The silver anniversary of the Cullman County Sports Hall of Fame:
Class of 2025 inducted in front of a huge crowd at Stone Bridge Farms:
GDW Analysis:
Cullman County Sports Hall of Fame celebrated its "Silver Anniversary" Saturday evening from Stone Bridge Farms.
The Class of 2025 was honored and recognized with a large crowd gathered to enjoy the celebration.
Cullman County Hall of Fame has 25 years of great heritage. The 12 new inductees makes the total of 334 in the long history of athletic excellence through Cullman County.
Here is the 2025 Cullman County Hall of Fame Class:
Cold Springs:
Donna Freeman Calvert - 1981 Cold Springs graduate. Member of the first Cold Springs basketball team in 1977/78. Played for the Lady Eagles from the 8th grade through her senior year.
All county and all area basketball selection.
She joins her father Donald Freeman and brothers Mark and Kelly Freeman as hall of fame inductees.
Cullman:
Jay Page - 1987 Cullman graduate.
QB for 1985 football team, undefeated in the regular season. All area, all state and Region 5 winner of Bryant/Jordan scholar athlete by the AHSAA.
Bobby Noles - Coached football & softball at Cullman High School. The 1991 softball team won the AHSAA 5A slow pitch state championship, the first in school history.
Coached Wallace State women's basketball 1982 to 1985. Got the Lady Lions into their first conference tournament in 1985.
AHSAA football and basketball official with 54 years of service to the two sports.
Rusty Walker - 1999 Cullman graduate. AHSAA state tennis champion in 1998 & 1999. Played at UAB for 4 years. A winner of the Jerry Young Memorial Scholarship award.
Fairview:
Henry "Jack" Lively - Attended Joppa School. Pitched in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers in 1911. Was a teammate of Tiger legend Ty Cobb. Career pitching record of 133 & 98.
Good Hope:
Mitch Witcher - 1990 Good Hope graduate.
All county football, all county basketball, all county baseball.
MVP of the Lions' Club East/West baseball all star game in 1990.
Coached Good Hope baseball for 21 years. Has been offensive coordinator for football the last 18 years.
Hanceville:
April Brand - 1992 Hanceville graduate.
All county basketball 2 years, MVP in 1992 Cullman County East vs. West all star basketball game.
Played basketball at Snead State Community College. Coached volleyball at Donoho High School in Anniston. Led the team to the AHSAA state title in 1998 & 2002. Coached Donoho golf to the AHSAA 2A championship in 1999.
James Laminack - Coached junior high football at Hanceville. Cullman County champion 3 years.
Was on the 1977 Hanceville football team coaching staff that went 11 & 1 and reached the semifinals of the 3A playoffs.
Was principal & athletic director at Hanceville for 13 years.
Holly Pond:
Bryan Roberson -1989 Holly Pond graduate. All county basketball, all area basketball, academic all state selection, winner of the Joe Shults Award at Cullman County Tournament 1989.
Holly Pond won 54 games, lost 11 in Roberson's junior and senior season. The 1987-88 team was 28 & 6 and got a berth to the Class 3A Final Four.
Vinemont:
Billy Schaffer - 1989 Vinemont graduate.
Quarterback of 1988 football team that went 11 & 2 and a qualifier for the quarterfinals of the AHSAA 3A playoffs.
Team captain 1987 & 88, most valuable back 1988, all county football, all county baseball and all county basketball. Played collegiate baseball at Livingston University 1990 & Wallace State 1991.
West Point:
Shanda Gardner - 1998 West Point graduate
Played tennis for West Point from 1994 through 1998.
Section tennis champion 1996 through 1998.
Played collegiate tennis at Wallace State in 1999. Member of the NJCAA championship team in 1999.
Coached girls tennis at West Point 2003 to 2019. Sectional winner 3 times under her direction, state tournament qualifier 2003, 2005, 2007, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.
Photo from left, Shanda Gardner, April Brand, Donna Freeman Calvert, Bobby Noles and James Laminack from the Cullman County Hall of Fame banquet July 19. The emcee is Jeff Speggle.
GDW photo by Johnny Thornton.
