CLASS OF 1973
WEEMS BASKIN
Weems Baskin was from Carrollton and went on to become a legendary figure in college track and field as both an athlete and coach. He was an All-American at Auburn in 1926 and 1927 and was SEC high hurdles champion for three straight years. He was National AAU indoor hurdles champion in 1928 and was an Olympic alternate that same year. After coaching stints at Auburn, Mississippi, and Georgia, Baskin became the track coach at the University of South Carolina, where he remained from 1948 to 1969. He worked as part of the administration at South Carolina until his retirement in 1972. The track at South Carolina was dedicated in his honor that same year. During his time in Columbia, Baskin’s teams won 90 dual meets and finished in the top four in the ACC seven times. He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1982.
WAYMAN CREEL
Wayman O. Creel grew up in College Park and became one of the most successful high school football coaches in Georgia history. Upon his death in 1990 he was the state’s all-time winningest coach with a career record of 315-105-12 and remains near the top of the list for total wins in Georgia. He served as head coach at three different schools (Northside of Atlanta, Lakeside of Atlanta, and Westminster) and was one of the first coaches to win State Championships at two different schools (Northside in ’57, and Lakeside in ’70 and ’72). During his career he was named Region and State Coach of the year multiple times and was named National High School Coach of the Year in 1977.
HOWELL HOLLIS
Howell T. Hollis was from Buena Vista and went on to The University of Georgia where he played baseball and football for the Bulldogs. He went on to coaching success as a high school coach at several different Georgia high schools before becoming UGA’s freshman football coach in 1937, a position he held until 1947 except for the years that he served in the Navy during World War II. He was named head men’s golf coach at UGA in 1946 and remained for 25 years until 1970. As one of the winningest college golf coach of all time, he led the Bulldogs to 13 SEC titles and eight top 10 finishes in the NCAA Championships. He also coached 10 individual conference champions and an NCAA Champion (George Hamer in 1946). Hollis also served as an administrator in Georgia’s athletic department from 1948 to 1968. The annual award for the UGA golfer with the highest grade point average is named in his honor.
JOHNNY MIZE
John Robert (Johnny) Mize was a native of Demorest and played college baseball at Piedmont College, where he went from being the batboy to hitting .420 in his freshman season. He played professionally in the major leagues for the Cardinals, Giants, and Yankees. He had a career .312 batting average along with 359 home runs and 1337 RBIs. Mize was the National League batting champion in 1939 and was the National League home run leader four times (1939, 1940, 1947, and 1948). In 1947 Mize did something unmatched in baseball history. He became the first player to hit 50 or more home runs in a season while striking out fewer than 50 times, one of the game’s extraordinary records. He was a 10-time MLB All-Star. The final 5 years of his career were spent with the Yankees where he was a valuable contributor to 5 straight World Series Championships. Mize also worked as a scout, coach, and radio commentator after his playing career ended. He was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981.