Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame inducts Class of 2016
Tim Walton needed someone to believe in him before he believed in himself.
For Walton, that person was former Carver football coach Wallace Davis.
Walton paid homage to Davis during his induction speech to the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center.
Walton was a member of the Class of 2016 who were inducted. He was joined by Speedy Gilstrap, Cecil Cheves, Pam Carter, and Jimmy Blanchard.
Walton joins fellow Carver High graduates Brentson Buckner, Daryll “D.J.” Jones, and Nate Odomes as inductees. While all four were selected because of their football acumen, unlike the other three, Walton’s major success in the sport came in coaching.
After playing defensive back at Ohio State and having a brief stint in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad, Walton went on to assistant coaching roles at Bowling Green, Memphis, Syracuse, LSU, and Miami. While at LSU, Walton was the secondary coach under head coach Nick Saban in 2003, the year the Tigers claimed the BCS national championship.
In 2009, he ascended to the NFL coaching ranks as the secondary coach for Detroit. After a brief stint as the St. Louis Rams’ defensive coordinator in 2012, he settled into his current role as the secondary coach for the New York Giants.
Walton drew on his motivational speaking as a coach in his induction speech Saturday night.
“If you’re persistent, you’ll get it; if you’re consistent, you’ll keep it,” Walton told the crowd. “That’s the motto I live by.
“It’s about the 3 D’s: dedication, determination, and discipline. Three traits that translate to any generation or job setting,” Walton added.
Walton said Davis, also a member of the Hall of Fame, for being a strong influence in his life.
“I owe everything to (Davis),” Walton said. “Sometimes in life, you need someone else to believe in you until your beliefs kick in. Coach Davis did that for me. A skinny kid, short, slow, who played varsity as a true freshman because somebody believed in my ability and leadership skills before I did. I owe him the world for that.
“I became obsessed with training, with working out, with studying the game, and with having great knowledge. Obsessed is the word the lazy use for the dedicated.”
Gilstrap was a two-sport standout athlete in high school and college. He formed a formidable duo with teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Dan Kirkland as a basketball player for Columbus High School.
A conversation he had with a local tennis pro led him to trade baskets for rackets in college.
“He said ‘you’ll meet people that you’ll never get to meet your whole life through tennis,' ” said Gilstrap. “I went down to see an acquaintance of mine who turned into a good friend, Randy Scott, who was a tennis pro down at Lakebottom. For the next 180 days, Randy and I hit tennis balls for 162 of them.”
Gilstrap became an All-American tennis player at Columbus State and then the University of Alabama, where he won Southeastern Conference titles at singles and doubles and made good on the promise the tennis pro made to him, encountering legendary quarterback Joe Namath and football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant during his time in Tuscaloosa.
Gilstrap returned home to a successful coaching career with tennis and basketball at Brookstone and Spencer, back to the city and people he loved during his tennis tournament playing days.
“I wanted them to wake up Monday morning and read in the Columbus paper that Speedy Gilstrap from Columbus, Georgia won whatever tournament I was in,” Gilstrap said. “That’s what kept me excited, the people right here in Columbus who I wanted to please.”
Cheves was inducted for his achievements in endurance sports, including five Boston Marathon finishes and 15 “Ironman” triathlon events in swimming, bicycling, and running.
“At age 45, my daughter Avery said ‘Dad, you ought to run a 5k.’ I’d never run a 5k in my life. It was a challenge that I responded to. The power of that positive suggestion has motivated me and led me to where I am today.”
Carter was inducted for her success as a cheerleading coach, propelling Hardaway High to region titles every year from 1992 to 2004 and getting her teams appearances in major college bowl games, the Sugar Bowl, and even the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996. She is also the state cheerleading coordinator for the GHSA.
However, one of the biggest moments for her came this year when family became involved.
“This year I had to leave the state (tournament) floor,” Carter said. “It was the first time I ever had to leave the state floor. It was a very emotional moment for me. My granddaughter walked on that floor and competed. What an awesome experience that was, to watch her compete on that floor.”
Blanchard was elected to the Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in golf in both high school and at the University of Georgia. His message to not only the audience but fellow Hall of Famers in attendance was
to give back in their respective sport.
“The members of this Hall of Fame are now people who are giving back to their sport,” Blanchard said. “They’re helping with the young people. They’re organizing events. They’re making appearances. They’re involved in whatever sport they’re in, giving back.
“The Bible says for whom much is given, much is required.”
This story was originally published February 21, 2016 at 1:39 AM with the headline "Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame inducts Class of 2016."