Five of Pierce County’s all-time sports greats are set for enshrinement into the Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame this month, along with the first boys’ and girls’ state championship teams in Pierce County High School history.
Mattie Daniels, Pat Davis, Leroy Dukes, Rick Head, and Steve Moody will join the ranks of the county’s all-time individual sports elite on November 19. Additionally, the 1988 boys’ golf team and 2000 girls’ golf teams will be enshrined as team inductees.
The 2022 Hall of Fame induction is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, November 19, at Okefenokee Country Club.
The latest enshrinement will expand the Hall’s ranks to 31 all-time sports individuals in addition to several team entities.
“Once again, we are proud to recognize these sports greats and hope everyone will join us in celebrating their achievements,” said Daniel Washington, Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame board member.
The 1988 boys’ golf team, coached by Bascomb Raulerson, was the first sports team in PCHS school history to win a state title. PCHS carded a team score of 322, beating second place Darlington by four strokes, and 31 strokes ahead of fourth place Waycross. Ben Bennett of PCHS fired a 76 to claim state medalist honors. Other Bears team members included Rhett Carter, Jamie Bowen, Shawn Howell, Jack Aguirre and Danny Bennett.
The 2000 Lady Bears, coached by Maureen Brown and Melba Padgett, shocked everyone with the program’s first-ever girls’ state sports title. Playing at nearby Jekyll Island, PCHS fired a team score of 175 to outpace Gainesville. Katie Walker led the way for PCHS with a 79, which tied her in regulation for low medalist honors. Walker advanced to sudden death play, where she finished second overall. Other team members included Elizabeth Byrd, Lauren Methvin, Sarah Bagby, Caty Murray, Katie Streat and Kelly Bradley.
Daniels, a 1957 graduate of Lee Street High School, played in the dynasty era of the school’s basketball program. Those years saw the Hornettes achieve three straight berths in the state title games, including state championships at the conclusion of the 1957 and 1958 seasons.
Davis, first a standout basketball player at Blackshear High School, was one of the first female superstars at Pierce County High School after Blackshear High’s consolidation with Patterson High. In 1982, Davis scored 43 points in a single game, a record that still stands as the single-game standard for Lady Bears basketball. She later went on to play collegiately at Georgia College and State University.
Dukes graduated from Patterson High School, where he was a football standout for the Eagles. Following an enlistment in the U.S. Air Force, he enrolled at the University of Georgia, where he played running back and linebacker for the Bulldogs during the 1962, 1963 and 1964 seasons. Dukes was a member of Coach Vince Dooley’s first Bulldogs squad before moving on to a successful business career in Athens.
Head, a Blackshear High School graduate, has devoted more than 40 years to sports, predominantly as a newspaper journalist. He served as the sports information director at Blackshear High School and later received a scholarship from Georgia Southern University’s sports information department. Since 1982, Head has served as a writer/sports editor for several newspapers, perhaps most notably for The Blackshear Times and the Waycross Journal-Herald and is the noted authority on PCHS Bears sports history.
Moody, a 1964 graduate of Blackshear High, achieved all-state accolades in both football and basketball. He also ran track at BHS and was named Most Outstanding Athlete as sophomore, junior, and senior. Moody later served as captain of Mercer University’s men’s basketball team. He graduated as the only player in Mercer history with over 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds (school record 1,058). He is a member of the Mercer University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Tickets to the 2022 Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony are $25 and include a banquet-style meal. To reserve tickets, text your request to 912-387-3748.
