LEGENDS CLASS OF 2019
KEITH JACKSON
A native of Roopville, Keith Jackson is arguably the greatest college football announcer in the history of the game. In addition to college football, he called games for the MLB, the NBA, the PGA, the USFL, and the Olympic Games. Keith was the first announcer for Monday Night Football on ABC. He was inducted into the Rose Bowl, the National Sportscasters Association, and the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Halls of Fame. Keith passed away in January 2018 at the age of 89.
BILL MUNDAY
A native of Cedartown, Bill Munday was the first sports director for NBC and called the 1929 Rose Bowl, which was the first coast-to-coast broadcast of a college football game on the radio. In that aired game, Georgia Tech defeated the University of California, Berkeley, in a contest immortalized by Golden Bear Roy Reigels’ wrong-way run. Bill was also a sportswriter for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution and a member of the UGA broadcast team with Ed Thinelius. He passed away in 1966 at age 61.
DICK "CANNONBALL" REDDING
Atlanta native Dick Redding was a pitcher, outfielder, and manager in baseball’s Negro Leagues from 1911 to 1932. At the start of his career with the Lincoln Giants, he won his first 17 games. Nicknamed “Cannonball” because he was regarded as the faster pitcher in the history of black baseball, he threw seven no-hitters in one season and had 30 no-hitters during his career. In an exhibition game against a team led by Babe Ruth, Dick struck out the “Great Bambino” three times on 9 pitches. He passed away in 1948 at the age of 55.
BILL TERRY
An Atlanta native, Bill Terry was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954. He was a Major League Baseball first baseman and manager, and was the last National League player to hit .400, a feat he accomplished in 1930 when he batted .401. Bill had 2,193 career hits and a career batting average of .341. In 1999, he was ranked 59th by the Sporting News on their list of the 100 greatest baseball players. The Giants retired his #3 jersey in 1984. Bill passed away at the age of 90 in 1989.