2 Columbus natives to be inducted into Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame
This year’s inductees into the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame will include two from Columbus.
Jasper Sanks, a running back in the 1990s for Carver High School, and John Henry Jackson, a quarterback for Spencer High School in the 1950s, are among the 33 former players in the GHSFHF Class of 2026.
They will be enshrined in the hall at an induction ceremony Oct 24, starting at 5 p.m., at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
Here’s background information about Sanks and Jackson, provided by GHSFHF historian Todd Holcomb:
Carver RB Jasper Sanks
Sanks rushed for 5,043 yards in his Carver career. He was the only player in Georgia to be selected on the Parade and USA Today All-America teams for the 1996 season, when he was a senior and finished with “only” 1,356 yards and 12 touchdowns, while playing multiple games with a sprained ankle, for a team that finished 4-5-1.
At full strength as a junior, Sanks rushed for 2,051 yards and scored 23 touchdowns, including two on kickoff returns, for a 7-3-1 team.
SuperPrep ranked Sanks (6-foot-3, 215 pounds, with a reported time of 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash) as the No. 1 high school running back and the No. 2 overall college prospect in the nation.
Sanks led the University of Georgia in rushing as a sophomore with 896 yards in 1999. He finished with 1,651 career rushing yards but did not play professionally.
“Jasper was a big-name player in his day, a true high school football star statewide,” Holcomb, who also is a staff writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily, told the Ledger-Enquirer. “That’s what the Hall of Fame is about, telling the story of high school football history, and if you’re talking about the 1990s, you have to talk about Jasper. All eyes were on him and his recruitment his senior year.”
Spencer QB John Henry Jackson
Jackson led Spencer to an undefeated record and a state championship in 1956 as a junior, then a state runner-up finish in 1957 as a senior, compiling a 15-1-4 record during those two seasons.
He is believed to be the first Black player from Georgia to play in a major historically white football conference after he signed with Indiana University of the Big Ten.
Jackson played one varsity season at Indiana and was the team’s leading passer (478 yards, six touchdowns). He played in the Canadian Football League and the Continental Football League
Jackson opened what became an iconic soul food restaurant in Toronto, where he lived the rest of his life. He died in 2018.
“John Henry Jackson is a Georgia football player whose story needs telling,” Holcomb said. “… He was a symbol of Spencer’s football dynasty that is largely unknown or forgotten in Georgia because it happened in the GIA during segregation. Like Spencer, John Henry was nearly lost to Georgia history too, so it’s appropriate that the Hall of Fame recognize him. He’s one of the most important players in Georgia high school football history.”
Columbus/Muscogee County players remaining on ballot
The election of Sanks and Jackson leaves two former players from Columbus/Muscogee County remaining on the ballot, listed with their senior year in parentheses:
- Spencer offensive guard and linebacker Wallace Davis (1962)
- Carver quarterback Nate Odomes (1982)
Previous inductees from Columbus/Muscogee County
Here are the four previous GHSFHF inductees from Columbus/Muscogee County, with their senior year in parentheses:
Class of 2025
Isaiah Crowell of Carver (2010)
Class of 2023
Ernie Green of Spencer (1957)
Jarvis Jones of Carver (2008)
Class of 2022
Otis Sistrunk of Spencer (1964).
About the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame
The 40-member selection committee, managed by the marketing company Score Atlanta, comprises former coaches, players, administrators and reporters.
Asked what the selection criteria is, Holcomb said, “It’s up to each voter to decide. Some make it more about their high school careers than others.”
The committee elects about one-third of the 100 nominees each year. This will be the fifth GHSFHF induction class.
The GHSFHF hasn’t set a time limit for the number of years a nominee can remain on the ballot. To submit a nomination, email Graham David and IJ Rosenberg of Score Atlanta at gdavid@scoreatl.com and ijrosenberg@scoreatl.com.
This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 2:23 PM.
