Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame
The Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame (MCSHOF) had its beginning September 1988. The Hall’s mission, in brief, is to develop a sports hall of fame for Morgan County as a means to promote and preserve its rich history of sports. Morgan County boasts an amazing sports history, dating to the early 1900’s.
Honoring the Legacy, Inspiring the Future!
“Great athletes are not just remembered for their victories, but for the legacy they leave behind.”
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Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame Inductees
Morgan Hall of Fame names Class of 2025
Many of the group has claims to multiple state championships
The 35th Class of the Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame has a definite state championship vibe to it.
When it comes to state championships, the Class of 2025, which will be inducted in May, may top them all with claims to at least 14 state championship trophies.
The list includes former Hartselle football coach Bob Godsey, who led the Tigers to the 2011 Class 5A state championship.
“When you think of all the great people in there and to be joining that group is extremely humbling,” said Godsey, who also played on a national championship football team at Troy and a baseball state championship team at Wilson High.
Falkville’s Christy Ferguson won a softball state championship as a player, two more as softball head coach at Hartselle and two more as a softball assistant at Hartselle. It was basketball where she really made her mark at Falkville. She started on the varsity as a seventh grader, scored 2,552 points in her career and was a two-time first-team All-State selection.
“This is such a great surprise. It’s something you can never imagine happening,” Ferguson said.
Hartselle’s Tanya Lybarger Childers played on two basketball championship teams for the Tigers in the 1980s. Then she coached a state championship volleyball team at Hartselle in 2012.
“This is really awesome. I can’t believe it,” Childers said. “This makes me think back to all the relationships I developed as a player and then coach. That’s what makes this experience so special.”
The Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet will be May 3 at the Double Tree by Hilton in Decatur. Proceeds go to the North Alabama Boys & Girls Club to be used in Morgan County.
Joining Godsey, Ferguson and Childers in the Class of 2025 are Austin basketball player Rod Bass, baseball player Marc Lewis of Decatur, Austinville basketball player Hamil Martin, football and basketball official Don Widner and former Daily sports writer David Elwell.
Bass was the state tournament MVP in 1993 when Austin won the Class 6A state championship. Martin played on three state championship basketball teams for the Austinville Hornets in 1957-1959.
Lewis was part of a Southern League championship team in 1997 while playing in the Atlanta Braves organization for the Greenville Braves.
Widner officiated many football and basketball playoff games, including six football state championship games.
Elwell spent a combined 20 years covering sports in Morgan County. That included champions in football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, softball, soccer, cross country, bowling, golf, wrestling and track and field.
Rod Bass
Rod Bass, 50, was the most valuable player in Austin’s 1993 Class 6A state championship victory. The senior scored 23 points in the 54-44 victory over Tuscaloosa County. Coach Bob Harpe’s Black Bears posted a 30-3 record that season, including two losses in overtime.
David Elwell
David Elwell, 68, was an award-winning sports writer for The Decatur Daily for a total of 20 years. In 1988 he wrote a story suggesting a hall of fame to honor Morgan County sports heroes. That led to the Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame, which is inducting its 35th class and honoring its 255th inductee in May.
Christy Ferguson
Christy Ferguson, 52, the 1990 Falkville graduate is the all-time leading scorer in school basketball history with 2,552 points over six seasons. She starred on the Falkville 1987 slow-pitch softball state championship team. Ferguson was also head coach for two softball state championship teams at Hartselle.
Bob Godsey
Bob Godsey, 58, led Hartselle football to the promised land in 2011 with a Class 5A state championship. Godsey coached the Tigers for 16 years and posted a 141-51 record with 14 playoff appearances. The Lauderdale County native played on Troy University’s 1987 NCAA Division II national championship team.
Marc Lewis
Marc Lewis, 49, starred in baseball at Decatur High and Calhoun Community College before being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1994. The outfielder had an All-Star season in 1996 while hitting .306 with 50 stolen bases. Lewis played seven seasons in the minor leagues for the Red Sox, Braves and Twins organizations.
Tanya Lybarger Childers
Tanya Lybarger Childers, 57, the Hartselle graduate was Alabama’s first ever girls Gatorade Player of the Year in 1986 following a basketball career with two state championships and three Final Four appearances. In 2002, Childers became the Hartselle volleyball coach and turned the program into a state power. She retired in 2021 with 1,101 wins that included a 2012 state championship.
Hamil Martin
Hamil Martin, 83, and his Austinville teammates won three consecutive basketball state championships in 1957-1959. Martin made the All-State tournament team in 1959. He went on to play basketball and baseball at Troy where he lettered for four years in both sports.
Don Widner
Don Widner, 77, the Hanceville native never played sports in high school, but later became a fixture on football fields and basketball courts in North Alabama as an official. Widner worked numerous playoff games in both sports, including six football state championship games. The Alabama High School Athletic Association honored him with a Distinguished Award in 2020.
NOMINATE
Know someone deserving of recognition? Submit a nomination based on the criteria below and help us honor the legends of Morgan County sports.
WAIT
Once nominations close, our selection committee will carefully review all submissions and choose the next class of inductees. Stay tuned!
CELEBRATE
Join us for an unforgettable evening as we honor the newest inductees and celebrate the rich sports legacy of Morgan County!
SELECTION PROCESS
How do I nominate someone for induction into the Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame?
Selection of all Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame inductees shall be the responsibility of the Board. Individual members will introduce nominees for consideration at the annual November meeting and the vote will be taken at the next month’s meeting. Election of all inductees shall be by majority vote of the Board.
Please send your nomination to the following address:
Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame
P.O. Box 1431
Decatur, Alabama 35602
To be eligible to be selected as an inductee into the Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame a candidate must be:
