Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame names 2023 class. Here’s who made the list
The Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame has announced its 2023 class, the 27th since its inception in 1996.
The Class of 2023 will be inducted at the Hall of Fame’s annual banquet at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center Feb. 4.
Here are the members of the class listed alphabetically by last name, with a brief bio of each. Information was provided to the Ledger-Enquirer by the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame.
Mary Blackmon
In 1959, Blackmon became the first woman hired to coach at Columbus College.
She was tasked with establishing women’s athletic programs. In addition to teaching, she coached tennis and volleyball, among other sports. She won the GAIAW female coach of the year in tennis twice and volleyball once. She is a member of the Columbus State University Sports Hall of Fame.
Blackmon was also a vocal proponent of Title IX legislation that prohibited sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives federal funding. She went to Washington D.C. twice to lobby for the law.
Richard Mahone
Mahone taught and coached for nearly half a century, spending 30 years at Columbus area schools and 18 years with Columbus State University and Chattahoochee Valley Community College.
During his career, Mahone coached his teams to the Georgia High School Association’s Final Four in 1997; NCAA Region XXII Alabama Community College Conference State runner-up finishes in 2019, 2007, and 2006; and the NCAA Region XXII Alabama Community College Conference State Final Four 2019, 2016, 2014, 2007 and 2006.
He earned 753 wins.
Ron Nelson
A longtime baseball and football coach at Phenix City’s Central High School, Nelson’s teams won — a lot.
Under Nelson, the baseball team collected 513 wins, 20 playoff appearances, 13 trips to the Elite 8, five Final Four trips and two state championship runner-up finishes. He never had a losing season as a coach. The city field where the Red Devils played was named Darnell-Nelson Field in his honor, and Nelson was inducted into the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2009.
He also coached football for 12 seasons. His 92 wins are the third most, behind Wayne Trawick and Tommy Garrett, both inductees into the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame. Nelson was the offensive coordinator under Wayne Trawick when Central won its first state championship in 1993.
Dave Platta
Platta worked for 36 years at WTVM, covering the little league, high school and college sports teams of Columbus and east Alabama.
In addition to the station’s nightly sportscasts at 6 and 11 p.m., Platta also anchored and produced the station’s Friday night high school football show, “Sports Overtime.”
Johnny Walden
An avid supporter of athletics, Walden supported numerous sports projects in the Chattahoochee Valley.
Walden was an early supporter and backer of the Columbus Sports Council. He helped fund the restoration of South Commons. He fully endowed student-athlete scholarships at Columbus State University and provided the funding for CSU’s soccer facilities.
With support from the city government and the Columbus Regional Tennis Association, Walden provided the funding for the Walden Tennis Complex at Cooper Creek in 2018. The facility is home to CSU’s tennis program.
