CLASS OF 1991
EMERSON BOOZER
Emerson Boozer showcased his football talents at Laney High School in Augusta and signed a football scholarship at Maryland State College (now Maryland Eastern-Shore) in 1962. Over the next 4 years, Boozer rushed for a school-record 2,537 yards and 22 touchdowns on 374 carries, an average of 6.8 yards per rush. He was a two time All-American. Not widely sought by the NFL, Boozer was drafted by the New York Jets of the new AFL. In 1967 starter Matt Snell was injured and Boozer moved into the lineup. Despite playing just half that year, he still led the AFL in rushing touchdowns for the season. Boozer and Snell were the Jets backfield combination in their famed 16-7 upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Emerson would play his entire 10-year career with the Jets earning two trips to the Pro Bowl. He rushed for over 5,000 yards with 64 touchdowns during his career. He’s a member of the College Football Hall of Fame as well as the Jets Ring of Honor.
HUGH CASEY
Hugh Thomas Casey was born in Atlanta in 1913. He was a highly touted young pitching prospect after graduating Atlanta’s Tech High School in 1931. Detroit drafted young Casey but he did not make their roster so he returned to Georgia and pitched for the Atlanta Crackers. Casey was signed by the Chicago Cubs and made his Major League debut in 1935. He was signed by Brooklyn in 1939 and compiled at 15-10 record for the Dodgers. But manager Leo Durocher moved Casey to the bullpen and the decision paid off. Casey posted a 2.23 ERA as the Dodgers captured the 1941 pennant only to lose the World Series to the Yankees. After a three-year stint in the Navy, Casey returned to Brooklyn and posted an 11-5 record and a 1.99 ERA in 1946. In 1947, he led the National League in saves for the second time. He pitched in that year's World Series as well, going 2–0 with a save, but the Dodgers again lost the fall classic. Casey returned to his hometown Atlanta Crackers for the 1950 season winning ten games working as both a starter and reliever for the pennant-winning Crackers.
PETE COX
Pete Cox was born in Newnan but moved to Albany where he became one of the most decorated high school athletes in Georgia history. Cox won 13 varsity sports letters at Albany High School. His college career included stops at South Georgia College in 1953 where he was the MVP of the football, basketball, and baseball teams. Cox also lettered two seasons as a defensive back on the Furman University football team and won 42 of 43 matches he played for the school’s golf team which included the Southern Conference individual title. Pete won over 150 Amateur Championships highlighted by the 1963 Georgia State Amateur title. As a senior, Cox captured the Georgia Senior Open in at Sea Island in 1986. Pete helped organize the GSGA Junior Sectional Program in 1973, serving as chairman for 16 years. He has served on the GSGA Board of Directors and was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 1992.
CHARLES HARRISON
Charles Harrison was a junior golf standout in his hometown of Atlanta. He won the 1947 Atlanta City Junior Championship and then went on to letter four years at Georgia Tech. Instead of turning pro, Harrison remained an amateur and he captured the Atlanta Amateur a record 10 times, the Atlanta Athletic Club Championship nine times, and the Atlanta Country Club Championship six times. He also claimed victories in the 1955 Southern Amateur and the 1959 Georgia Amateur. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur 16 times and played in two Masters. At the 1960 Masters during a practice round, Harrison played with Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan and Australian professional Norman Von Nida. Harrison fired a 65 beating Palmer by eight shots, Hogan by seven and Von Nida by nine. Harrison served as a director of the Southern Golf Association and was president of the Atlanta Golf Association from 1971-1985. He was elected to the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame in 1978.
BILL HEALY
William Raymond (Bill) Healy was born in New Jersey but moved south and played football at Baylor School in Chattanooga graduating in 1942. He served in the 88th Cavalry reconnaissance squadron in the European Theater during World War II. He was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for gallantry in action. He then entered Georgia Tech where he was a five-sport letterman. He captained the 1947 team and was named All-SEC lineman in both 1947 and ’48. He was also an All-American in 1948. He was a third round pick by Boston in 1948 but did not play professionally. Bill was part of a college football family as sons, Chip (1968 All-American at Vanderbilt), and Rob (Georgia Tech, 1971-73), and grandson, Will (Richmond, 2005-2008), all followed him on the gridiron. Bill and Chip are on a short list of SEC father-son football All-Americans. Healy is a member of the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame and was selected by the Associated Press for an all-time SEC team in 1950.
JESSE OUTLAR
Jesse Lamar Outlar was born in Finleyson and raised in the South Georgia town of Omega. Not only did Outlar work as a newspaper delivery boy, he founded and edited the local high school paper. It was only natural that when he entered the University of Georgia, Jesse would become sports editor of the school’s newspaper The Red and Black. After a brief stint in Waycross, Outlar moved to Atlanta and began writing for The Atlanta Constitution. When Furman Bisher moved to The Atlanta Journal in 1957, Outlar replaced him as sports editor of the Constitution. Over the next 30 years Jesse covered every major sporting event including the Kentucky Derby, the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Masters, and his beloved Georgia Bulldogs. Outlar was shot in the stomach in the parking lot of the old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium in 1973, after filing his story on an Atlanta Falcons game. Thankfully, he recovered and was able to return to work where he was named Georgia Sportswriter of the Year three times by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, and he was voted as Georgia's Sports Columnist of the Year four times by the Associated Press.
GEORGE PATTON
George Edward Patton was an All-State quarterback at Deshler High School in Tuscumbia, Alabama who signed with the University of Georgia. Patton spent his freshman year at Georgia as a quarterback, but Vince Dooley felt Patton was a better fit on defense and he was right. On the first play of his career against the University of Alabama, Patton sacked Joe Namath for an eight-yard loss. It was an omen of things to come. He was a three-time All-SEC player and two-time All-American in 1965 and 1966. In 1966, Patton kept the pressure on future Heisman Trophy-winner Steve Spurrier as Georgia upset the seventh ranked Gators. The “General” was voted Outstanding Lineman in the SEC that season as Georgia claimed the league crown. In his final game as a Bulldog, Patton relived his high school days playing quarterback for a series. He ran the ball once, gaining 14 yards in the Cotton Bowl win over SMU. He was drafted by Washington but did not play professionally.
DAN REEVES
Daniel Edward (Dan) Reeves was born in Rome but grew up in Americus where he was an exceptional all-around athlete. Reeves was MVP of the Georgia High School football All-Star game and selected to the All-State basketball team in 1961. Reeves played college football at the University of South Carolina where he was a three-year starter at quarterback from 1962-64. Dan signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 1965 to play safety, but was later moved to halfback when a series of injuries depleted the team's depth chart. Reeves played eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, collected 1,990 rushing yards, 1,693 receiving yards and scored 42 touchdowns. In 1968, Reeves injured his knee and was lost for the season. Head coach Tom Landry asked Reeves to become a player-coach which he did for three years before becoming a full-time assistant coach in 1972. He later became head coach of the Denver Broncos and led the team to three Super Bowl appearances. Following four seasons as the head coach of the New York Giants, Reeves served as the Atlanta Falcons' head coach for seven seasons leading the team to their first championship appearance in Super Bowl XXXIII. Reeves compiled a 190-165-2 record in 23 years as an NFL Head Coach.