The Main Library downtown was not in existence when the soon-to-be Jefferson County Sports Hall of Famers finished high school.
Yet Friday evening, the library, which opened in late 2020, turned into a meeting ground for athletic greats across the decades and school districts. The inductees met and spoke with one another inside the conference room near where the hall-of-fame room will soon be unveiled to the public.
Just a few blocks away from the library is the main event of the weekend, the inaugural JCSHOF banquet at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. That was a facility not far away from completion when Lee Palles graduated from Pine Bluff High School.
“It’s spread out, for sure,” said Palles, a 1980 Olympic decathlon qualifier, of the city today, 51 years after his graduation. “It seems like a lot of the family businesses have closed down now, and that was bit of a shocker to me, too.”
On one side of the room, Jesse Mason — one of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s all-time leading scorers — shared memories of his days on the basketball hardwood with Ernie Murry, a two-time state champion at Wabbaseka High who in 1990 helped the University of Arkansas reach the NCAA Final Four.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
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Although Mason was an all-Southwestern Athletic Conference performer three-straight seasons (1958-60), Murry heard of Mason’s exploits growing up.
“If you’re from Jefferson County and any of your parents went to UAPB, yes, I’ve heard of him,” Murry said. “Back then they didn’t have as many tapes as they have now, but I heard if they had the 3-point line when he was here, he’d have broken all the records in Arkansas.”
Mason, who grew up in Tucker, credits his teammates for much of his success. He’s one of only three Golden Lions whose numbers are retired.
“We were unselfish, and we knew we could do the job,” said Mason, a former city director in Little Rock. “The SWAC conference was a great conference back then. It was very competitive. We had great coaches. I just did the best I could.”
On the other side of the room, former Pine Bluff High School offensive lineman Willie Roaf walked into the room and connected with a fellow NFL star from his playing days, Altheimer High graduate and former Kansas City Chiefs receiver Willie Davis.
Ken Biley, a four-year UA basketball letterman and 1994 national champion, connected with former Watson Chapel girls basketball and track-and-field coach Leslie Henderson. The latter played her final two years of college ball at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, where Biley’s daughter is transferring with three years of eligibility remaining.
Monte Coleman didn’t miss this shindig for the world. Coleman graduated from PBHS in 1975, not long after a future Minnesota Viking named Dennis Swilley and Palles earned their Zebra stripes.
“It’s amazing to see all the names of the guys who are going to be here (Saturday) night,” he said. “I’m just blessed to be a part of them, and it’s amazing to hear all the names tonight.”
In all, living and posthumous, 82 athletes, along with a number of coaches and contributors, will be feted inside the Convention Center.
And Greg Walker, a longtime manager known as the greatest fan of the Zebras, reunited with former PBHS football coach Bobby Bolding, now leading the charge at Little Rock Parkview after three state championship seasons as a defensive coordinator under his brother Brad. Bobby Bolding also coached White Hall to a state title game in 2021.
“He’s got more rings than all of us combined,” Bolding joked about the honorees at the meet-and-greet. “He is a staple for that program.”
Bolding is a three-time state champion coach — one at Stuttgart (2002) and two at Pine Bluff (2014, 2015) — but he’s humble about his accomplishments.
“I’m not one of the greatest coaches to come out of here,” he said. “There are many — Coach (Marion) Glover, Coach (Andrew) Butler, Coach (George) Shelton, Coach (Lee) Hardman — there are just too many. I’m just another guy that hung around. That’s all I am.”
This version corrects the number of athletes inducted.
