CLASS OF 1998
ALFRED ANDERSON
Alfred Walton “Alf” Anderson was born in Gainesville and grew up in Decatur where he was a multi-sport standout at Decatur High School. He went on to be a two-sport star in baseball and football at the University of Georgia. He lettered in both sports for three years and was the captain of the baseball team in his senior year in 1937. Anderson had a couple of minor league stops, including with the Atlanta Crackers. He made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1941 and played the 1941 and 1942 seasons with the Pirates. In 1944 and 1945, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He made a brief appearance with the Pirates in 1946 after his military service.
JIM BRELAND
Jim Breland grew up in Atlanta and played two years of college football at the Naval Academy before transferring to Georgia Tech. Breland played two years at Tech and was team captain, first team All-American, and Academic All-American his senior year in 1966. He was voted Southeastern Area Lineman of the Year in 1966 by the Atlanta Touchdown Club. Legendary Tech coach, Bobby Dodd, called Breland the best center he ever coached. Breland was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1967 NFL draft, but decided against a career in professional football. He is a member of the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame.
WALTER CARPENTER
Walker “Big Six” Carpenter grew up in Newnan and was an outstanding football player at Georgia Tech from 1914 to 1917. As a tackle, he was part of Tech’s SIAA Conference Championships and National Championships in 1916 and 1917. He was an All-Southern selection in 1916 and 1917 and an All-American in 1917. He and teammate, Everett Strupper, were the first players from the Deep South selected to an All-American team. Carpenter graduated from Tech with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is a member of the Helms Football Hall of Fame and the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
BILL ELLIOTT
William Clyde (Bill) Elliott is from Dawsonville and is known by Georgians and NASCAR fans everywhere by his nickname “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville.” Elliott developed an interest in cars and racing as a child in rural Georgia and went on to become one of the most famous and popular NASCAR drivers of all time. During his career, he twice won the Daytona 500: 1985 & 1987. He also claimed the Brickyard 400 in 2002 and three times captured the Southern 500 (1985, 1988 & 1994). He led the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in wins in 1985, 1988, and 1992. He was the 1988 Winston Cup Series Champion. In 1987, he set the track record for fastest qualifying speed at Talladega at 212.809 miles per hour; the fastest qualifying speed for any NASCAR race ever and with the current usage of restrictor plates at Talladega, it is highly unlikely that his record will ever be topped again. Elliott is a member of the National Motorsports Hall of Fame and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Since his retirement, he has remained involved with the sport of auto racing through his affiliation with numerous racing teams and organizations.
LYN LOTT
Clinton Lynwood “Lyn” Lott III was born in Douglas, and won several amateur golf tournaments in Georgia including the Georgia State Junior Amateur, Georgia State Amateur, and Georgia Open. He played collegiately at the University of Georgia where he was a two-time All-American. During his time at UGA, the team won four consecutive SEC titles and Lott won two individual events. Lott played on the PGA tour from 1974 to 1984. His best finishes were three third-place finishes at the Canadian Open in 1976, the Byron Nelson Classic in 1977, and Greater Milwaukee Open in 1981. He had two top ten finishes in a major (1976 & 1977 U.S. Open). He is a member of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.
CLIFFORD McGAUGHEY
Clifford Holmes McGaughey grew up in Atlanta where he was an All-Southern shortstop for Boys High School. He went on to be a letterman in baseball at the University of Georgia from 1929 to 1931 and was team captain his senior year in 1931. He also played a stint in the minor leagues with the Atlanta Crackers. McGaughey was probably best known for his ownership in Reeder & McGaughey Sporting Goods for over 50 years. During its long and successful run, Reeder & McGaughey was the premier sporting goods supplier to schools in the Southeast. The store is given credit for saving high school football in the state of Georgia by delivering much needed equipment and offering liberal credit policies to both white and African-American public high schools.
EDWIN MOSES
Edwin Moses was born in Dayton, Ohio and made his way to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College. The future Olympian ran track at Morehouse, in spite of the fact that Morehouse did not have a track. He perfected his craft at local high schools’ tracks. Moses went on to win Gold Medals in the 400 meters in the 1976 and 1984 Olympics and a Bronze Medal at the 1988 games. He also won Gold Medals at the 1983 and 1987 World Championships and at the 1977, 1979, and 1981 IAFF World Cup as well as the 1986 Goodwill Games. Moses also won a Bronze Medal at the 1990 World Cup bobsledding championship along with 2-man team partner Brian Shimer. As a sports administrator, Moses participated in the development of a number of anti-drug policies and helped the track and field community develop one of sports' most stringent random in-competition drug testing systems. In 1988, he designed and created amateur sports' first random out-of-competition drug testing program. He is a member of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
CALVIN RAMSEY
Calvin Ramsey grew up in Alabama and graduated from Mississippi State University but made his way to Atlanta where he coached the Avondale High School football team from 1951 to 1969. His teams won numerous region titles and were state runners up three times and North Georgia and Co-State Champions in 1958. He led the Blue Devils to seven undefeated regular seasons, and 50 of his players were given college scholarships. The World War II Navy veteran posted a 167-33-8 record at Avondale making him one of the most successful coaches in Dekalb County history and giving him legendary status among Georgia high school football coaches.
JACKIE ROBINSON
Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo and went on to become a one of the most important figures in sports and civil rights in U.S. History. Robinson was a terrific athlete who played baseball, football, and participated in track and field at UCLA. After a stint in the minor league and in the Negro Leagues with the Kansas City Monarchs, Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He played for 10 seasons with the Dodgers and was a six-time All-Star and was part of 1955 World Series Championship team. During his career, he was the MLB Rookie of the Year, National League MVP, the 1949 NL batting title winner, and was a two-time stolen base leader. All of these were firsts for an African-American player. His number 42 is retired by the Dodgers and he is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Robinson’s character and personality made him the ideal figure to carry the torch for racial equality in sports and in society as a whole.
BILL WINN, JR.
Captain William A. (Bill) Winn, Jr. was born in Atlanta, and was a four-sport star at Harlem High School. He continued his exploits as a four‐sport star at Georgia Southern University, earning 12 letters in football, basketball, tennis and track from 1936 to 1940. He won every 440 and 880 race entered. He was “Mr. Versatility” on the gridiron playing fullback, safety, cornerback, punter, wide receiver, and kickoff and punt returner. Legend has it that he boomed several 70‐ yard punts during college career. After his playing days were over, he coach at Harlem High School and was a pilot in the Eastern Airlines L1011 program.
RICH YUNKUS
Rich Yunkus was born in Omaha, Nebraska and was a high school basketball star at Benton High School in Benton, Illinois. Although Yunkus was recruited by most top schools nationally, he chose to attend Georgia Tech, in part due to his interest in becoming an engineer. During his college career, Yunkus scored 2,232 points and recorded 955 rebounds. He is the Yellow Jackets' all-time leading scorer, despite playing only three seasons. He also is the program’s career leader in scoring average. Yunkus was a three time Academic All-American. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals in the 1971 NBA but never played an NBA game. He ultimately returned to Benton to begin his business career. His number 40 is retired by Georgia Tech and he is a member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
