Alabama A&M Athletic Hall of Fame to honor six

Huntsville, Ala. ---- The Alabama A&M University Athletic Hall of Fame willhonor six distinguished coaches and athletes during the organization's ninthannual induction banquet scheduled Friday, September 1, in the Ernest L.Knight Center at 7 p.m. Huntsville Times columnist Bill Easterling is theevent's scheduled toastmaster.

Among this year's honorees are Cynthia J. Clopton (volleyball, basketball),Huntsville, Ala.; Maurice Coleman (football), Olive Branch, Miss.; Dr. JosephHenderson (noted AAMU track and field coach), Harvest, Ala.; SandraLyles-Jackson (swimming), Huntsville, Ala.; Thomas L. Montgomery (football),Dayton, Ohio; and L. Vann Pettaway (AAMU men's basketball coach), New Market,Ala.

Dr. Arlester McBride chairs the Alabama A&M University Athletic Hall of Fame. For additional information and/or tickets, call (256) 858-4083 or (256)858-4863.

An avid supporter of AAMU athletics, Clopton also has received recognitionand awards for her athletic achievements. Among these honors are the MostValuable Player (MVP) Award in basketball (1977), Best Sportsmanship Award inbasketball (1978); Most Valuable Player (MVP) in volleyball (1978-80); theAthletic Booster Club of Huntsville, Outstanding Achievement Award in thesport of Volleyball (1981); Alabama Association of Intercollegiate Athleticsfor Women, (AAIAW) Volleyball All-State Division II, All Tournament AwardDivision II (1980). Other distinctions include "Who's Who Among CollegeStudents" (1980-81); National Dean's List (1981-82); and Huntsville CitySchools, Employee of the Quarter (1988).

MAURICE COLEMAN
A principal of Tunica (Miss.) Middle School, Maurice Coleman was a footballstandout in a career that would include an undefeated season in 1966, andultimately the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship.Recruited from Rust College by the legendary Coach Lewis Crews, Colemanstarted as a fourth-string halfback for AAMU. During one of his firstscrimmages as part of the "Granger Squad," Coleman ran three touchdowns andbegan playing with the team the following week. He credits his success atAAMU to Coach Crews and the motivation he offered.

"Coach Crews looked at the content of my heart and my ability to performrather than at my size," stated Coleman. "Also, he listened to our problemsand gave us advice on how to solve them."

JOSEPH HENDERSON
A famous AAMU track and field coach, Dr. Joseph Henderson was born in HaleCounty, Ala. A graduate with undergraduate and graduate degrees from AlabamaState University, Henderson also earned the Ed. S. degree in psychologicalcounseling at Georgia State University and the Ed. D. degree at VanderbiltUniversity.

Dr. Henderson served as women's head track and cross-country coach for 20years, as well as gave nine years of service to men's track & field coach.His lengthy coaching stint garnered some four national championships, 10 NCAAregional championships, 16 consecutive conference outdoor track and fieldchampionships, and 11 consecutive cross-country championships. Moreover, histeams produced more than 50 All-Americans and several Olympians, includingJearl Miles Clark, Grace Jackson Small and Dannette Young Stone, to name afew.

SANDRA D. LYLES-JACKSON
Born in Camp Zama, Japan, Sandra Lyles-Jackson is an information managementanalyst for the U. S. Army Aviation and Missile Command. She grew uptraveling and living in various parts of the world while her father, IrvingLyles, served in the United States Army. Also a graduate of J. O. JohnsonHigh School (1977), she received three letters while a power forward on thewomen's basketball team. She had aspirations of joining the swim team buther hectic schedule and extra curricular activities created a conflict.

As a freshman at Alabama A&M University, she met Coach Freddie Wyckoff, theswimming coach for AAMU. She was determined to be on the swim team, which atthat time had not been an official sport, and the team was all male. Basedon her strong determination and persistence, she made history, became thefirst "Official" swimmer to swim for AAMU, and received an AAMU swimmingscholarship. Selected as Captain (1978-1981) for the "Seadogs," her eventwas the freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke.

During her years at AAMU, Coach Wyckoff produced an all-women's team thatallowed Lyles-Jackson to concentrate on the backstroke. She was on themedley relay team and her event was the 500, 200, and 100. Holding two BlackNational Records and five pool records, she also earned the Most OutstandingSwimmer and Black College All-American title.

THOMAS L. MONTGOMERY
Reared by grandparents in rural Tuscumbia, Ala., Thomas "Snow" Montgomerydemonstrated strong confidence by his outstanding record as a quarterback atTrenholm High School, where he lost only four games and tied one during hisfour years under the great Coach Charles S. MaHorney.

Following high school, Montgomery attended AAMU, where he faced stiffcompetition in the likes of five other players vying for the position ofquarterback. With hard work and determination, he became the startingquarterback by the fourth game of the season under Coach George Hobson.Under the legendary Coach Louis Crews, the Bulldogs lost only four gameswhile winning the SIAC Championship (1961), becoming co-champions (1962) andgoing undefeated in 1963.

Montgomery's first coaching job was as an assistant coach at Cobb Avenue HighSchool in Anniston, Ala. During the years of his coaching, the team won twostate championships; this was before the state was integrated. After thestate was integrated, Cobb was the first historically black school to makethe state playoff in 1970. In 1971, he was offered a head coaching job atRoosevelt High School in Dayton, Ohio. Montgomery accepted the offer andmoved to Dayton, where he was a head coach in the Dayton Public Schools for25 years, winning 14 league championships and went to the state six times.He coached many outstanding players. The most notable are Keith Byars(Eagles, Jets and Miami); Larry Lee (Lions, Miami and Denver); and Dan "BigDaddy" Wilkerson (Bengals and Red Skins). As a coach he won 175 games andlost 72. During his tenure, he won numerous coaching awards both state andlocal.

L. VANN PETTAWAY
L. Vann Pettaway has more than 17 years of coaching experience at thecollegiate level through Alabama A&M University. While at his Alma Mater,Coach Pettaway has earned the honor of being the winningest basketball coachin AAMU's history.

With some 10 seasons of 20 or more wins, Pettaway's career record is 309-110.Some of his additional accomplishments include seven SIAC ConferenceChampionships; six SIAC Tournament Championships; highest national rankingteams (9th, 1987; 3rd, 1996; and 3rd, 1997). Additionally, Pettaway has beennamed SIAC Coach of the Year six times and Tournament Coach of the Year fourtimes. Most important of all to Pettaway is the fact that he has graduated80 percent of the athletes who have played under him.

A project administrator for the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) andconductor of annual basketball camps, Pettaway also enjoys affiliation withthe National Association of Basketball Coaches and numerous otherorganizations.

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