Bulldog Trio Among 2024 Georgia Sports Hall Of Fame Class

Cris Carpenter

Thomas Davis Jr.

Claude Felton

ATHENS --- Three Georgia Bulldogs — two former student-athletes and one current administrator — highlight the Class of 2024 that will be inducted into the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame the weekend of Feb. 23-24 in Macon.

Bulldog two-sport standout Cris Carpenter, All-America football star Thomas Davis, Jr., and longtime sports communications director Claude Felton are among those being inducted on Saturday, Feb. 24. The 68th annual induction ceremony will be held at the historic Macon City Auditorium.

Carpenter, a native of Gainesville, Ga., was a two-time All-America pitcher and All-Southeastern Conference punter for the Bulldogs. He helped Georgia to its first College World Series appearance in 1987 and was a first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals that year. He made his Major League debut a year later and played eight seasons with four different clubs. He was honored as an SEC Legend in 2016. He still ranks among the top five in Bulldog history for career punting average along with pitching appearances, victories and saves.

Davis, a four-sport standout at Randolph-Clay High School in Cuthbert, Ga., became an All-America linebacker for the Bulldogs and star in the National Football League. The 14^th overall selection in the 2005 NFL Draft by Carolina, Davis played 14 seasons with the Panthers and 16 years total in the league. A three-time Pro Bowl selection and first team All-Pro, he overcame three ACL tears in his career. His off-the-field contributions were recognized nationally, and in 2014 he was awarded the Walter Payton Man of the Year and the Bart Starr Award in 2016. In 2017, he was inducted in to UGA's Circle of Honor.

Felton, a Savannah native, has served the University of Georgia Athletic Association since 1979. As the Loran Smith Senior Associate Athletic Director, he oversees the sports communications department. Also, he has served as the media coordinator in 17 NCAA national championship events, was chairman of the Ethics Committee of the College Sports Communicators from 1985-91 and received the Arch Award in 2004. He has won a myriad of awards including the Football Writers Association of America's prestigious Bert McGrane Award. He was inducted into the College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame in 2001.

The additional members of the Class of 2024 are UC Berkeley/NBA star Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who is the father of current Georgia basketball player Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Tennessee/Kansas City Chiefs star Eric Berry, Georgia Southern/Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, Atlanta Braves standout Brian McCann, and Rollins tennis star Wendy White-Prausa.

Bulldog Trio Among 2024 Georgia Sports Hall Of Fame Class

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