Something comes along sometimes and it makes one think why that something hadn’t already taken place or been put into place.
We refer to the kickoff of the Jefferson County Sports Hall of Fame, which will open in spring 2025 at the Pine Bluff Library in downtown Pine Bluff and share space with the Bill Carr museum. The merger of that space is apropos. Carr won two Gold Medals in track and field in the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles so any entity honoring sports figures would obviously include him.
As for this happening at the library, we can thank director Ricky Williams, who is always looking for ways to add interest to the library and bring more people in. With this turn of events, he has succeeded.
“The legacy of Bill Carr and his greatness will be remembered even more now by recognizing the outstanding athletes in Jefferson County for the past 100 years,” Williams said. “The Selection Committee made of sports writers and historians, with nearly 200 combined years of experience, possess knowledge that dates back more than six decades. They have been working for over a year on this project and I feel we have a first-year class that could match any in the country.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The committee that is putting this together announced recently the names of six individuals who will be part of the first class of inductees. Those individuals are Monte Coleman, Rickey Henderson, Torii Hunter, Don Hutson, Willie Roaf and Basil Shabazz – names you likely know if you’ve read this far into an opinion piece about sports figures.
For more information on their stellar careers, we refer you to the story that ran on Dec. 11.
That the area will have a go-to place where the best of the best will be forever enshrined is a serious plus for Pine Bluff and Jefferson County. These individuals lit up the world in their playing days, but without proper acknowledgement, some or all would be at risk of drifting into the forgetful past. Now, anyone who cares anything about their hometown and its sports stars will be able to understand the depth and breadth of what these individuals accomplished.