University of Georgia Athletics
Felton Joins Davis, Carpenter In Hall of Fame
February 24, 2024 | Baseball, Football, General, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
MACON, Ga. — The spotlight is not Claude Felton's natural habitat. Throughout his 45-year career as the UGA Athletic Association's Sports Communications Director, the humble and hard-working Felton happily worked behind the scenes. And he was as good as anyone that ever did it.
Sure, he appeared on television probably hundreds of times over the years, mostly after football games, but that was in the background while helping facilitate on-field television interviews with Georgia coaches and players. Felton couldn't avoid the spotlight this weekend, however, as a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Felton, the Loran Smith Senior Associate Athletic Director, retired at the end of January. He said during Saturday night's induction ceremony at Macon City Auditorium that he'd been asked several times over the weekend when he actually got to Georgia.
"I've started responding on a couple of occasions by saying that I am part of a little-known Georgia trivia question. Who was the third part of the package deal with Dominique Wilkins and Herschel Walker? It was me," he joked to the crowd of about 500, including Hall of Fame Bulldogs Andy Landers, Hugh Durham and Loran Smith.
The Hall of Fame's 12-member Class of 2024 also included two former Georgia football players, though one of them wound up much more accomplished on the pitcher's mound. Thomas Davis Sr. was a star free safety with the Bulldogs in the early 2000s, and then a star linebacker with the Carolina Panthers for 14 seasons. Cris Carpenter, known best for his excellent pitching career with the Bulldogs in the 1980s and later with St. Louis Cardinals, was also a very good punter for Georgia during the 1984-85 seasons.
Felton had the spotlight just on him as he spoke about his great career. Originally from Savannah, Felton, a Georgia graduate, arrived in the athletic department in 1979, taking over for another legend in Dan Magill, himself a member of the Hall of Fame. Felton built and led one of the most highly regarded sport communications departments in the country.
The outpouring of support and congratulations from both local and national media after news broke of his retirement was a clear sign of how respected the very modest Felton was in the industry.
"An occasion like this, you begin to think about all of the people you're thankful for, the people and the experiences you've had," Felton said. "I'm certainly grateful for my wife, Cathy, and a family that has been so understanding of the long hours and the time away from home. They've been tremendously supportive and made sacrifices over time that have allowed me to have the career that I've enjoyed."
The Master of Ceremonies for the event was Atlanta Braves legend John Smoltz, himself a Georgia Sports Hall of Fame inductee in 2012 and a Baseball Hall of Fame inductee in 2015. Marveling at Felton's 45 years at Georgia, Smoltz said: "If you haven't already written a book, you should."
Georgia's leading tackler in 2003 (130) and 2004 (81), Davis, from Shellman, Ga., was voted All-SEC in '03-'04 and an All-American in 2004. He finished his great career with 272 tackles, 10.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. Drafted 14th overall in 2005, Davis went on to play for the Carolina Panthers for 14 seasons, despite three ACL injuries to the same knee, and became the franchise's all-time leading tackler, a three-time Pro Bowler and was first-team All-Pro in 2015. He was named the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2014.
Growing up where and how he did, and not being a highly-recruited prospect out of high school, Davis said Saturday, "absolutely made me the man that I became." He grew up with his mom and his sister, and not much else, sometimes not even electricity, "so whenever I got into a situation where I was faced with adversity, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to overcome it."
Carpenter, from Gainesville, Ga., was all-state in baseball, football and basketball in high school, and was named Georgia's High School Athlete of the Year in 1984. He then came to Athens and excelled on the diamond and the football field.
A two-time All-American and All-SEC pitcher, Carpenter helped the Bulldogs reach the College World Series for the first time in 1987. He ranks second in school history with 33 saves, fourth in appearances (97), fifth in wins (22) and seventh in strikeouts (260). His 39 appearances in 1987 remain the single-season record at UGA. As a punter, Carpenter is tied for fifth in program history with a career average of 42.8 yards and third in net punting (40.0).
The 14th overall pick by the Cardinals in the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft, Carpenter made his big-league debut just 11 months later, beginning an eight-year MLB career, mostly as a reliever. In 1991, Carpenter went 10-4 with 4.23 ERA in 59 games out of the bullpen. He ended his career with a 3.91 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 414.1 innings.
"If I could do it all over again," Carpenter said, "I wouldn't change a thing. The ride has been awesome."
With the addition of Davis and Carpenter, there are 85 former Georgia football players and coaches in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, with, no doubt, many more to come.
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Staff Writer
MACON, Ga. — The spotlight is not Claude Felton's natural habitat. Throughout his 45-year career as the UGA Athletic Association's Sports Communications Director, the humble and hard-working Felton happily worked behind the scenes. And he was as good as anyone that ever did it.
Sure, he appeared on television probably hundreds of times over the years, mostly after football games, but that was in the background while helping facilitate on-field television interviews with Georgia coaches and players. Felton couldn't avoid the spotlight this weekend, however, as a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Felton, the Loran Smith Senior Associate Athletic Director, retired at the end of January. He said during Saturday night's induction ceremony at Macon City Auditorium that he'd been asked several times over the weekend when he actually got to Georgia.
"I've started responding on a couple of occasions by saying that I am part of a little-known Georgia trivia question. Who was the third part of the package deal with Dominique Wilkins and Herschel Walker? It was me," he joked to the crowd of about 500, including Hall of Fame Bulldogs Andy Landers, Hugh Durham and Loran Smith.
The Hall of Fame's 12-member Class of 2024 also included two former Georgia football players, though one of them wound up much more accomplished on the pitcher's mound. Thomas Davis Sr. was a star free safety with the Bulldogs in the early 2000s, and then a star linebacker with the Carolina Panthers for 14 seasons. Cris Carpenter, known best for his excellent pitching career with the Bulldogs in the 1980s and later with St. Louis Cardinals, was also a very good punter for Georgia during the 1984-85 seasons.
Felton had the spotlight just on him as he spoke about his great career. Originally from Savannah, Felton, a Georgia graduate, arrived in the athletic department in 1979, taking over for another legend in Dan Magill, himself a member of the Hall of Fame. Felton built and led one of the most highly regarded sport communications departments in the country.
The outpouring of support and congratulations from both local and national media after news broke of his retirement was a clear sign of how respected the very modest Felton was in the industry.
"An occasion like this, you begin to think about all of the people you're thankful for, the people and the experiences you've had," Felton said. "I'm certainly grateful for my wife, Cathy, and a family that has been so understanding of the long hours and the time away from home. They've been tremendously supportive and made sacrifices over time that have allowed me to have the career that I've enjoyed."
The Master of Ceremonies for the event was Atlanta Braves legend John Smoltz, himself a Georgia Sports Hall of Fame inductee in 2012 and a Baseball Hall of Fame inductee in 2015. Marveling at Felton's 45 years at Georgia, Smoltz said: "If you haven't already written a book, you should."
Georgia's leading tackler in 2003 (130) and 2004 (81), Davis, from Shellman, Ga., was voted All-SEC in '03-'04 and an All-American in 2004. He finished his great career with 272 tackles, 10.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. Drafted 14th overall in 2005, Davis went on to play for the Carolina Panthers for 14 seasons, despite three ACL injuries to the same knee, and became the franchise's all-time leading tackler, a three-time Pro Bowler and was first-team All-Pro in 2015. He was named the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2014.
Growing up where and how he did, and not being a highly-recruited prospect out of high school, Davis said Saturday, "absolutely made me the man that I became." He grew up with his mom and his sister, and not much else, sometimes not even electricity, "so whenever I got into a situation where I was faced with adversity, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to overcome it."
Carpenter, from Gainesville, Ga., was all-state in baseball, football and basketball in high school, and was named Georgia's High School Athlete of the Year in 1984. He then came to Athens and excelled on the diamond and the football field.
A two-time All-American and All-SEC pitcher, Carpenter helped the Bulldogs reach the College World Series for the first time in 1987. He ranks second in school history with 33 saves, fourth in appearances (97), fifth in wins (22) and seventh in strikeouts (260). His 39 appearances in 1987 remain the single-season record at UGA. As a punter, Carpenter is tied for fifth in program history with a career average of 42.8 yards and third in net punting (40.0).
The 14th overall pick by the Cardinals in the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft, Carpenter made his big-league debut just 11 months later, beginning an eight-year MLB career, mostly as a reliever. In 1991, Carpenter went 10-4 with 4.23 ERA in 59 games out of the bullpen. He ended his career with a 3.91 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 414.1 innings.
"If I could do it all over again," Carpenter said, "I wouldn't change a thing. The ride has been awesome."
With the addition of Davis and Carpenter, there are 85 former Georgia football players and coaches in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, with, no doubt, many more to come.
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Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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