retired by the White Sox. He served as manager of the Kansas City Athletics in 1967 and was a long time coach in the Atlanta Braves organization. He is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
TYRUS (TY) COBB
Tyrus Raymond (Ty) Cobb was from Royston and is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Nicknamed “The Georgia Peach,” Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers (1905-1926), the last six as player-manager. He played his final two seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics. Cobb had an incredible career batting average of .366 and was a twelve time American League batting champion and six time stolen base leader. He was a four time AL RBI leader and was league MVP in 1911. Cobb was one of fiercest competitors to ever play the game. In 1999, Sporting News listed him third on their list of “Baseball’s 100 Greatest Players.” He is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
ROBERT HOOKS
Robert G. Hooks was from Americus and was an outstanding athlete at The University of Georgia in the late 1920s. He was football letterman and captain of both the boxing and swim teams. He was named Southern Conference Light Heavyweight Champ in 1928. He fought in six professional fights in 1930 and won all by knockouts. After his playing days, Hooks became a high school coaching icon in the state of Georgia. He coached wrestling and swimming at Riverside Military Academy and football at Georgia Military College where he won a GIAA Championship in 1930 and the Junior College National Championship in 1931. He went on to be the head football coach and athletic director a Valdosta High School from 1932 to 1940 where his teams won multiple district titles and the 1940 State Championship. He also coached Valdosta’s track team to state titles in 1936 and 1938.
ROBERT T. (BOBBY) JONES, JR.
Robert T. (Bobby) Jones, Jr. was from Atlanta and is considered one of the most influential figures in the history of golf. A Georgia Tech grad who made his living primarily as a lawyer, Jones became a highly successful amateur golfer at a young age, winning the Georgia Amateur Title at age 14. He went on to win the U.S. Amateur Title five times. In 1930, he became a “Grand Slam” winner by winning the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, British Amateur, and The Open Championship. Jones went on to found and design Augusta National Golf Club, and he co-founded the Masters Tournament. Jones was also an influential instructor and club designer. He served in the Army in Europe in World War II, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. He is a member of the Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame and the World Golf Hall of Fame.
ROBERT McWHORTER
Robert L. (Bob) McWhorter was from Lexington and became a legendary football player at the University of Georgia. He was a four time All-Southern performer for the Bulldogs (1910-1913) and a first team All-American in 1913. He scored 61 touchdowns in his career as a halfback at UGA. He was also an outstanding baseball player who was offered a professional baseball contract, choosing instead to go to law school at the University of Virginia. McWhorter was a four term mayor of Athens and a law professor at Georgia. He was inducted into The College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.
ALBERT SLATON
Albert H. Staton was born in Attalla, Alabama and attended Boys High School in Atlanta. He attended Georgia Tech from 1918 to 1922 where he was a four time All-Southern performer as an end. He was part of 3 SIAA Championship teams (1918, 1920, and 1921) and a Southern Conference Championship team (1922). . He also was a letterman and team captain of the basketball team at Tech. Staton was the first chief executive officer of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and editor of its magazine He is a member of the Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame and Tech All-Era Team (John Heisman era).
BOBBY WALTHOUR, SR.
Bobby Walthour, Sr. was born in Walthourville on New Year’s Day 1878. He began his amateur bicycling career in 1895 in the Atlanta area by racing in road races. He started his professional career as a sprinter and developed into a winning six-day rider. Known as the “Iron Man of Cycling,” he was the only man to hold American and World Cycling Championships at the same time. He set 26 world records in 1904 and for ten years won every European Classic race. A fearless competitor, Walthour experienced near-fatal injuries and was pronounced dead twice.