Sikes, Richard, Pearce, McGriff to be enshrined in Polk County Sports Hall of Fame

It took the support of Barney Barnett of his alma mater along with his contributions to the sports industry in Polk County to cement a spot in the Polk County Sports Hall of Fame.

Barnett will join Warner Royals baseball coach, Jeff Sikes, Kathleen great and former Gator and NBA player Chris Richard, 2018 World Series MVP Steve Pearce and Bartow High School basketball coach Terrence McGriff in the Polk County Sports Hall of Fame class of 2023.

A retired vice chairman of Public Super Markets, Barnett provided scholarship and contributes to projects that benefit Florida Southern. He also donated to every program at the local Division II school. What’s more, both lacrosse teams complete at the Barnett Athletic Complex that bears his name.

10,000 wins skies among competition

With already accomplishing the sixth most wins among active NAIA mentors, Sikes is starting his 40th season as the Warner Royals baseball coach. Sikes, a University of Kentucky graduate with a degree in business administration, amassed more than 1,100 wins in 40 years.

In the Sikes’ era as a coach, the Royals advanced to 13 NAIA regional or opening round appearances. In 2001, the Royals won the Southeast Regional Championship, which was followed up with a Super Regional Series victory and a 2001 NAIA World Series in which the program finished fifth. Sikes in 2001 earned the NAIA Conference and Regional Coach of the Year award, while also being named the Florida Diamond Club Coach of the Year for all divisions of college baseball in Florida. Warner University was ranked in the NAIA national polls in all or part of 15 seasons, which include a stretch of 10 years from 2000 to 2009 when the program spent all but six weeks of the decade ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation. Fourteen of his former student-athletes have gone on to play professional baseball with MLB organizations, and 55 players have been coaches in high school, college or professional coaches.

Richard excels at Kathleen, Florida, NBA

Richard played basketball at Kathleen, Gainesville and Minneapolis. Richard at Kathleen was the Gatorade High School Player of the Year, along with being the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Basketball award recipient in 2003. Four years at Kathleen meant averaging 24 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and seven blocked shots, which in turn led to a Class 4A state championship in 2001. Richard would go on to be a key component in two Florida Gators national men’s teams and three conference championship teams, cementing himself in the program’s top 10 for all-time games played. He also earned the 2007 SEC Sixth Man of the Year award.

The local Polk County legend was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, playing 52 games. He then signed with the Chicago Bulls in the 2009-10 season. Richard culminated his career playing in China before returning to Lakeland and starting The Rich Kids Project, which is a nonprofit youth mentoring program. The former Red Devil was awarded the 2014 FBI Director’s Community Leadership award.

Lakeland’s Pearce excels in MLB

Pearce, of course, is also among the Polk County Sports Hall of Fame recipients thanks to playing 13 years in the MLB and winning the MVP of the 2018 World Series.

A 2001 Lakeland High graduate, Pearce starred as a Dreadnaught, helping the program reach the state tournament. Following two seasons at Indian River Community College and two seasons with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Pearce was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2005.

Pearce in eight seasons competed for Baltimore, Houston, New York, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Boston, culminating his career with a .254 batting average, 91 home runs and 303 RBI.

McGriff changes Polk County boys' basketball

A 22-yeard-old McGriff didn’t have any experience playing high school basketball, but he was a veteran of the Lakeland Fire youth basketball program he started at 17.

So, when he interviewed for the Bartow job, that experience, which he also did while a student at Florida Southern College, helped him land the job, becoming fruitful on the court, first as a junior varsity coach at Kathleen and then Bartow. He then led the Yellow Jackets to its first state championship in 22 years. McGriff would go on to rack up 11 district titles and six region titles, ultimately winning back-to-back championships in 2020 and 2021. Additionally, McGriff is the only coach to be named the Florida Dairy Farmers Boys Basketball Coach of the Year back-to-back and is one of two coaches to win the award more than once.

McGriff has also been at the helm of the Mosaic Stinger Shootout since 2009, growing it to be the premier high school boys' basketball spectacle in Central Florida.

With the Polk County All Sports Awards and Hall of Fame starting in 2000, the local commemoration aims to honor the athletic achievements of area high schools and college, as well as the Lakeland Ledger’s Prep awards and induction of members to the Polk County Sports Hall of Fame. Members of the Sports Hall of Fame are picked by the committee of area journalists, sports contributors and Hall of Fame members.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Sikes, Richard, Pearce, McGriff to be enshrined in Polk County Sports Hall of Fame