Tift County Athletic Hall of Fame soon to induct Class of 2023

Published 4:00 pm Monday, February 6, 2023

TIFTON — The Tift County Athletics Hall of Fame is scheduled to induct its newest and latest group, the Class of 2023 Saturday, Feb. 11.

Set to be enshrined are players Cameron Earls, Charlie Edwards, Aaron Gibbs, Shayon Green, Kim Griffin, Willie Hill and Ivey Vickers; Coach Roy McWilliams and the 2007 Lady Devils softball team. E.J. Litman will be honored with the Meritorious Service Award.

The Hall of Fame will also recognize top male and female athletes at Tift County High.

Ceremonies begin at 5 p.m. at the TCHS Performing Arts Center. It is open to the public.

Profiles of each honoree:|

Willie Hill (football)

Willie Hill was an outstanding football player at Tift County High School, excelling on both sides of the ball. He began his career as a linebacker and ended his career as a running back. He was a member of the 1979 state runner-up squad that advanced to the state finals where they lost to Clarke Central. In 1980, he moved to running back and recorded over 100 yards rushing in three different games with his season high of 136 yards against Bainbridge. In 1981, he exceeded 100 yards rushing in 6 separate games with a high of 153 yards. He finished his career with 25 career touchdowns and he is currently 4th in Tift County history in rushing touchdowns and 6th in total touchdowns. He received multiple All-Region Awards and was named All-State in 1981. Following this fantastic career, he received a football scholarship to the University of South Carolina.

Shayon Green (football)

Shayon Green was an outstanding football player on multiple Blue Devil teams that were very successful. He was a member of the 2006 Final Four football team that went 12–2 and he excelled as a defensive tackle. As a junior, he played defensive end and totaled 60 tackles, 8 sacks and 1 interception. He was named Honorable Mention All-State and was named All-Region. He moved to linebacker for his senior season and excelled there as well totaling 125 tackles, 2 sacks and 5 forced fumbles. He received multiple All-Region and All-State awards and was rated as a Top 100 prospect by several recruiting magazines.

Green earned a scholarship to the University of Miami and he played there for four years. After suffering a knee injury, he saw action in multiple games his freshman and sophomore seasons before starting all 12 games his Junior year as a defensive lineman. Green led the team with 67 tackles and received the Atlantic Coast Conference 2012 Brian Piccolo Award. He was named Defensive Most Valuable Player. In his senior season, Green started all 13 games and recorded 68 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. He received the Captain’s Award and Leadership Award for his efforts.

Aaron Gibbs (basketball)

Aaron Gibbs was a four-year letterman at Tift County High School and was one of the first players to make varsity as a freshman. His freshman year he received the Most Improved Player award on a Blue Devils team that won the region tournament and advanced to the state playoffs.

He then began a three-year career of outstanding play as a starter and scorer for the Blue Devils. During these years, he played on three regular season region championship teams and on two region tournament championship teams. He was a 2 time first team All-Region Player and two-time first team All-Tiftarea Player. Gibbs received honorable mention All-State Awards and was honored by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. He was a two-time team MVP and was named Most Outstanding Offensive Player. Gibbs also received the Academic Award two separate years and received the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Male Athlete Award.

Following high school, Gibbs earned a scholarship to Georgia State College where he excelled for four years.

Cameron Earls (soccer)

Cameron Earls was an outstanding soccer player at Tift County between 2014–2017. He was named captain during the 2016–2017 years and he was a three-time first team All-Region player. As a senior, Earls was named Region 1-7A Player of the Year and he ended his career with 22 goals and 31 assists.

Earls holds Tift County records for most assists in a season and most assists in a career. Following his high school career, he continued his athletic success at Piedmont College where he was named Academic All-America twice, and where he received the All-District Academic Award on three occasions. He was first team All-Conference for four consecutive years, was on the conference All-Academic team and received Conference Player of the Week awards eight separate times. Earls ended his career at Piedmont with 56 goals, 121 points and 11 game winning goals.

Charlie Edwards (baseball and football)

Charlie Edwards was an outstanding two-sport athlete at Tift County High School, playing both football and baseball. He ended his career as one of the greatest kickers in Georgia high school history. In 2005, Edwards connected on 18 of 24 field goals and recorded a 50-yard kick, school record for distance at that time.

A multiple All-Region selection, Edwards also punted for the Tift County Blue Devils for all four years. Edwards’ senior season was magical. The Blue Devils advanced to the state semifinals and Edwards was a key reason for that.

That year, 2005, Edwards connected on 18 field goals that carried the Devils to their first region title since 1983 and he regularly helped the Devils win the field position game with long, booming punts or with coffin corner punts. He averaged 41.8 yards per punt in 2005 and he finished his career with 42 career field goals, which was the second most in state history. He was named first team All-State.

Edwards also excelled as a baseball player leading the 2007 Blue Devils to a state semifinals appearance. He played third base and batted third and led the team in hitting for several years. He received multiple All-Tiftarea, All-Region and honorable mention All State Awards both seasons.

He continued his football career punting for both the University of Alabama–Birmingham and Georgia Southern. At Georgia Southern, he was the team’s punter for four seasons, averaging between 39 and 42.1 yards per punt.

Ivey Vickers (softball a nd basketball)

Ivey Vickers was an outstanding athlete at Tift County High School from 1987-90. She excelled as both a basketball player and as a softball player.

A longtime coach in the Tift school system, Vickers played on three state championship softball teams, excelling at first base.

Vickers was one of the leading hitters on the team each year. She received four consecutive All-Region awards and received All-Middle Georgia recognition. She was named Most Valuable Player and Best Offensive Player during her career.

On the basketball coach, Vickers was an outstanding shooter and she led the Lady Devils to their first playoff appearance and first winning season since 1975-76 during her senior season in 1989-1990.

The Lady Devils won the sub-region championship and advanced to the state playoffs. She averaged 16 points and 8 rebounds per game and she was named to the All-Region, All-Tiftarea and Holiday Classic teams. Following high school, Vickers continued her basketball career at Valdosta State University where she was a four-year letterman and was named to the Gulf South Conference All-Academic Team.

Kim Griffin (softball, basketball and soccer)

Kim Griffin was an outstanding high school athlete excelling in three separate sports. As a member of the Lady Devils softball team, she led the Lady Devils to the 1996 state championship and a state runner-up finish in 1999. She received All-State honors and was named Region Player of the Year in 1998. She was recognized as a member of the All-Region team three separate years and was named as a GACA South All-Star team as a Senior.

Griffin also excelled on the basketball floor and was named All-Region. During her high school career, the Lady Devils were perennial championship contenders and her teams participated in the state playoffs on a regular basis. Griffin also participated on the soccer team which were region champions and she was named All-Region soccer player. In addition, she was named Miss TCHS her Senior year.

After high school, Griffin continued her athletic career at Georgia Southern University where she started 227 games during her career. Griffin set the Georgia Southern records for career home runs (26) and runs batted in (97) and was named Southern Conference Player of the Week in 2004.

Coach: Roy McWilliams (baseball and football)

Roy McWilliams enjoyed an illustrious career as a coach. He began his career in Macon where he was offensive coordinator of the 1975 state championship Central (Macon) team. McWilliams, Coach Brodie and many others came to Tifton in 1976 and McWilliams was offensive coordinator for the Blue Devils for 17 years.

Among his many accomplishments were the 1979 season when Tifton beat Valdosta twice, won the region championship and played for the state championship. In 1983, McWilliams was offensive coordinator on the state championship team. Coach McWilliams was also an assistant baseball coach on Coach Tommy Seward’s baseball teams for many years and he was very proud of the facility improvements he and the other coaches assisted in, including the building and renovation of the football stadium, the field house and the weight room.

Team: 2007 Lady Devils Fast Pitch Softball Team

The 2007 Lady Devils Softball Team showed tremendous perseverance and character in turning a good, regular season into a great championship year. Catching fire in the playoffs, the Lady Devils advanced to the state finals for the first time in the history of the fast pitch softball program.

After finishing third in the region tournament, the Lady Devils continued their streak into the sectional tournament and advanced to the state final Elite 8 tournament by winning three consecutive one-run games. The Lady Devils defeated Newnan 1–0, Union Grove 3–2 in extra innings and Houston County 3–2 in extra innings to advance.

In the state finals tournament, the Lady Devils finished 2-2 to finish in the final four.

Meritorious Service Award: Eldra James (EJ) Litman

Eldra James (EJ) Litman graduated from Tift County Industrial High School in 1957. He received a football scholarship from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, where he received a BS degree in Education. After serving in the United States Army, Litman returned to Tifton where he taught, coached and served as the principal of J.T. Reddick School.

Litman was a longtime public servant, devoting extensive time to the youth of Tift County in recreational activities. After retirement he became the director of the Southside Recreation Center, affectionately known as Mott-Litman Gym.

Tift County High School Male & Female Athletes of the Year

Kylei Cutts – Tift County High School Female Athlete of the Year

Cutts is an outstanding student athlete and leader at Tift County High School. She is a three-year starter for the tennis team playing at No. 1 or No. 2 doubles. In 2022, she received the award for most double victories. She is a three-year letterman in tennis and participated in the state playoffs during her sophomore and junior years.

Cutts also excels in volleyball where she has been a two-year starter, four-year letterman, and 2nd team All-Region.. She helped guide the volleyball team to their first Region 1-7A championship in 2020. She received the Coaches award on the JV team in 2020 and for the varsity team in 2022. Cutts has a grade point average in excess of 97.

Will Clark – Tift County High School Male Athlete of the Year

A three-sport athlete, Will Clark has been an outstanding student-athlete at Tift County High School for the last two years.

Clark has excelled at cross county and at track. He competed in the state playoffs in cross county, qualifying as Tift’s No. 2 runner. He also participated in track, in the high jump and 1,600-meter run, finishing third in both events at the region tournament his junior year.

Clark also stars on the basketball court Currently, he is the leading scorer for the Tift County High School boys’ basketball team and he was a starter and outstanding contributor his junior year as well. He received the prestigious Anthony Bateman award for his outstanding play, leadership, dedication and commitment. Clark has a 96.24 grade point average.