Six DeKalb athletes to be inducted into High School Football Hall of Fame
The Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame’s 36-member inaugural class will be inducted during a ceremony at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on Oct. 22.
Of the 36 players selected, six are from DeKalb – giving DeKalb more selection than Fulton and Gwinnett counties, which have the second most selections in the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame officials said each board member was required to vote for a minimum of two players from each of the eight eras represented. The eras were pre-1950s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Voters were told to select a total of 36 players from a 100-person ballot.
Five of the 11 players selected from the pre-1950s, 1950s, and 1960s were from DeKalb schools: George Maloof (Marist, 1947), Larry Morris (Decatur, 1950), Charlie Dudish (Avondale, 1967), Chip Kell (Avondale, 1966), and Clarence Scott (Trinity, 1966). Richard Dent (Murphy, 1978) rounded out the selections from DeKalb County as an automatic qualifier, thanks to his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame following his 14-year professional career that included two Super Bowl wins, a Super Bowl MVP, and a first team All Pro selection.
Avondale High School—a DeKalb County School District school that closed in 2011—is one of five schools with two players represented in the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame. No school has more than two players.
Officials from Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame—a partnership between SCORE Atlanta and GHSA—said members of the hall of fame began submitting nominees in early spring and then held committee votes and appeals before the final ballot was narrowed down to 100 names in mid-June.
The board also decided that the nine Georgia high school players that are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame will also be included in the inaugural class.
Hall of fame officials said the ballots were voted on and submitted by July 1, but a four-way tie for the final spot in the class forced the board to hold a separate vote to complete the process.
The eligibility for the hall of fame requires that players be out of high school for eight seasons and be retired
from football, which excludes several active players from Georgia.
DeKalb County Athletics Specialist Chris Chilton was one of the administrators of the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame’s board, according to a news release.
