by Hal Lamar
BCSO Columnist
Leading the list of distinguished gladiators was Attorney Donald L Holowell.
Known principally for his brilliance in the courtrooms and as the personal attorney for Dr Martin Luther King, Junior, the native of Wichita Kansas was also an outstanding quarterback for the Dragons of Lane College. It was his passing ability that allowed the Dragons to upset highly favored Florida A&M University in 1939.
Other honorees included former South Fulton High School basketball coach James Abrams. The Morris Brown grad is remembered by many for the number of city, region and state championship teams he cranked out at the East Point High School. In 1967, he was named GHSA High School Coach of the year.
Atlantan Charles "Chuck" Mathis of Paine College was also honored. In 1997, he was named Paine's Alum of the decade.
Another Paine inductee was David Peterson, a three letter man while in Augusta. He was basketball MVP in 1954, football MVP in 1955 and track and field MVP in 1956.
Two former Miles College pugalists were honored. They include 1938 grad James Pettus and former football great Austell Pettus who continues to advise the football coaches at his alma mater. The conference also inducted former Alabama A&M running back Dale Carlyle and Leroy Victor Smith, who coached at Tuskegee and Kentucky State from 1964 to 1982. He was named SIAC and 100% Wrong Club Coach of the year from 1966 to 1969.
And last but not least, the conference enshrined three from Clark AU.. They are former State Senator now State Commissioner of Children and Youth Services Eugene Walker who lettered in 3 sports, Benny Lowe who helped the Panthers win the 1952 SIAC football championship and ex- New York Knick and Harlem Globetrotter great Roman "Doc" Turman.
Last year, the 11 inductees included former CAU all conference lineman and City Council President Marvin Arrington, longtime Carver and George High School basketball coach Calvin "Monk" Jones, ex- Morehouse head football coach Henry Darlington and George McCalep, the current pastor of Greenforest Baptist Church who was an All Conference quarterback during his days at Alabama A&M .
The SIAC started the Hall of Fame in 1992. Inductees over the last seven years have read like a sports "Who's Who" and have included former CAU Head Football and basketball coach Leonidas Epps (1994), former Alabama A&M and Pittsburgh Steeler great John Stallworth (1992), former Clark AU 3 letter men and Turner High longtime head coach Raymond "Tweet" Williams (1993), the late CAU football, basketball and tennis star Ralph A Long, Senior (1995) and Hamilton Holmes, one of two black pioneer students at the University of Georgia and an ex-Turner High and Morehouse College football running back (1997).
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