COLUMBUS — The Lowndes County Sports Hall of Fame inducted its inaugural class on Friday at the Trotter Center in downtown Columbus, celebrating 10 of the area’s most accomplished athletes and coaches.
Roosevelt Bridges, Sam Fletcher, Frank Griffin, Ronnie Richardson, Clarence Weatherspoon and Leslie Frazier were special guests to accept their induction into the hall of fame, along with friends and family accepting on behalf of Stan Black, Billy Brewer, Carl Butler and Cary Shepherd.
“I’m very humbled and honored,” Fletcher said, echoing the sentiment of his fellow inductees. “This is a great thing for Lowndes County to remember some of these folks, who were outstanding in what they did. I think it’s great for the history of sport here, there have been great athletes in Columbus and Lowndes County.”
The festivities included a raffle of sports memorabilia, a catfish dinner from Zachary’s, hosting duties from WCBI’s Kealy Shields, and keynote addresses from Weatherspoon and Frazier.
The night ended with Frazier leading the crowd of more than 400 people in the Super Bowl Shuffle, dancing to the famous track recorded by Frazier and teammates from the 1985 Chicago Bears team.
“It feels fabulous, like a dream come true,” former Dispatch sports editor and LCSHOF co-founder Henry Matuszak said. “I never imagined this happening. It’s been two years in the works since I first came up with the idea, and I called Lowndes County officials and asked: ‘Can it be done?’”
Matuszak submitted more than 200 profiles of athletes, coaches and contributors he believed worthy of enshrinement, and Lowndes County officials worked to make the dream a reality. The organization was announced in April 2024 and began accepting nominations, eventually deciding on the inaugural class in January 2025.
“I’m so privileged and appreciative to be inducted with these great athletes out of Lowndes County,” Richardson said of the honor. “We’re talking about 200 or so athletes, and it’s probably a lot more than that. To be on the first ballot for this prestige, I’m so honored.”
Though the LCSHOF has no permanent home, this is just the beginning of the organization’s journey in recognizing and celebrating the great athletes of the area. There is certainly no shortage of future nominees after the first class, and the honorees recognized the rich history of sports in the area.
“The fact that there were over 200 names to choose from tells you how many great athletes and contributors there are from Lowndes County, which is astounding,” Frazier told The Dispatch. “To have my name mentioned with them, and then chosen, it’s just extremely humbling, and to be a part of the first class ever is very special.”
“That’s the whole reason for this, to recognize these people for what they’ve accomplished,” Matuszak said. “When I first met with the board I turned in over 200 names of people I thought worthy, and that was just off the top of my head. There may be more deserving who I don’t even know about yet. I have to give the board so much credit, they’ve given up their free time for this and worked so hard on this.”
There was one surprise on the night, an impromptu board meeting called to create a special induction award named after Matuszak, with the first recipient being Matuszak, recognizing his influence and role in creating the organization.
“Thank you, Henry,” read a tribute from the board, “for your vision and your hard work to make the Lowndes County Sports Hall of Fame a reality.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
