BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Thirty-three athletes were etched into history at the Martin County All-Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony Saturday at the Collier Center in Inez. The inductees and families in attendance were surrounded by their loved ones as their stories and lives were honored.

Martin County Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty opened the ceremony.

“We see on this list some of the greatest athletes of the modern era. I am honored to have this opportunity to be in the presence of this athletic history and to foster a sense of community pride,” said Lafferty.

“We remind ourselves that many of today’s successes were in part attributed to the hard work and commitment of those who came before us. A wise man once said, ‘If you want to understand the present or predict the future, then study and honor the past.’ That is what we are here to do today.”

HOF President Dwayne Sweeney welcomed everyone on behalf of the HOF Committee: Roger Harless, Jack Ward, Phil Kirk, Bill Bo Davis, Everette Horn Jr., AJ Haney and Charlotte Anderson.

Sweeney stated the goal of the HOF Committee was to preserve and maintain Martin County’s deep, rich athletic history and promote it throughout the state.

“The reason that these are going so well is I have the best committee in the state,” Sweeney said. “Everybody works really hard and they know what role they have. It’s a team effort with us. We’ve got hard workers and they’re former athletes as well so they know exactly what’s involved with this. I’m just thankful to have who we have.”

The HOF crew will take a few weeks off for the holidays and then return to get ready for April’s induction.

Ward introduced the second-round inductees.

Teresa Sumpter-Stapleton – Sheldon Clark Basketball 1975-1976

Teresa played on the first and second Sheldon Clark Girls basketball team. She joined her five teammates as All-Staters in 1975 when she was named Honorable Mention. Teresa was a role player and teammate extraordinaire. She was the workhorse who was willing to do anything to help her team win. Her teams were 48-5 with two district and two regional titles.

Emma Blackburn Sluss – Sheldon Clark Basketball 1975-1979

Emma played forward and center and was an excellent rebounder, defender and consistent scorer. She was on the varsity team all four years. The Lady Cardinals went 89-21 and won four district and three regional titles in her career. Emma was named All-State Honorable Mention in 1979. She was All-District for three years and All-Region for two years.

She received a scholarship to Pikeville College, where she played for two years. Her group helped rebuild the women’s basketball program at Pikeville College, coached by Dale Trivette from 1979-1981. She is now a licensed mammographer and radiologic technologist. Before having twin boys, she coached an 8-10-year-old boys basketball team that won their division in San Antonio at the Alamodome. She has coached basketball, soccer and swimming teams in the Florida Panhandle. In Alabama, she took a girls basketball team to a state championship game.

Emma has been married to Kevin Sluss for 33 years. They have four children: Ashley, Jared, Andrew and Josh. They have one grandchild. She is a sister to Karen.

Karen Blackburn Horn – Sheldon Clark Basketball 1976-1980

Karen played forward and was a good rebounder, defender and consistent scorer for the Lady Cardinals. Her teams were 86-27 and won four district and two regional titles in her four seasons. She was named All-State Honorable Mention in 1979. Karen was All-District and All-Region in three years. Her teams continued the winning tradition started by the 1975 team. She is the sister to Emma.

Her career started at Venters Branch Elementary School, where she made All-Tournament. At Sheldon Clark she was MVP of the Paintsville Invitational tournament in her junior year. She made the All-Tournament team at the Ashland Invitational Tournament in 1978.

Her son Brady was a star basketball player at Sheldon Clark. Emma and Karen’s sister Geliliah Blackburn was also a very good basketball player from 1979 to 1983. Geliliah played on Robin Newsome’s first team. Sadly, she passed away two years ago.

Rhonda Conrad Lynn – Sheldon Clark Basketball 1982-1986

Rhonda was a point guard who was quick and harassed opponents on defense. She was a great scorer and passer and that earned her All-State Honorable Mention in 1986. She played on three district championship teams in her four years. The Lady Cards were 81-35 during her tenure with three district titles and one regional title in 1983. Rhonda tragically passed away in 1994 in an automobile accident. She was the second 1,000-point scorer in school history and scored over 1,500 points and had over 500 assists in her career.

Meredith Mullins – Sheldon Clark Basketball 1993-1994

Meredith transferred to Sheldon Clark from Paintsville and played one season for the Lady Cards. Meredith led the team in rebounding and scoring from the center position. Her tenacious play earned her All-State Honorable Mention in 1994.

James Booth – Warfield High Basketball 1943-1947

James Booth has the distinction of being Warfield High School’s first All-Stater. He was a skilled rebounder and scorer. He led his team to a record of 20-11 under coach Sheldon Clark. James was on Warfield’s only district title team in 1945. In his four years of high school, Warfield was 72-33 with one district title. He was named All-State Honorable Mention in 1947.

Wilbur Delong – Inez High Basketball 1943-1947

Wilbur was one of three All-Staters in 1947 on the Inez team that went 39-4. Inez went 31-8 in 1946 and won the district and regional championship. His teams went 95-32. He was named to the All-District and All-Regional tournament teams in 1947. He later became the first Martin County Native to become a Kentucky state trooper. He was named All-State Honorable Mention in 1947.

UG “Gene” Horn – Inez High Basketball 1946-1949

Gene was an All-State Honorable Mention in 1949. He often said he came to school before daylight so that he could practice. After high school he joined the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged in 1953. Gene attended Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond and after school, began teaching at Inez High School. He became the head basketball coach and his wife Betty was the cheerleading sponsor.

In 1962 Gene moved his family to Whitesburg to teach. He coached basketball and baseball and became principal at Whitesburg High School where he retired in 1987. He passed away in June 2024 at the age of 93. In his four years of basketball his teams were 124-23 with three district titles and a regional title in 1946. He was named to the All-District and All-Regional tournament teams in 1949 leading Inez to the region runner-up spot.

Jim Williamson – Inez High Basketball 1946-1950

Jim was named All-State Honorable Mention in 1950. Dr. James Williamson was the son of Hall of Fame coach Russell Williamson. He was a quick guard that could shoot and handle the ball. He was named All-District and All-Region in 1949 and 1950.

After high school he attended Georgetown College. He then enrolled in the University of Louisville School of Medicine, where he fulfilled his dream of becoming a doctor. He began his medical practice in Ashland as an obstetrician-gynecologist, beginning what would become a long and fulfilling professional career. He retired after 40 years of practicing medicine in 1998. He passed away in 2008. In his four years Inez was 117-25 with three district championships and two years as region runner-up in 1950.

Kenton Fairchild – Inez High Basketball 1954-1958

Kenton was named All-State Honorable Mention in 1958. He is a brother to the great Bill Fairchild. His Inez teams were 60-41 and he scored over 1,000 points. After high school he went on to play one year for the Morehead State University freshman team. He graduated from Morehead State in 1962 and became a teacher.

Kenton’s career spanned 30 years, mostly in the city school system of Mansfield, Ohio. He coached basketball at John Sherman Junior High and then at Mansfield Senior High as an assistant varsity coach. He finished his coaching career as head basketball coach at Malabar High School in Ohio. He coached many players who became All-Ohio stars. He also officiated high school basketball for 20 years. After his retirement, he became chief probation officer for the Richland County Juvenile Court.

Clyde Mollette – Inez High Basketball 1959-1963

Clyde was a great shooter and rebounder at the forward position. His play earned him All-State Honorable Mention in 1963. He helped lead Inez to back-to-back district titles in 1962 and 1963. Clyde made the All-District and All-Region tournament teams in 1963. He averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds per game in his senior year. Clyde’s teams were 73-45 with two district titles and one regional semifinal in 1962 where they lost to regional champion Virgie by one point. Clyde scored 1100 points in his career and had over 500 rebounds. He also played high school baseball in 1963. He was a pitcher under coach Bobby Williamson.

William Davis – Warfield High Basketball 1960-1964

William “Bill Bo” Davis was a great rebounder and scorer. He could score inside with deft moves and utilized his superior strength. He also loved to get out on a fast break and finish.

Davis scored over 1,000 points and had over 800 rebounds in his career. He was named All-State Honorable Mention in 1964. He was the first of the great eight Warfield Players in the 1960s who were All-State selections from 1964 to 1971.

Mitchell Moore – Warfield High Basketball 1962-1966

Mitchell was a great scorer and all-around player for Warfield. He played on their winningest team in 1966 and led them to a record of 26-8. He was All-District and All-State Honorable Mention in 1966. Mitchell was a strong and smart player that could read defenses. He was a great mid-range shooter. Warfield was 73-48 in his four years. In his last two years he led Warfield’s greatest teams going 45-23. He scored over 1,900 points in his career.

John Stepp – Inez High, Sheldon Clark Basketball 1969-1973

No one would have predicted that John would be the force inside that he was by his senior year. He developed the ability to score inside with great footwork and exploited his opponent’s weaknesses. Stepp led Sheldon Clark to a district title and region runner-up in 1973 in the school’s first year. He was on the All-District and All-Region tournament team and was named All-State Honorable Mention.

Stepp averaged double figures in scoring and almost as many rebounds in his junior and senior seasons.

He was a guy who thought assists and rebounding were more important than scoring. He just wanted the team to win.

John scored the first basket in Inez High School’s last game and the first basket in Sheldon Clark High School’s first game. He was one of two Sheldon Clark’s first All-State honorees.

Rudy Hammonds – Inez High, Sheldon Clark Basketball 1969-1973

Rudy was a gifted athlete who played on the last Inez team and the first Sheldon Clark High team. He was a starter in Inez’s last district championship in 1971 and Sheldon Clark’s first district championship in 1973. He was the only underclassman as a sophomore on Inez’s improbable 1971 district championship team and always was good for 15-20 points per game. He possessed an excellent mid-range jump shot.

Rudy was one of the leading scorers for Sheldon Clark’s 1973 district championship team and region runner-up. He was All-District in 1971, 1972 and 1973. He was named All-Region in 1973, was awarded All-State Honorable Mention, and was voted team MVP. He was one of two Sheldon Clark’s first All-State honorees. He was a four-year varsity player and his teams were 65-61 with two district titles and one region runner-up. Rudy scored over 1,500 points in his career.

Harley Hammonds – Sheldon Clark Football 1995-1999

Harley was named All-State Honorable Mention as a defensive back in 1998. On offense, he started at quarterback for Sheldon Clark’s first regional football championship. He was tough and gritty and never missed a play. His football teams were 27-19. He was a four-year varsity football player and a three-year starter. In his freshmen year, he played the second half of the game where SCHS beat future University of Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch. Harley was twice selected First-Team All-District and All-Region in his junior and senior years. During his senior year, he was on the All-Mountain team, and he was named All-State Honorable Mention. Harley was the WYMT player of the week against Johnson Central in his senior year. He rushed for 621 yards and scored 10 touchdowns and threw for 1426 yards and 22 touchdowns in his senior campaign.

 Harley was also a three-year starter in basketball, scoring over 1000 points in his career. He was All-District in basketball in 1998 and 1999. In his senior season he led the team in assists and tied to lead the team in scoring.

He received many football and basketball scholarship offers and signed a letter of intent to play football at Union College. Harley is the son of Hall-of-Famer Rudy Hammonds.

Garry Gauze – Warfield High, Sheldon Clark Basketball 1971-1975

Garry was one of the greatest all-around athletes in Martin County history. He was a legendary Little League player in Martin County. He played baseball on the Huntington WV travel team and received inquiries from the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds.

He also excelled on the basketball court as part of the 1973 Sheldon Clark district championship team and 15th region runner-up as a sophomore starting point guard. In 1974 and 1975 he led the Cardinals in assists averaging almost 10 per game. He was a great shooter, ball handler and passer. In 1975 Garry averaged more than 24 points and almost 10 assists per game. He was awarded All-State Honorable Mention in 1975. He played for Warfield in their last season in 1971-72. They went 18-11 and went to the regional tournament. He was on the first-ever Sheldon Clark High School team in 1972-73. His teams won 60 games with a district title, two trips to the regional tournament and a region runner-up. He scored 1,735 points and had over 800 assists in his basketball career.

Steve Goble – Sheldon Clark Basketball 1972-1976

At 6-foot-4 Steve had an uncanny leaping ability. He was part of some great first teams at Sheldon Clark. He scored more than 1500 points and had over 500 rebounds. During his senior year he was named to the All-District and All-Region tournament teams. Steve started varsity three years. His senior team went 25-9 with Steve scoring over 20 points per game and pulling down 10 rebounds per game. His teams won 67 games. Steve played on a district runner-up squad and made a trip to the regional tournament.

Randy Lafferty – Sheldon Clark Basketball 1975-1979

Randy was an All-State Honorable Mention forward in 1979. Randy was a smart basketball player who could score in traffic and hit mid-range jumpers. He was known for being a great free-throw shooter. He developed a ball fake that put him consistently on the foul line. He played hard on every play.

Randy’s teams were 141-36 in his four years. He played on the 1978 district championship team that went 24-4. In his senior year, he averaged well over 20 points per game for a team that surprised everyone when they finished as the 15th Region runner-up. Randy scored over 1,000 points in his career. He was a singer in a band called The Laffertys, which had some decent success along with his brothers Garry, Larry and Lon.

Greg Preece – Sheldon Clark Basketball 1981-1985

Greg was named All-State Honorable Mention in 1985. He was known for being a great shooter.

His teams were 71-40. He played as a sophomore on the 1983 15th Region championship team and state elite eight team. He was named to the Williamson Daily All-Area Basketball team in 1985.

As a senior he averaged 20 points, five rebounds and four assists per game and was named to the 57th District All-Tournament team. As a junior he averaged 10 points, three rebounds and two assists per contest.

He was part of the first regional championship and state tournament team in 1983 with Sheldon Clark.

He received a basketball scholarship to Alice Lloyd College. He played four years there, graduating in 1989, and also played one year of baseball at Alice Lloyd.

Greg went on to become the assistant coach at Tolsia High School for one year. That year they made it to the semifinals of the West Virginia State Tournament. He coached basketball and football for six years at Warfield Middle School.

Kevin Fields – Sheldon Clark Basketball 1988-1992

Kevin was named All-State Honorable Mention in 1992. He was named All-District in his junior and senior seasons. He was named to the All-Area first team by Williamson Daily News and the Huntington Herald his senior year. He was named to the All-Tournament team in the Paintsville Invitational Tournament. As a senior he was named to the East Kentucky All-Star Team. He won the team free throw award and was named team captain.

Kevin averaged 17 points a game in his junior year and 20 points in his senior year. He scored over 1,200 points in his career. His teams won 52 games and won the 57th district championship in 1992.

BJ Moore – Sheldon Clark Basketball 2007-2010/2011-2012

BJ was named All-State Honorable Mention in 2012. He is Sheldon Clark High’s all-time leading scorer with over 2,700 points. He also had over 500 assists in his career. He averaged almost 25 points per game. Three times he was named All-Region and All-District in two publications. BJ played four seasons as a starting guard. He was known for being a playmaker and scorer. He was a gifted basketball player who always seemed to make the right play and could shoot from anywhere on the court. His teams were 62-53 with a district title in 2012 and district runner-up in 2010.

Brandon May – Sheldon Clark Basketball 2002-2006

Brandon was an Honorable Mention McDonald’s All-American. He was the third leading scorer all-time for Sheldon Clark with 1,972 points. He was a power forward with great rebounding, passing and ball-handling skills. He had over 800 rebounds and 400 assists in his career. He once scored 42 points in a district game. At clutch time it was Brandon who made the big play.

Brandon was a four-year starter in basketball and he led the team in scoring all four years.

Brandon finished his career in the top three in school history in points, rebounds and three-pointers made. He led his team to the 57th district championship and region runner-up in 2004.

Brandon was an outstanding baseball player and started six years. He pitched a no-hitter as an eighth grader. He led Sheldon Clark to its only 15th Region baseball championship in 2006. He is in the top 5 in school history in wins, strikeouts and home runs.

Danny Harmon – Sheldon Clark Football 1980-1983

Danny was named All-State Honorable Mention as an offensive tackle in 1981. He was Martin County’s first all-state football player on their first team. His teams were 15-6 in his two seasons including 9-2 his senior season.

He was part of the first football team, the Martin County Miners, in 1979 and 1980. He was a member of the first Sheldon Clark High School football team in 1980 and 81.

Danny started both offense, defense and kicking teams. He was the primary running back and defensive tackle.

Danny was the first player to get a scholarship to play college football going to Kentucky Wesleyan. While there he started every game from 1983 to 1985. He played offensive tight end at Wesleyan.

Danny also played basketball and was a member of Sheldon Clark’s 15th Region championship and state tournament team in 1983, which finished in the Elite Eight.

 He also played baseball for Sheldon Clark between 1979-1982. He was the first player to receive varsity letters for football, basketball and baseball in the same year 1981-1982.

Alan Parsley – Sheldon Clark Football 1980-1983

Alan was All-State Honorable Mention in 1982. He was the first and only quarterback to be selected All-State at his position. A great leader and passer who always made the right play and was tough under pressure. He was named All-Region in 1982. His teams were 15-6 including 9-2 in 1982.

Alan was on the very first Martin County football team with Inez Indians and Martin County Miners and the first high school team in 1981.

His 1982 team was affectionately called the “Skinny Twenty.”

Alan’s highlight of his high school career was the last game of the year. He threw five touchdown passes, over 200 yards passing and had a ‘pick 6’ for another score as Sheldon Clark beat district rival Belfry to finish 9-2 on the season. He passed for over 2,000 yards in his career.

Alan was on the first team All-Area (Williamson Daily News) and won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1983.

He played college football at Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro.

Alan coached in 1986 with Jim Matney at Sheldon Clark.

“What made my career at Sheldon Clark so special was the great people who played and coached here,” he said. “We didn’t always have the biggest numbers or the most talent, but we always showed a lot of heart and determination. That was absolutely necessary when you start something from nothing.”

Mike Moore – Sheldon Clark Football 1980-1983

Mike was All-State Honorable Mention in 1982. He was Sheldon Clark’s “first great running back.” In 1978 he started playing football for the first Inez Indians Middle School football team, where he scored the first touchdown. He started playing at SCHS in 1980 and was a running back all four years. He had three 1,000-yard seasons from 1981 to 1983. Mike was All-Area and All-State Honorable Mention his junior year. He was the first 1,000-yard rusher in Sheldon Clark’s history and had almost 4,000 rushing yards in his career. His teams were 20-11 in his three varsity seasons.

Phillip Kelley – Sheldon Clark Football 1982-1983

Phillip was named All-State Honorable Mention in football in 1982. At 6-foot-3 his speed and leaping ability made him almost impossible to cover. His teams were 15-6 in his two seasons. He also was an outstanding basketball and baseball player. He was on the 1983 15th Region championship basketball team. He was the sixth man who provided spark off the bench.

Phillip was a great outfielder in baseball. His senior season in baseball was 25-2.

Buddy Lee Horn – Sheldon Clark Football 1983-1987

Buddy was named All-State Honorable Mention in 1984. He was an athletic and tough, hard-nosed player at linebacker. His teams won 20 games in his four years. He was on the first Sheldon Clark football team and was among the first group to play four seasons of football. He was named All-Region in 1984 by a couple of publications. Buddy was on Jim Matney’s first team at SCHS and was also a good basketball player.

JD Damron – Sheldon Clark Football 1993-1997

JD was named All-State Honorable Mention in 1996. He was primarily a linebacker. Tough, quick and relentless is the way you would describe JD Damron. He was twice named All-District and All-Region and a member of the All-Mountain Team. During his senior year he had 125 tackles and 19 were for a loss. He forced six fumbles and recovered three. He had two interceptions. JD’s teams were 24-19 with three playoff appearances including a huge upset at Lawrence County 14-7 in 1994. That same team lost in double-overtime to Whitesburg 30-28. He was the first junior to be a captain under Coach Jim Matney.

JD also was a wrestler. He placed 5th in state, was a district champion and regional runner-up in 1997. Coach Matney named an all-century team for SCHS and JD was named first team.

Paul Schmidt Jr – Sheldon Clark Football 2001-2005

Paul was named All-State Honorable Mention in 2004. Power, strength and relentlessness were how people described him. He is the only center to be named All-State for the Cardinals. In 2003 he was selected second team All-District at guard and in 2004, first team All-District at center. He signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at Cumberland College.

Paul’s teams won 19 games in his career. The highlight for him was winning a playoff game at Whitesburg in 2003.

Danny Hinkle – Sheldon Clark Football 2003-2007

Danny was named All-State Honorable Mention in 2006. He was a three-year starter as a defensive and offensive lineman and was captain of the football team his senior year. Danny recorded over 200 tackles in his junior and senior years combined. He was also the kicker, where he scored multiple field goals and extra points. He was selected as one of the 2005 WYMT Hogs of the Year (Best Offensive Line). He was the defensive MVP of the Hatfield/McCoy game.

Paul also played basketball in his junior and senior years and was a team captain.

Danny signed a full football scholarship for UVA-Wise, where he was a four-year starter as a defensive lineman and a team captain.

He had 224 tackles, 12 sacks, 31.5 tackles for a loss, four pass deflections, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, three blocked kicks, and three quarterback hurries in his college career.

In 2010 he led UVA-Wise in tackles with 58. That same year, he was named 2010 Mid-South Conference Honorable Mention. He was also Mid-South Conference Defensive Player of the Week in 2009.

Danny tied third for most blocked kicks in a season in UVA-Wise history.

He was a starter for the 2010 College Fanz Senior Bowl, where he recorded a sack.

Danny was the Defensive MVP for the 2013 Football Alumni Bowl when Sheldon Clark played Belfry.

At Sheldon Clark his teams were 28-18 in his four years. His teams made the playoffs three out of four years and won three playoff games. Danny played on coach Jim Matney’s last team and coach Shawn Hager’s first team.

Jared Stevens – Sheldon Clark Football 2009-2013

Jared was named All-State Honorable Mention in 2012 as an offensive lineman. His teams won 20 games in his four years. The 2009 team surprised everyone when they were district and regional champs. Jared and the Cardinal offensive line were a key part of that team. The 2010 team was the district champ and won a playoff game. He was also a lineman on defense.

Jared was named All-District in 2012, IMG Academy All-Madden Team, an NUC All-American and won the Rob Calloway Lion-Heart Award. In 2011 he was named the IMG Academy Gatorade Athlete of the Week.

Jared also was an outstanding tennis player. He played tennis from 2007-2013. In 2013 he was awarded the Sportsmanship Award.

Nick Harless – Sheldon Clark Football 2016-2020

Nick was named All-State Honorable Mention as a defensive end and lineman in 2019. His quickness and strength made up for his lack of size. His teams won 13 games. He was on the last Sheldon Clark team and the first Martin County High School team.

His senior year was the first season for the new Martin County High School. They went 7-4 and played their first playoff game. He holds the honor of being the first All-State player for Martin County High School. He was named All-Region in 2019 by a couple of publications.