Class of 2003

	Rita Hammonds Barksdale Graduated from Ider High Scool. In 1980 she was the DeKalb County Player of the Year in basketball, MVP in basketball. Also received Outstanding Teenager Award, Presidential Physical Fitness Award, and Who's Who. She received a basketball scholarship to Chattanooga State Community College. She averaged 28 points per game with a carrer high of 34. In 1982 she received a scholarship to Jacksonville State University. Upon graduation she began coaching at Plainview. In 1975 she was the first girl in ALabama to play on a boy's junior high basketball team. At Ider she was all-area, all-county, best offiensive player, best free throw shooter in basketball. She also excelled in volleyball and is a 10-time world qualifier in horse barrel racing.
	Harold Bobo A 1958 graduate of Collinsville High School; played football, basketball and baseball while in high school. All County and Team Captain in football; All County (2 years) in basketball; All-District in basketball. Was awarded a basketball scholarship to Jacksonville State University in the fall of 1958. Had a stallar career at Jacksonville State earning athletic letters in basketball, baseball and football. Was selected as the baseball MVP in 1962. He graduated from Jacksonville State in the summer of 1963 with a B.S. in education. Began his coaching career coaching basketball at Ruhama Junior High and serving as an assistant football coach at Collinsville. Served as head coach at Geraldine High from 1963 to 1965. The 1964-1965 team finished third in the state. Coached at Guntersville High and Scottsboro High before coming to Crossville High in 1969. Served the athletic program at Crossville in many capacities for many years. Was involved in the football program for 29 years. Helped coach three teams to undefeated regular seasons and was defensive coordinator for the 1986 State Championship team that has a 15-0 record. Was head baseball coach for 12 years and consistently won county and area titles. Was selected to serve as a coach for the Championship East-West All-Star game held in Birmingham in 1988. Served six years as an assistant softball coach and helped lead two teams to runner-up in the state tournament. He served as assistant principal for eight years before retiring in 1999. Served the City of Crossville for 16 years as a council member and was Parks and Recreation director. Was elected to the DeKalb County Board of Education in 2003.
	Dixie Brown Dixie Brown's sports career has spanned six decades. It began at Valley Head High School where he played baskeetball, baseball, football and tennis. Following his graduation in 1947 he attended Jacksonville State University where he played baseball and tennis. He was also involved in intramural sports, participated in an independent basketball league, and was the ping-pong champion for two years. His sports accomplishments in his adult life have been numerous. He was the ping-pong champion at Ft. Jackson, S.C. Followed his release from military service, he was involved in managing and playing in baseball leagues and later played semi-pro baseball. He managed and pitched for softball teams for 22 years. He has also been the golf club champion at the DeSoto Country Club and the Rainsville Country Club. Mr. Brown is presently a member of the Alabama Tennis Association. He has been a finalist in the state tournament three times and has been ranked in the state's Top-10 22 times. He has won the Dekalb Tennis League (all ages) three times, and was still competing at the age of 75 when he was inducted in the DeKalb County Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
	Arland Carter Born in Geraldine, Arland's parents moved to Valley Head when he was 18 months old. He began to play high school sports in the eighth grade. In the summer of 1954 his family moved to Fort Payne where Arlan played three sports. Football was his favorite. After graduation in 1956 he was given a scholarship to the University of Alabama. In 1958 Coach Paul Bryant was hired as coach. He had a rule of no married players on the team, so Arland was removed from scholarship. After being out of school for two years he signed Jacksonville State. Hal Hays, journalist for the Birmingham News, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated wrote about Arland, "the football career of Arland Carter reads like a masterful piece of fiction. Yet, it was real and exciting as the morning's sun rise. Stardom was a given for the talented youngster from the first moment he was handed a football and in the direction of the end zone." His heroics continued in brilliance at the University of Alabama and Jacksonville where the Associated Press named hime a two-time Little All American (tailback).
	Jerry Elmore Jerry D. Elmore was born in Athens, Alabama on February 21, 1949 to Furman and Wiletta Elmore. He graduated from Athens High School in 1967 where he was an All State and All Tennessee Valley Conference fullback for his father, a very successful high school coach and member of the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame. Jerry attended Vanderbilt University on a football scholarship and later transferred to Florence State University before a career-ending knee injury. Jerry started his coaching career at Florence as a graduate assistant. He then became an assistant football coach at Austin High School in Decatur in 1972 and Cullman High School in 1974. He became In 1983, he moved to Oneonta and then was hired at Fort Payne in 1984. He took over a program that only had one winning season in the past 14 years.While at Fort Payne his teams won 95 and lost 63, and the Wildcats made the playoffs five times. Jerry was elected by the coaches of Eighth District in 1986 to serve on the District Athletic Board. He also served 12 years on the Central Board of the Alabama High School Athletic Association. In 1997 he was selected to coach in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star football game. Jerry and his wife Connie have three childrenckie, Chris and Jenni Lynne. After 28 yearseducation, Jerry retired in 1999 to take a position as an insuranceent and securities broker with AIG.
	Billy Smothers As a basketball player at Geraldine HIgh School, he played varsity basketball for four years, averaging more than 20 points a game as a junior and senior. He once scored 48 points in a game, playing only the first and third quarters. It was the school's scoring record at the time. He also had games of 40, 41, 42, 43 and 46 points. He was All-County, All-Sand Mountain and All-DIstrict two years each. In baseball he played five years, with an average batting average of .425. He led the team in home runs for three seasons and hit more than .500 his last two years. He turned down professional baseball offers from the Baltimore Orioles, CIncinnati Reds and Atlanta Crackers to sign a basketball scholarship with the University of Georgia. He coached women's softball at Snead Junior College for 13 years, taking the team to the national tournament four times, finishing second, third and seventh. He was the Region XXII Coach of the Year in 1997. After college he played independent basketball and baseball for many years wining various All-Star and MVP honors.