North Augusta Sports Hall of Fame recognizes athletes from multiple decades

Samantha Winn, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·3 min read

Oct. 12—The North Augusta Sports Commission, with help from the North Augusta Yellow Jacket Club, celebrated present and past athletes at its annual Hall of Fame event Saturday.

In its 16th year, four former North Augusta High School athletes were inducted into the North Augusta Sports Hall of Fame. Several Sertoma athletes and other awards were presented.

John Felak, who is chairman of the sports commission, wanted to celebrate the athletes and their accomplishments after a 20-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Athletes are selected by a committee.

Lauren Jones, Chris MacInnis, Steve Mixon and Darby Sligh were honored with plaques as inductees and received praise from close family and friends.

"It is a great and humbling honor to receive this award," Jones said. "It is especially an honor not to be only the first women soccer player to be awarded this honor, but the first ever soccer player to be inducted into the North Augusta High School athletics Hall of Fame."

"The city of North Augusta and North Augusta High School consistently produces high-quality people and athletes. It's no secret. They do so by choosing to provide the necessary resources and opportunities for all who want to play," Sligh said. "They make sure that great volunteers and coaches and mentors are there to lead the kids — a lot of them are in the room tonight. It takes a village to sustain this, and it also takes pride and commitment from its citizens and all of you should be proud of."

The four hall of fame athletes had career-making statistics as a Yellow Jacket and went on to have successful collegiate and professional careers.

"I think that the four athletes that we had today were a new generation of players from the '90s up to the 2000s," Felak said. "North Augusta means a lot to these people, and several of them had said they hadn't been back for so many years; and several of them promised to come back and to contribute, and that was the whole reason we wanted to involve the high school and bring them back."

Yellow Jacket women's basketball head coach Al Young was also awarded the Lou Brissie Award. Young was a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers prior to coaching.

"I've had the opportunity to coach my son. I've had the opportunity to watch my kids play, and been able to coach my grandkids," Young said. "... I truly believe this is my purpose."

Aiken Standard and North Augusta Star reporter Bill Bengtson was also awarded the Bob Bolton Award for his efforts in covering athletics around town for 25 years.

"He's kind of a man in the background, a man in the shadows that nobody sees, but he's there to help preserve everything about North Augusta from sports to local events," Rob Freitas said. "He's there. Always."

"I've enjoyed helping being a part of y'alls lives," Bengtson said. "Quarter of a century, wow, and I am kind of blown away."

Honorees recognized at the 2021 North Augusta Hall of Fame Banquet

* Bill Bengtson

* Matt Baskett

* Matthew Baxely

* Don Brown

* Omarion Byrd

* Katelyn Cochran

* Jimmy Cofer

* Joe Delaughter

* Bobby Gannt

* Kianna Lee

* Kieth Liner

* Collin Rodriguez

* Shelby Smith

* Brendan Tigert

* Al Young

* Lauren Jones

* Chris MacInnis

* Steve Mixon

* Darby Sligh

Samantha Winn covers the city of North Augusta, with a focus on government and community oriented business. Follow her on Twitter: @samanthamwinn and on Facebook and Instagram: @swinnnews.