WILLIAMSON W.Va. – The board of directors of the Williamson High School Athletic Hall of Fame announced their plans for the Hall of Fame’s 26th Annual Induction Weekend and the members of their Induction Class of 2023.
The Williamson Athletic Hall of Fame will hold its 26th Annual Induction Weekend Aug. 4 and 5. The HOF Weekend will be part of the “Williamson High School Spectacular Alumni Weekend” in conjunction with the 2023 WHS All-Class Reunion. The Williamson Athletic Hall of Fame portion of the weekend will include two separate events. The first is a “Meet and Greet Reception” FridayFriday, Aug. 4, at 6 p.m., followed by the 26th Annual Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Luncheon Banquet Saturday, Aug. 5, starting at noon. Both events will be held this year in the 2nd Floor Ballroom of the Williamson Fire Department in downtown Williamson.
In addition to inducting the HOF’s Class of 2023, the board of directors will also be hosting a special recognition and reunion of the 1964 Williamson Wolfpack Class AA State Boys Basketball Championship Team and the 1965 Williamson Wolfpack Class AAA State Baseball Championship Team. The Board will honor these teams during their Saturday HOF Induction Ceremony. The ’64 and ‘65 team members, along with all of the members of the Athletic Hall of Fame and the Class of 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees, will be the special guests at Friday’s “Meet and Greet Reception” in the Fire Station Ballroom.
The 2023 WHS Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is being held as a part of the “Spectacular WHS Alumni Weekend.”
“We’re extremely glad that we’ve been able to work in conjunction with the WHS Alumni Association to combine the Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Weekend and the WHS 2023 All Class Reunion Weekend into one great alumni weekend event this year,” said WHS Athletic Hall of Fame President Jeff Reynolds. “The two boards felt that with the increase in gas prices and the higher cost of most travel-related things recently that it would be much better to combine into one big alumni weekend this year instead of some of our alumni having to decide between which event to attend if they could only afford to come to one. It’s going to be one awesome weekend to celebrate and remember the great legacy that is Williamson High School.”
The seven members of the WHS Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Class of 2023 are as follows:
Brandon Belcher – Belcher, a Class of 2006 WHS Graduate, was a two-sport athlete for the Wolfpack. He was a three-year letterman in track and field and was a two-time state qualifier in track and field for the Wolfpack in 2005 and 2006. Brandon was the 2005 Class A Men’s State Champion in both the 100-meter race and 200-meter race, breaking the state Class A State Tournament meter times in both races. He was the 2006 Class A Men’s State Champion in both the 100-meter race and 200-meter race, breaking his own state records he had set the year before in both races. Both of his state record times in both races remain unbroken 17 years later. Belcher also played football for the Wolfpack for three seasons.
Clarence “Pee Wee” Chapman – Chapman was a WHS Class of 1965 graduate. He played on both the Wolfpack’s 1964 WV State Championship Boys Basketball Team and the 1965 WV State Championship Boys Basketball Runner-Up Team, which posted an undefeated regular season record of 26-0. He was named to the WV Big All-State Team (made up of all classes) in 1965. In 1965 he posted double figures in both scoring and rebounding in every game. He attended Beckley Junior College, where he played on a basketball scholarship.
John “Buckwheat” Dillard – Dillard was a WHS Class of 1977 graduate. He was an outstanding and versatile three-sport athlete for the Williamson Wolfpack. He played track and field for three years, was a football starter for two years and was a three-year starter in boys basketball for the ‘Pack.
Raymond Dotson – Dotson was a WHS Class of 1987 graduate. He played basketball for three years for the Wolfpack. Dotson played in three consecutive West Virginia State Basketball Tournaments for Williamson, being named to the 1985 Class AA State Boys Basketball All-Tournament Team. He was a starter for the Wolfpack’s 1986 WV Class AA State Championship Boys Basketball Team and was the team’s third-leading scorer. Dotson was also named an Honorable Mention honoree on the 1986 Class AA All-State Basketball Team.
Jimmy Fletcher – Fletcher was a WHS Class of 1973 graduate. He was a two-sport athlete for the Wolfpack playing three years in both baseball and boys basketball. He was a WV Class AAA All-State 2nd Team Member as a senior in 1973. Fletcher was one of the state’s best southpaw pitchers, throwing a no-hitter and posting a record of 5-2 with a 1.44 ERA during his senior season for the Wolfpack. He later served as both Assistant Principal and Principal of Williamson High School.
Bryan Hatfield – Hatfield was a WHS Class of 1985 graduate. He was a standout three-sport athlete for the Wolfpack, playing baseball, boys basketball and football all three years. Hatfield was a member of the Wolfpack’s 1983 WV Class AA State Boys Basketball Championship team. He was also a member of both the Wolfpack’s 1984 and 1985 Boys Basketball Sectional and Regional Championship teams. He was a three-time winner of the Wolfpack Baseball Award and went on to play baseball at Marshall University under legendary MU Baseball Head Coach Jack Cook.
Dan Scott – Scott was a WHS Class of 1985 graduate. Scott was a two-sport athlete playing baseball and boys basketball for the Wolfpack. He was a member of both the Wolfpack’s 1984 and 1985 Boys Basketball Sectional and Regional Championship teams. He was an Honorable Mention honoree on the 1985 Class AA All-State Baseball Team and a two-time Williamson Daily News All-Area Baseball Team member. Scott went on to a career in sports broadcasting and has spent two decades as an NCAA Division I Sports Play by Play Broadcaster at Clemson University and Furman University, where he currently works. He has also served as a Minor League Baseball Broadcaster for the Greenville Drive (a Boston Red Sox High A affiliate team) since 2018. He is the host of the Dan Scott Show for Grand Slam Ministries. He also has served as a sports writer and sports editor for several newspapers and was twice recognized by the West Virginia Press Association for Best Sports Page.
The WHS Athletic Hall of Fame Board, in addition to its 2023 Induction Class, will also be honoring worthy individuals with its newest HOF honor, “The Friend of the Pack” Honor Award, during the Induction Weekend. This is a new award created last year for the Athletic Hall of Fame Board to bestow and will be awarded at the discretion of the Hall’s board of directors to those individuals the board believes to have made exceptional contributions to the success of Williamson High School’s Athletics Program during the school’s 101-year history. The 2023 “Friend of the Pack” honorees will be announced later this week.
Tickets for the Athletic Hall of Fame portion of the “Spectacular WHS Alumni Weekend,” covering both the Friday Meet and Greet Reception and the Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Luncheon Banquet Saturday, will be $40 per adult and $25 for children 5 and above. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased through June 30 by contacting Athletic Hall of Fame Board Treasurer Cecilia Lynn Hatfield Barker at 606-625-0085 or ccbarker@k12.wv.us. You may also find, print and mail in a ticket order for the Athletic HOF events by going to the Williamson High School Facebook Page, downloading the 2023 Ticket Order Form, and mailing it along with your check to the address listed on the form. Tickets for the All-Class events are available for purchase from the WHS Alumni Association.
For more information on the Williamson Athletic Hall of Fame and its 26th Annual Hall of Fame Weekend Celebration Weekend, you may contact the Hall through its Facebook page at Williamson High School Athletic Hall of Fame.