MACON SPORTS HALL OF FAME
CLASS OF 2022
KEVIN BROWN
Kevin Brown was an All-State baseball and football player at FPD during the mid-1980’s. Although undersized at just 5’ 9” and 165 pounds, he was named the Macon Touchdown Club Lineman of the Year in 1985 helping lead the Vikings football team to the State Title. Kevin was a four-year starter in high school as well as a two year All-State and All-City performer. He remains ranked among the top 3 career leaders in solo tackles, assists, and punting average at FPD. He pursued his dream of playing college football by walking on at the University of Georgia. Remarkably, Kevin not only made the team, he started as a true freshman on special teams. The following spring legendary coach Vince Dooley halted a team scrimmage to give Kevin a “battlefield promotion” and awarded him a scholarship. Kevin also rushed 18 times for 72 yards during his tenure with the Bulldogs. Fellow UGA teammate and former NFL running back, Tim Worley, once called Brown “the toughest football player I’ve ever seen.”
RAMSEY EARNHART
Southern California native Ramsey Earnhart was the nation’s top ranked Single’s tennis player during his prep career at Ventura High School. After signing to play collegiately at USC, Earnhart was named First Team All-American in both 1961 and 1962. Ramsey teamed with Rafael Osuna to capture the NCAA Doubles Championship in ’61 and ’62. He also competed on the U.S. Davis Cup squad during those two years. After leaving USC, Earnhart competed in various professional events and began a long teaching career. He teamed with Walter Johnson to claim the USPTA National Doubles title in 1976. Earnhart migrated to the south and was the Director of the Southern Professional Tennis Association from 1976-1978. Ramsey has been a USPTA Certified Professional Teaching Professional since 1970 and was that organization’s Professional of the Year in 1979. In Macon, Ramsey has been a professional and teaching instructor at John Drew Smith Tennis Center, Healy Point Tennis Center, Idle Hour Tennis Center and Stratford Academy. He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame 1991.
WALTER LEWIS JOHNSON
Walter Lewis Johnson was a scoring machine at Macon’s Peter G. Appling High School averaging 21 points per game while being named Most Valuable Player and Most Athletic his senior year. Walter carried his basketball skills to Fort Valley State University where he averaged 24 points-per-game during his career. He was instrumental in helping the Wildcats win their first SIAC Championship in 1969. After graduation, Johnson joined the coaching staff at Southwest High School working as an assistant to fellow MSHOF member Don Richardson. After helping the Patriots claim State Titles in 1973 and 1975, Walter moved across town to take the reins as Head Basketball Coach at Northeast. Johnson enjoyed a stellar career with the Raiders. During his 24 years at the helm, Northeast made eight State Tournament appearances, making four trips to the Final Four which twice ended with Northeast in the championship game. Ironically, in 1979, Johnson lost to his former boss as Southwest beat Northeast in the title game. The consummate teacher, Walter won several coach of the year honors and hosted several individual and team basketball camps. He is a member of the FVSC Hall of Fame.
CHRISTY JOHNSTON
Christy (Cantrell) Johnston was one of the most decorated athletes in Stratford Academy history. She was a 5-year letter winner in softball and a four-year All-State player (1997-2000) helping lead the Eagles to the 1997 State Championship. Christy was also an All-Region cross country performer in 1998. She was a four-year letter winner in basketball and a valuable member of the 2001 State Championship team. On the soccer field, Johnston was a mainstay on four straight State Championship teams (1998-2001) where she was named to the All Middle Georgia Team for three of those seasons. Christy was a two-time All-Star, her team’s Most Valuable Player, and took home All State honors in 2001. She continued her soccer career at Mercer University winning 4 letters from 2001-2005. She was also a four-year Scholar Athlete Award winner. Christy was inducted into the Stratford Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.
JOE McDANIEL
Joe McDaniel was a standout athlete at Willingham High School and played college basketball at Georgia Southern before returning to Macon to embark on a successful coaching career. Joe became Head Basketball Coach at Mt. De Sales in addition to serving as an assistant in both baseball and football. He has mentored fellow MSHOF members: Norm Nixon, Walter Daniels, Larry Lawrence, and Ben Zambiasi among others throughout his tenure. McDaniel has always been involved in athletics, and when the new sport of Pickleball was first introduced, Joe took hold. In 2016, McDaniel became the first Ambassador for Macon Pickleball and helped the sport grow from about a dozen players to nearly 500 active players in the Macon and Middle Georgia area. Joe has literally taught hundreds of people how to play Pickleball, both at his own home court as well as in group settings at Tattnall Square, FPD, local churches, and country clubs. As a tournament player, Joe has captured several Gold Medal’s including the Mid-Atlantic Championship, The Atlantic South, and the Super Senior International Pickleball Association tournament. He also claimed a Bronze Medal at the U.S. Open Pickleball Tournament in Naples, Florida.
HENRY MIDDLEBROOKS
Henry Middlebrooks was one of the finest basketball players to ever come out of Lanier High School. He was a leader of the Poets State Tournament teams of the early 1950’s. In 1951, Lanier beat Brown 48-45 to claim the AA title. The following season, Brown turned the tables and beat Lanier 54-44 in the title game. Henry was recruited to the University of Georgia where he was the leading scorer on the Bulldogs Freshman team. But when Henry’s father passed away, he opted to leave school and return to Macon. Middlebrooks started his coaching career as an assistant at Willingham High School before returning to his alma mater as assistant football and Head Basketball Coach. At Lanier, Middlebrooks coached several future MSHOF inductees including Al Gerhardt, Bruce Gordy, Ken Bonifay, and Rex Putnal (among others). Henry compiled 140 wins at Lanier before retiring from coaching and becoming Headmaster at FPD where he would stay for 25 years.
MARK MIMBS
Mark Mimbs was an All-State pitcher for Windsor Academy from 1984 to 1987. In 89 innings for the Knights, he racked up 174 strikeouts with a very impressive 0.94 ERA. He stayed home to play his college ball at Mercer. With the Bears Mark tossed 8 complete games during the 1990 season and was selected in the 25th round of the MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. During his rookie campaign in Great Falls, Mark was 7-4 with a league leading 94 strikeouts. The following year at Class A Bakersfield, Mark was 12-6 with a sizzling 2.22 ERA. He marched to the top of the Dodger’s farm system where he would post a 14-13 mark with AAA Albuquerque over the 1995 and ’96 seasons. After quick stints in the Red Sox and Astros organization, Mimbs landed with the Mets and posted a 9-2 record with a 2.08 ERA for AAA Norfolk in 1998. But arm trouble would keep Mark from reaching the big league level and he would eventually pitch his final two seasons in Japan after compiling a 51-48 minor league record and a 3.51 ERA. Mark is a member of the Mercer University Athletic Hall of Fame.
AMI LEE POWELL
Ami Lee (Martin) Powell was a three-sport standout in basketball, softball and track at Windsor Academy from 1987-1991. Known as a fierce competitor, Ami Lee was an All-State performer in basketball for three straight years when she averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals per game. She left Windsor as the school’s all-time leading scorer totaling 1,692 points. She also garnered All-State honors in softball during that same three-year stretch and was a two-year All-State performer in track during her junior and senior years. Ami Lee opted to play basketball in college and she was a three-year starter for the Georgia College Bobcats. Powell averaged 8 points-per-game during her career and shot an impressive 40% from the three point line. She was named team captain during her senior year of 1995. That same year, Windsor retired her jersey #30.