CLASS OF 2025
MARQUIS GRISSOM
Marquis Grissom attended Lakeshore High School in College Park where he was a 3 sport star. He opted for baseball and attended Florida A&M University. Batting .448 as a sophomore, Marquis was drafted in 1988 by the Montreal Expos. He would quickly become one of the game’s best center fielders making the All-Star team in 1993 and ’94. When a strike halted the rest of the ’94 season, Montreal was forced to trim their payroll so they traded Grissom to Atlanta. With the Braves Grissom helped Atlanta capture their first World Series title in 1995. In 1996 Grissom batted .308 and won his 4th Gold Glove Award as the Braves made yet another World Series appearance losing to the Yankees. Marquis was traded to Cleveland and extended his World Series hitting streak to 15 games in the 1997 Fall Classic. Grissom would eventually sign with the Brewers, Dodgers, and Giants before completing his 17 year career in 2006 with over 2000 hits, 200 home runs and 400 stolen bases. He’s a member of the Florida A&M and the MEAC Conference Hall of Fames.
TERRY HOLDER
Terry Holder was a three-sport standout at Cochran High School but baseball took him to Austin Peay University where he led the Governors in 10 offensive categories in 1968. Holder returned to Georgia and began what turned out to be an illustrious career in coaching. Terry was hired at Evans High School in 1975 where he began an incredible 22-year run. The Knights won 61 straight games during one stretch. They claimed 5 State Championships including 3 in a row between 1988 and 1990. When the town opened the new Greenbrier High School, they hired Holder to head their baseball program. In his first 3 seasons, Terry piloted his squad to 3 more State Titles, giving him 8 total in the last 12 years. Terry would move on to Thomson in 2005 and led the Bulldogs to their first region title in 40 years. Terry retired having compiled a 588-183 career record. He was named Georgia high school Coach of the Year 6 times and National Coach of the Year twice. The baseball field at Greenbrier is now named in his honor.
TIM HUDSON
Born in Columbus, Tim Hudson played junior college baseball at Chattahoochee Valley before signing with Auburn. During his senior season, Hudson claimed All-America honors and was named the SEC Player of the Year. Tim was picked by the Oakland A’s in the 1997 draft and he made his big league debut 2 years later. Hudson was named Sporting News AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year. The next season Tim was 20-6, made the All-Star team and finished second in the Cy Young race. In 6 seasons with the A’s, Hudson posted 92 wins against just 39 loses, but in a year-end housecleaning move he was traded to Atlanta. With the Braves “Huddy” continued his top form winning 16 games in 2007. Hudson missed most of the 2009 season recovering from injury, but in 2010 he was the National League Comeback Player of the Year after posting a 17-9 mark. Hudson would pitch 3 more years in Atlanta before signing a free agent contract with San Francisco where he won a World Series with the Giants in 2014. Hudson finished his 17-year career with 222 wins against just 133 loses. Tim’s a member of both the Atlanta Braves and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fames.
COURTNEY KUPETS CARTER
Courtney Kupets Carter started her incredible career at just 3 years old and was an elite level gymnast by the time she was 13. In 2002 she became World Champion on the uneven bars and the next year she was U.S. National All-Around champion. This led to a berth on the 2004 Olympic team. On the individual side, Courtney earned a Bronze Medal in uneven bars and was instrumental in the U.S. team taking home a Silver Medal. Courtney next signed a scholarship with the University of Georgia. She was 2006 S.E.C. Freshman of the year as the Gym Dogs claimed the National Championship. Over her four years Kupets Carter took 9 individual NCAA titles and was a 15-time All-American. Courtney became the first gymnast in NCAA history to win the all-around title and all four individual event titles. Kupets Carter was a two-time First-Team Academic All-America and she became UGA’s first winner of the prestigious Honda Broderick Cup Award which is presented to an exceptional women’s athlete and scholar each year.
TERANCE MATHIS
Terance Mathis left Stone Mountain’s Redan High School in 1985 and headed to the University of New Mexico on a football scholarship. When the Lobos moved the 5’9’’ quarterback to wide receiver, Mathis blossomed into one of the country’s most exciting players. In 4 seasons, Terance caught 263 passes for over 42-hundred yards. The All-American was drafted by the New York Jets becoming their leading punt and kick returner as well as a potent pass-catcher. In 1994 Mathis signed a free-agent contract with the Falcons where he caught 111 passes and made the Pro Bowl. In the 1998 Super Bowl, Mathis caught 7 passes including a touchdown but Atlanta lost to Denver 34-19. Mathis was named Falcons “Man of the Year” for his accomplishments both on and off the football field. Terance would spend 8 seasons with Atlanta becoming the team’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns and yardage before he left for Pittsburgh. After one year with the Steelers, Mathis retired capping off his 13 year career with over 8000 yards and 63 Touchdowns. Mathis is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
LEO MAZZONE
Leo Mazzone was raised in Westernport, Maryland where he excelled in both basketball and baseball. His pitching exploits led to a contract offer from the San Francisco Giants when he was only 18 years old. Mazzone reached Triple-A Tucson before his pitching career stalled and he embarked on a career in coaching. In 1976, Leo was a player-manager for Class-A Corpus Christi and that’s where he garnered the attention of the Atlanta Braves. His Major League dream came to fruition in 1990 when Bobby Cox named Mazzone pitching coach of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves assembled one of the best pitching staffs in baseball history on their way to capturing 14 consecutive division titles. In 1995, the Atlanta staff led baseball with a collective 3.44 ERA and the team claimed the World Series title over Cleveland. Under Mazzone, Atlanta pitchers earned 6 Cy Young Awards led by Greg Maddux with 3, Tom Glavine 2 and John Smoltz the winner in 1996. All three are members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mazzone left the Braves in 2005 to become pitching coach of the Baltimore Orioles. Leo would retire 2 years later after spending 42 seasons in professional baseball.
BOB RATHBUN
In Salisbury, North Carolina, 12-year old Bob Rathbun started doing radio play-by-play for a local American Legion baseball team. That was just the beginning of his hall of fame broadcasting career. After graduating Catawba Colleg, Bob was hired as Sports Director at WTKR television in Hampton Roads, Virginia. He branched out to do ACC basketball on television and became the baseball voice of the minor league Tidewater Tides. In 1992 Bob was hired by the Detroit Tigers where he succeeded fellow Georgia Sports Hall of Famer Ernie Harwell. But when Harwell returned to the booth 2 years later, Bob headed south picking up play-by-play duties for the Richmond Braves. In 1996 he signed a new deal as the TV voice of the Atlanta Hawks as well as baseball play-by-play for select Atlanta Braves games. In addition to the Hawks, Bob has been a television voice for many WNBA games. For his efforts, Rathbun has been named both Georgia and Virginia Sportscaster of the year and garnered 12 Emmy Awards. He’s also a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
THERON SAPP
Born in Dublin and raised in Macon, Theron Sapp was an All-State fullback at Lanier High School. He signed with Georgia but suffered a severe neck injury during a prep All-Star game that almost kept him out of college football. Theron spent most of his first 2 years on the Bulldog sidelines until 1957, when he was the SEC’s third leading rusher. It was the season’s final game on November 30th when Sapp became a Georgia hero and legend. Facing arch-rival Georgia Tech at Grant Field, Theron’s late one yard touchdown gave the Bulldogs a 7-0 victory snapping the ‘Dawgs 8 game losing streak in the series. The following season Sapp was the league’s No. 2 rusher and claimed All-SEC First Team honors. Theron was drafted by Philadelphia in 1960 and was part of the Eagles NFL Championship team. After four years with the Eagles, Theron was traded to Pittsburgh and helped the Steelers win the Eastern Division crown. Overall he would play 7 professional seasons rushing for 763 yards and 5 touchdowns before retiring in 1967. Theron’s #40 is just one of four retired jerseys at UGA.
DENNIS SCOTT
At Flint Hill School in Oakton, Virginia, Dennis Scott was a McDonald’s All-American in 1987 and became another of Bobby Cremins high-prized recruits to sign with Georgia Tech. Dennis was an immediate star on the Flats, named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1988. He joined teammates Kenny Anderson and Brian Oliver to form a trio known as “Lethal Weapon 3” and that group helped Tech reach the Final 4 in 1990. The Jackets lost to eventual champ UNLV but Scott averaged over 27 points-per-game and was named first team All-ACC and the Sporting News College Player of the Year. He left Tech after his junior year having scored over 2000 points in just 3 seasons. Dennis was the 4th overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic making the All-Rookie team in his first season. Scott earned the nickname “3D” for his long range 3 point accuracy. After 7 seasons in Orlando, Scott was traded to Dallas and he spent brief time with 4 other teams before retiring following the 2000 season having piled up over 8000 career points. Scott completed his degree at Tech which the school required before his number 4 jersey could be retired. He’s a member of the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.
JEFF WALLACE
Raised in Beaverton, Oregon, Jeff Wallace parlayed his tennis exploits into a college scholarship at the University of Utah. When the Utes traveled to Athens for the 1981 NCAA Tennis Championships, Jeff was so impressed with UGA and head coach Dan McGill that he transfer to Georgia. Wallace completed his playing career in 1984 and two years later he was head coach of the Georgia women’s team. In just his second season, the Lady Bulldogs were 26-5 advancing to the NCAA final before losing to Stanford. In 1994 Georgia posted a stellar 27-2 record and claimed their first NCAA Women’s Title with Jeff being named National Coach of the Year. The 2000 team was also 27-2 beating Stanford for the title which the Cardinal’s 48-match winning streak. Under Wallace, Georgia made 37 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament from 1986 to 2023 winning four Indoor titles to go along with their 2 NCAA crowns. Jeff tallied 818 career wins, claimed 18 combined SEC titles and took home 4 Coach of the Year awards. During his tenure, UGA was either a National Champion or finalist in 5 consecutive decades.