The Board of Directors of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the Class of 2015 for induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. The accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers tabulated the votes by the statewide selection committees.
The newly elected Inductees for the Class of 2015 are as follows:
Jay Barker
Chris Gray
Evander Holyfield
Bobby Hunt
Derrick McKey
Tommy Neville
Tony Richardson
Ennis Whatley
The newly elected eight inductees will bring the total of all Inductees since 1969 to 329.
The 2015 Induction Banquet and Ceremony will take place in the Birmingham Ballroom, at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, on Saturday, May 16, 2015. Reception and Banquet Tickets can be purchased by contacting the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum.
Class of 2015
JAY BARKER / FOOTBALL – Born July 20, 1972, in Trussville, AL. He played collegiately at the University of Alabama. He quarterbacked the Tide to a National Championship in 1992. He received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (1994). He was named to the Academic All-SEC Team (1994). He was named Birmingham News SEC Offensive Player of the Year and The Nashville Banner named him their SEC Player of the Year (1994). In 1994 he was First Team ALL-SEC (Coaches, AP, and Birmingham News). He played briefly in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers. He also played for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League; and finished his career with the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the XFL.
CHRIS GRAY / FOOTBALL – Born June 19, 1970 in Birmingham, AL. He played guard and center at Auburn University. He was Academic All-SEC in 1992. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He played four years with the Dolphins, one year with the Chicago Bears, and ten years with the Seattle Seahawks. He holds the Seahawks franchise record for most consecutive starts with 121; and is 9th in total games 145. During his career with the Seahawks, he played every position on the offensive line. He was an integral part of the offensive line during the team’s five consecutive playoff appearances (2003-2007), including Shaun Alexander’s MVP year in 2005. That year the Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl. (He was also on the 1999 AFC West Championship Seahawks Team).
EVANDER HOLYFIELD / BOXING – Born October 19, 1962 in Atmore, AL. He is a former Undisputed World Champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. He is the only five time World Heavyweight Champion, winning the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles in 1990, the WBA and IBF titles in 1993, the WBA title in 1996, the IBF in 1997 and the WBA again in 2000. He was named Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Year three times (1990, 1996, and 1997). Ring Magazine rank him as the Greatest Cruiserweight of All-Time in 1994. He was a bronze medalist in the 1984 Summer Olympics. His record was 44 wins, 10 loses with 29 KO.
BOBBY HUNT / FOOTBALL – Born August 15, 1940 in Lanett, AL. He played defensive back at Auburn University. He was drafted by the Dallas Texans of the AFL in 1962 and also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals. He was first team All-Pro his rookie year with the Texans. During his nine year career he had 42 interceptions and returned one for a touchdown. He was second team All-AFL in 1964 & 1966. He was selected to play in the AFL All-Star game in 1964. He played in Super Bowl I with the Chiefs. After his playing career he was an assistant coach with the Buffalo Bills.
DERRICK MCKEY / BASKETBALL – Born October 10, 1966 in Meridian, MS. He played basketball at the University of Alabama as a small forward; and was SEC Player of the Year in 1987. He was second team All-American (UPI) also in 1987. He was a member of the Gold Medal USA Team at the 1986 FIBA World Championship. He was a first-round draft pick to the Seattle Sonics in 1987 (9th overall). He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team (1988). For two consecutive years he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1995 and 1996). He played in the NBA from 1987-2002 for the Sonics, Indiana Pacers, and the Philadelphia 76ers. For his career he had 10,266 points, 4,387 rebounds, and 2,254 assists.
TOMMY NEVILLE / FOOTBALL – Born August 12, 1943 in Montgomery, AL. He played collegiately at Mississippi State where he was first team All-SEC two consecutive years (1963 and 1964). He was second team All-American in 1963 and Co-captain of the 1964 team. He lettered two seasons as catcher for the MSU Baseball Team. He played 15 years in the NFL with the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and the New York Giants. He was named to the AFL All-Star in 1966. He was named Co-Captain of the New England Patriots for four years. He won the Frank Sargent and Jimmy Lee Hunt Awards for team spirit in 1977. The Patriots honored him with Tom Neville Day. He was selected to the New England Patriots All-Patriot 35th Anniversary Team in 1995.
TONY RICHARDSON / FOOTBALL – Born December 17, 1971 in Frankfurt, Germany. He played collegiately at Auburn University. He played 15 seasons in the NFL with three different organizations Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, and New York Jets. He was a four-time AFC Pro Bowl Selection in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007 with the Kansas City Chiefs; a second team two-time All-Pro Selection (2004 and 2007); and an NFC Pro Bowl Selection in 2008 with the Minnesota Vikings. He was the recipient of the Byron “Whizzer” White NFL Man of the Year Award. He was named to the NFL 2000’s All-Decade Team. He also has served on the NFL Players Executive Committee.
ENNIS WHATLEY / BASKETBALL – Born August 11, 1962 in Birmingham, AL. He played collegiately at the University of Alabama. He helped lead the Crimson Tide to the SEC Tournament Championship his freshman year. He entered the NBA Draft after his sophomore season and was a first-round pick of the Kansas City Kings. He played ten years in the NBA for seven teams. His best year was 1986-1987 with the Washington Bullets, appearing in 73 games and averaged 8.5 points per game. For his career, he scored 2,150 points, averaging 5.6 points per game.