EHS Coach Wendell Hart |
The Alabama High
School Athletic Association inducted its 25th group of honorees into the AHSAA
Sports Hall of Fame on Monday at the Renaissance Hotel at the Convention Center
in Montgomery.
This year’s group included
12 outstanding individuals who have gone above and beyond in their
contributions to high school athletics in Alabama over the years. This year’s
class included Houston Young, Bobby Wright, John Tatum, Steve Rivers, Alan
Mitchell, Myra Miles, Steve Jefferson, Ron Ingram, Doug Goodwin, Jack Doss,
James “J.D.” Chesteen and Nancy Becker.
Chesteen, a 1946
graduate of Brantley High School and a long-time head football coach at Coffee
Springs, Samson and Geneva County, was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame
this year in the “Old Timer” Category. Each year since the AHSAA inducted its
first class into the Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, they have inducted an “Old
Timer” for accomplishments prior to 1991. More often than not, this inductee
has already passed away.
When it comes to
Conecuh County and the “Old Timer” category, I’m convinced that former
Evergreen High School coach Wendell Hart more than deserves a place in the
AHSAA Sports Hall of Fame.
Hart’s sports life in Conecuh County spanned decades. Anyone who’s read our regular Sports Flashback feature over the past several years will have seen that Hart was not only a successful football, basketball and baseball coach, but he also excelled in those sports as a player. Hart touched many lives, and there are still many of Hart’s former players and teammates in the community and elsewhere who have fond memories of Hart.
Hart’s sports life in Conecuh County spanned decades. Anyone who’s read our regular Sports Flashback feature over the past several years will have seen that Hart was not only a successful football, basketball and baseball coach, but he also excelled in those sports as a player. Hart touched many lives, and there are still many of Hart’s former players and teammates in the community and elsewhere who have fond memories of Hart.
Hart passed away at the age of 60 on Nov. 26, 1977, well
before the first class was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991. Known as
“Coach Hart” to hundreds of former students and players, he served as a head
coach at Evergreen High School for 20 years. He also coached at Luverne, Elba
and Lyeffion. In his heyday, he was one of the state’s most successful coaches
and the coach with the most senior years of service in the state.
He was also a graduate of Evergreen High School, where he
was an outstanding athlete before going on to play at Sunflower Junior College
in Moorehead, Miss. and Millsap College in Jackson, Miss. In both high school
and in college, Hart lettered in football, baseball and basketball. He went on
to graduate from Troy State University.
After serving in World War II, he was named the head coach
at Evergreen in 1946 and successfully coached football, basketball and
baseball. In 1949, he coached the only undefeated football team in Evergreen
High School history, going 8-0-2. His teams in 1949 and 1950, had a combined
record of 17-1-2.
Later, he left Evergreen to coach at Luverne and Elba and
had success at both of those schools. He eventually returned to Evergreen as a
head coach and teacher, and later coached at Lyeffion. His health eventually
forced him to give up coaching.
When you take into account his entire career and the impact
he had on so many young people, he more than deserves inclusion in the AHSAA
Sports Hall of Fame in the “Old Timer” category.
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