CULLMAN COUNTY SPORTS HOF: Gibbs, Romine set for induction

Jake Winfrey, The Cullman Times, Ala.
·4 min read

Jul. 20—This year's Cullman County Sports Hall of Fame banquet is slated for Saturday, July 23 at Stone Bridge Farms.

The annual induction ceremony — scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. — will usher in the 22nd class of the CCSHOF.

Inductees include Robin Cummings (Fairview), Emory Gibbs (Hanceville), Danny Miller (Cullman), Mike Morris (Holly Pond), Michael Oldacre (West Point), Annette Irons-Parker (Hanceville), Spencer Romine (Cullman), Ferrell Runge (Vinemont), Kristie Ward Cangelosi (Cullman), Wayne Weissend (Good Hope) and Tammy West (Cold Springs).

The Times will highlight each honoree prior to the banquet.

Let's take a closer look at Emory Gibbs and Spencer Romine below.

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Emory Gibbs (Hanceville)

Hanceville — Class of 1969

— Three-Year Letterman in Football (All-County in 1968)

— Three-Year Letterman in Basketball (All-County in 1968-69)

— Cullman County All-Tournament Team in 1969

— Three-Year Letterman in Baseball (Co-Captain in 1968-69)

— Cullman County All-Star Team (Baseball) in 1969

— Scouted by New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox

— Three-Year Letterman in Track

— Named Most Outstanding Athlete at Hanceville in 1969

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Inductee Speak

"I had some great teammates and great coaches. I appreciate Keith Burns and Greg Allred nominating me. My favorite coach was Lane Horton, because of his belief in me and the support he gave me. Bill Shelton went through my mind, too. Without him, there wouldn't be anything available. My mom saved a lot of his articles."

"I really didn't have a favorite sport. I enjoyed every one of them. I did them all from a very young age. I come from an era of three years and a cloud of dust, and throwing it inside to the big man. I was also a pitcher and got scouted in the Babe Ruth League in Cullman. I was offered a minor deal by the Yankees and White Sox, but it was so minor that my mom told me to forget about it and go to college."

"I made several lasting friendships in sports. Going back to Coach Horton; he believed in me and put a small man on the map and didn't chew me out too bad on those long shots I took (laughs). But it's not only the friendships. I enjoyed playing the game, too. I was very fortunate to have Bill Shelton. He was very kind to me and wrote several nice articles about me."

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Spencer Romine (Cullman)

Cullman — Class of 1996

— All-Area and All-State (1995) in Football

— All-Area (1995-96) in Basketball

— Academic All-State in Football and Basketball

— Set School Records in Basketball (Scoring) and Football (Passing)

— Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Winner

— Signed Football Scholarship with Duke

— Four-Year Starter at Quarterback — Team Captain (Senior Year)

— Graduated Magna Cum Laude from UAB School of Medicine

— Assistant Team Physician (Atlanta Falcons and Georgia Tech)

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Inductee Speak

"It was something I always hoped for, and it's an honor. My time at Cullman provided some of my best memories. Despite having gone on and played college football, I still remember playing at Cullman with my friends. Those are memories that stand out and to be honored for that time is special to me."

"My senior year I was quarterback and really didn't think much about it. But the bad thing was I couldn't play defense anymore. I liked playing defense, because you got to hit people and take out some aggression. I didn't get to play that again until we were trying to prevent Hartselle from scoring. I remember really hitting a guy across the middle. That's what stands out most to me in high school."

"In college, we were playing Georgia Tech my junior year. I had been recruited by them, and I was in (then coach) George O'Leary's office. He told me that if I came there I would start at quarterback, and that they didn't have anyone else. But they had Joe Hamilton (a quarterback who finished second in the Heisman voting in 1999). We were up on them late, and I'm thinking we're going to beat Joe Hamilton and Georgia Tech. Suffice to say, he took it from us."

"Playing sports is one of the biggest bonds you can make. When you're on the field, it doesn't matter where you come from, the money you have, your education level ... those bonds are special. Personally, I don't think I'd be where I am today without them. The discipline you learn, the teamwork you learn. I'm not an orthopedic surgeon without sports. It made me so disciplined. It made things that are hard seem easy."