The entire inaugural class for the Jefferson County Sports Hall of Fame is now announced.
The class of 71 athletes, including the All-Time Greats and Legends and top sports moments, coaches, teams and contributors will be recognized April 26 at a banquet at the Pine Bluff Country Club. If sold out, the event will be relocated.
Following are the remaining 25 athletes who will be inducted:
Martell Mallett turned in a sensational football career for the Pine Bluff High School Zebras in the early 2000s. The 6-foot, 195-pounder carried his football talents to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and helped lead the Golden Lions to their first-ever appearance in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game in 2006. Mallett then spent several years in the Canadian Football League, playing mostly for the BC Lions. He was named the CFL’s Outstanding Rookie of the Year after rushing for 1,240 yards in 2009, then spent a brief time in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants.
George McKeown won both the Arkansas PGA Chapter and South Central Section PGA tournaments. In 1975, he played on the first Arkansas Cup team. In 1977 he won every tournament he entered. McKeown was once paired with Jack Nicklaus in the Los Angeles Open. He played in the 1990 and 1992 Senior PGA championships, as well as the ’92 U.S. Senior Open. He also won two ASGA Father and Son championships — one each with his sons Gordy and Michael. He became a member of the PGA of America in 2000, was inducted into the Arkansas State Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2002 and enshrined in the PGA South Central Hall of Fame in 2008.
Tyrone McKnight was an anchor on the PBHS team’s relays that saw him break the finish line first and helped the Zebras win two state team championships. His 4×200-meter relay team in 1985 set a still-standing state record of 1:26.1 (1:26.34 fully automated timing). McKnight kept his great talents at home to lead UAPB after turning down letters from across the country.
Wes McNulty didn’t become a PGA Tour winner like other Arkansans he competed against and sometimes beat as a younger man — John Daly, Glen Day and Ken Duke, to name a few — but his golf accomplishments are well respected in the Natural State. McNulty played in his first Arkansas State Golf Association Championship in 1988 when he was 19 years old. He is the 13-time State Major Tour Champion who also owns six State Amateur Stroke Play Championships, seven State Match Play Championships, two State Senior Amateur victories, 72 ASGA Arkansas State Designated Championships and six ASGA “Player of the Year” awards. He made the State Golf Hall of Fame in 2014 and played collegiately at the University of Arkansas.
Eric Mitchel was a Parade All-American at PBHS. He ran or passed for 56 touchdowns and 4,266 yards in three seasons before signing with the University of Oklahoma. Mitchel won a national championship with the Sooners in 1985 as a freshman and, despite limited play, rushed for 1,293 yards on 174 carries for an average of 7.4 yards per carry. The New England Patriots selected him in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL Draft.
Ernie Murry, a product of Wabbaseka High School, led the Eagles to two high school state basketball championships in the 1980s. After spending a couple of years at Mississippi County Community College (now Arkansas Northeastern College) in Blytheville, he earned a spot as a walk-on with the Arkansas Razorbacks. While playing at Arkansas, the Razorbacks advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1990 and the Regional Finals in 1991. The 6-foot-1 guard finished his Razorback career with an impressive 35.7% 3-point field goal shooting percentage.
Gordon Norwood is, next to Basil Shabazz, arguably the best all-around athlete to wear the stripes at PBHS. Norwood’s best event was the hurdles, especially the highs, which he ran in the low 14s (in seconds) but he also ran the sprints and relays (10.0 seconds in the 100) plus threw the discus 150 to 160 feet. Norwood also excelled in football (1963 All-American), basketball and golf. “Plus an all-around great guy!” said Wade Hall, PBHS history teacher and historian.
Rick Owens, a Zebras baseball player from 1973-75, was a four-year letterman for the University of Arkansas at Monticello Boll Weevils baseball team from 1976-79. He earned first-team All-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference, All-National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and Academic All-American honors as a third baseman during 1978. Owens set the UAM single-season batting average record as a junior, hitting .441. UAM inducted him into its Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.
Lee Palles excelled in both indoor and outdoor events for the Mississippi State University track and field program. He stands as one of the school’s top all-time performers in multiple events, including the high jump and decathlon. Palles’ success in the decathlon led him to great heights. After winning an SEC individual championship in the event in 1978, Palles later qualified for the 1980 Olympic Games. In addition to Palles’ proficiency in the decathlon, he also was chosen as an Outdoor All-American in 1978 for his performance in the 400-meter hurdles.
Carl Preston was an outstanding multi-sport athlete at Pine Bluff High, where he rushed for more than 224 yards in one of his greatest games in the mud at Jordan Stadium during his all-state career. He played football at Arkansas A&M College (now UAM) for two Boll Weevils coaching legends — Willis “Convoy” Leslie and Jimmy “Red” Parker — and was part of teams that won three Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference titles and compiled a record of 33-7. Preston was a halfback who played for Leslie’s last two AIC championships in 1957-58, earning All-AIC honors in 1958. He left school to go to work, then returned in 1963 to complete his playing career and his college degree while helping the Boll Weevils to a 9-1 record, the best in school history. Preston was part of UAM athletics for the better part of four decades as a standout football and baseball player, assistant and head football coach and head baseball coach. He is a member of the Arkansas-Monticello Sports Hall of Fame.
Jamey Price was drafted twice out of Texarkana College (first by the Chicago Cubs in 1993) and went on to sign collegiately with Ole Miss. He helped lead the Rebels to within one game of the College World Series. As a senior, Price earned All-SEC and All-America honors as he posted an 11-6 mark for the Rebels with a 1.72 earned-run average. He also set the single-season strikeout record with 118 strikeouts in 141 innings of work. Following his senior campaign, Price was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the sixth round. The right-hander Price was also named to the Smith Super Team, also known as the National Collegiate All-Star Team, as named by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Mykal Riley, a 2003 state champion at Pine Bluff High, started playing college basketball at Texas’ Panola College, then joined Mark Gottfried’s University of Alabama team before embarking on a 12-year overseas career. Riley is best remembered in Crimson Tide circles for a 3-point shot that sent a 2008 Southeastern Conference tournament game to overtime in Atlanta. Although Alabama lost that game to Mississippi State, the shot is believed to have kept thousands of fans from walking into a tornado that delayed the tournament, which saw Arkansas reach the championship game. Riley was named to the all-tournament team and averaged 13.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in two seasons with the Tide.
Darrell Rhodes was a three-sport star at White Hall High, where he averaged 32 points per game in basketball, before graduating in 1978. He went on to become the only two-sport All-American in UAM history, earning the honors in baseball and basketball. Rhodes helped lead the Boll Weevils basketball team to a 21-10 record in 1981-82, at the time the best record in school history, and was an NAIA honorable mention All-American guard. In baseball, Rhodes earned first-team NAIA All-America honors as a shortstop in 1982 and was a seventh-round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays. He was inducted into the UAM Sports Hall of Fame’s second induction class in 2001.
John Searles moved to Pine Bluff with his parents at an early age. He received his early education in Pine Bluff before receiving a basketball and track scholarship to the University of Arkansas, where he averaged 8.8 points per game during the 1970-71 season. He completed his undergraduate studies at Arkansas AM&N College (now UAPB) with a major in business administration.
Bubba Smart won three state amateur golf championships beginning in 1940 at the age of 15 when he defeated Vincent Allison 1-up at Texarkana Country Club. Smart defended his title the following year, defeating Steve Creekmore 2 and 1 at Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith, then won 6 and 5 over Hogan Rountree at Country Club of Little Rock in 1946. Smart won six state amateur golf titles by the end of 1941 and partnered with various players to win more than 20 four-ball championships throughout Arkansas in his career.
At 14, he was invited to play in the Milwaukee Open — a professional event — alongside the likes of Sam Snead, who holds the PGA Tour record for wins (82). World War II forced Smart to put his golf career on hold as he joined the military. He resumed his amateur career after the war ended, but the conflict ultimately ended his chances of starting a professional career.
Pamela Smith, a former track performer for the Pine Bluff High Fillies in the mid-1980s, was a part of the UAPB women’s track and field program that finished second in the nation at the 1989 NAIA outdoor track and field championships in Azusa, Calif. Smith, a two-time collegiate All-American and four-year letter-winner at UAPB, also was a member of the Lady Lions’ track squad that finished 11th overall at the 1991 NAIA outdoors in Stephenville, Texas. She doubled as a 400- and 800-meter runner throughout her collegiate career. Smith is now chief of police in Washington, D.C.
Jeremy Sprinkle played a big role in helping White Hall overcome an 0-3 start to a 5A-Southeast Conference championship in the 2011 season. That year, the Bulldogs made their first state semifinal in 20 years. Sprinkle played behind Hunter Henry much of his career at Arkansas but was still a big contributor. He went for nearly 800 yards and 10 touchdowns in his last two seasons and was drafted fifth overall by the now-Washington Commanders in 2017. His best season came in 2019, when he caught 26 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. Sprinkle joined the Dallas Cowboys in 2021 and was released with an injury settlement before the 2022 season.
Elbert Stinson was a four-time NAIA All-American at AM&N. Stinson’s name has been engraved in the Golden Lions’ track record books since 1968 when he posted a 45.2-second clocking in the 400-meter dash during his senior season. That impressive timing stood as an NAIA and Arkansas record for more than 25 years. In his junior year, Stinson ran the anchor leg on the 4×400-meter relay squad that set a state record at that time with a 3:05.4 reading at the NAIA outdoor meet in Sioux Falls, S.D.
John Tate is third in Arkansas State University men’s basketball history in points scored with 1,776, fifth in field goal percentage at .601, fourth in blocked shots with 105 and eighth in rebounds with 821. He was a two-time honorable mention All-American and made three all-conference teams in his career. He averaged at least 15.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for three straight seasons. He owns the school records for games played (128) and games started (108). Additionally, Tate was the MVP of the Kentucky Invitational Tournament during his senior year and was an NIT Scholar-Athlete. Tate played professionally in Europe, Australia and Argentina.
Donnie Taylor was a standout hurdler for the Zebras track program during the late 1970s. After a stellar prep career, Taylor continued to showcase his track talents under renowned coach Guy Kochel at Arkansas State. He clocked a career best of 13.66 in the 110-meter hurdles that still stands as the third-fastest outdoor time at A-State. Taylor was inducted into the A-State Hall of Honor in 2001.
George Walker and his Arkansas teammates were named the “25 Little Pigs” based on their number of players and their size. In 1954, Walker led Arkansas to a Southwest Conference championship as quarterback and went on to play Georgia Tech in the Cotton Bowl. He was captain of Jack Mitchell’s 1957 squad. He received various awards as a Razorback, but the one he was most proud of was his selection as an Academic All-American. After graduation, Walker was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, but instead chose to leave football behind and began a successful 50-year career with Simmons Bank in Pine Bluff. Walker is a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Arkansas Hall of Honor. Rison High School named its football stadium George Walker Champions Field.
Larry Wallace, who has been almost totally deaf since age 2, was perhaps Arkansas’ finest all-around baseball player. A fine fielder, he was also hitting .533 at one stretch going into the 1979 College World Series final. It was reported that he didn’t wear his hearing aids in games because his batting helmet interfered with them. When he called for a pop fly, his teammates reportedly had no choice but to stand clear. He was the MVP of the state high school baseball tournament (one class) in 1973.
Charles Washington was an exceptional football and track athlete at Pine Bluff High. He played for the Razorbacks and became one of the greatest defensive backs in their history. He was named to the All-Southwest Conference team in 1986. Washington played with the Green Bay Packers during the 1987 NFL season.
Kevin Williams, once a quarterback at Watson Chapel, moved to the defensive secondary at Oklahoma State University in the 1990s. The New York Jets picked the All-American in the third round of the 1998 draft. Williams was then dealt to the Miami Dolphins in 2000, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2001 offseason and Houston Texans for their 2002 maiden season before retiring.
Roscoe Word, a speedy football standout who graduated from Dollarway High in 1970, earned a scholarship at Jackson State University and was considered one of the top defensive backs and return specialists in the SWAC. He was the 74th pick in the third round of the 1974 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. In his initial pro season, he was named to the All-Rookie Team as a cornerback. The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder also spent time on NFL rosters with the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ inaugural season in 1976.
Information for this article was contributed by Jefferson County Sports Hall of Fame committee members Jeff Gross, Jim Harris, I.C. Murrell and Carl Whimper.
Eric Mitchel (Special to The Commercial)
Lee Palles (Special to The Commercial)
Mykal Riley (Special to The Commercial)
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