Albany State Hall of Fame welcomes seven new members

ALBANY — With a group whose rich tradition of success was accomplished on and off the playing fields, the Golden Rams are honoring a new group of difference-makers, announcing recently its Hall of Fame Class of 2024 with former student-athletes Wilbert Jones, James Bruce McDaniel, and Grover Stewart, the 1984 championship football team, coaches Robert Skinner and Dale Dover, and administrator Nancy Abraham.

The inductees will be officially recognized at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. before the university’s first home football game against Shaw University.

A look at the inductees:

Wilbert Jones (1966-1969): Being the third of six brothers to attend and play on the basketball court for ASU, Jones was a starter each of his four years and was a key cog in the Golden Rams capturing three consecutive SIAC Conference championships. During his senior season, Jones was ASU’s leading scorer and rebounder, earning UPI All-American honors.

After his stellar time at ASU, Jones continued his basketball career when he was drafted by the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Floridians from the ABA, where he ended up signing due to the guaranteed contract. Jones played seven years in the ABA with the Floridians, Memphis Pros/Tams, and the Kentucky Colonels. There, he won an ABA championship, was named an ABA All-Star, and was selected to the All-Defensive Team.

Following his ABA seasons, Jones added two more years of pro basketball in the NBA ranks between the Indiana Pacers and Buffalo Braves (the now Los Angeles Clippers via San Diego). Wilbert Jones and three of his brothers – Caldwell, Major and Charles – were the NBA’s first family to have four brothers play in the league.

Upon his retirement from professional basketball, Jones worked for the City of Atlanta for over 25 years in the Parks and Recreation Department as a facility manager. In his position, he worked with and coached youth basketball and helped develop three future NBA players: Mike Mitchell, Reggie Johnson and Chris Morris.

James Bruce McDaniel (1974-1978): There were very few in the nation or world, for that matter, in the jumping pits who reached the height of James Bruce McDaniel. The former Golden Ram track & field standout was the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s first high jumper to leap to a height of over more than 7 feet as he held the record of 7-foot-4-inches through 1978.

McDaniel was an NCAA representative in Mexico in 1978, where he jumped 7’3”. At the National Sports Festival in Colorado Springs, the Golden Ram shattered his old record with his best jump ever of 7-4¾. McDaniel went on to be selected for the 1980 United States Olympic team, but due to the U.S. boycott did not have the chance to compete on the world stage.

Since his time at ASU, McDaniel has been an educator in Georgia for 40-plus years. He has also remained active in athletics as a track and field, golf, basketball, and tennis coach.

Grover Stewart (2013-2016): Stewart made his mark on the stout Golden Ram defenses during his time in Albany. Stewart set the Golden Rams team record for tackles by a lineman with 141 and was named to the 2013 All-SIAC First Team. The Camilla native earned All-SIAC first team honors during his four years at ASU. He led ASU to the 2013 SIAC Championship and the 2014 and 2015 SIAC title games. During his time, the Golden Rams won three SIAC East crowns, and he was invited to play in the 2016 NFL Players Association Senior Bowl. In his final season, Stewart recorded 37 tackles (26 solo), 12 tackles for a loss, and 7.5 sacks. Stewart also was part of the ASU track and field team for three years, where he competed in both the shot put and discus events and helped the team win the 2014 SIAC Championship.

In the spring of 2017, Stewart was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. The former ASU defensive lineman recently finished his seventh season with the Colts, where he has amassed 280 total tackles and nine sacks in 107 career games. His best season came in 2022 when he produced 70 tackles and four sacks for the Colts. Stewart was presented with the prestigious honor of the 2022 Black College Football Pro Player of the Year by the NFL Players Association.

Stewart holds the annual Grover Stewart Day Celebration each year on July 15 at Mitchell County High School. The football camp hosts campers from all 30 counties in southwest Georgia, which has enabled kids to go through various football drills with Stewart and a few of his teammates

1984 Football Team: The 1984 Albany State football team made its mark as it became the inaugural Golden Ram team in school history to win an SIAC championship. Under the direction of head coach Hampton Smith, the Golden Rams finished with a 7-2 overall record and the top SIAC mark of 6-1.

Robert Skinner: There has not been a person in the Golden Rams athletics department who has had a more significant impact in the last several decades than Skinner. In fact, in late February, Skinner was honored as one of NCAA Division II’s 50th Anniversary Gold Award finalists.

Over his career coaching the Golden Rams, Skinner has amassed 1,408 wins over 44 years, with 33 of those years at ASU. His teams have won 21 SIAC championships in basketball (3), volleyball (10) and softball (8). To this day, he’s the only coach to have coached three different sports simultaneously, winning 350-plus games in each sport. He has 612 basketball wins (Paine and ASU), 445 volleyball wins (1991-2018), and 351 softball wins (2002-2016) for 1,408 total wins.

Outside of his long service on the ASU campus, Skinner serves as the ASYEP director, where 500-plus students are mentored in academic and athletic skills each summer.

Dale Dover: After his retirement, Dover continued as ASU’s director of operations, whose responsibilities were mentoring, working behind the scenes, and coaching the Darton State Golf Team part-time. He supported the program with time and financial support, including fundraising for years.

Dover was inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Golf Coaches Hall of Fame in 2013. Over his career, his teams captured 51 tournament victories, three NJCAA D-2 National Championships, won 12 straight Georgia College Athletic Association Region 17 Championships, and one NJCAA D-1 District Championship. Dover coached 23 All-Americans, two national championship medalists, and two national championship runners-up. He is also a three-time National Coach of the Year.

Nancy Abraham: Working her way up the ranks, Abraham was an integral cog in the success of the Albany State athletic department for more than two decades. Starting her employment at Albany Junior College in 1974, she was promoted in 1990 to assistant athletic director. Five years later, in 1995, she took over the department’s lead role as athletic director.

As athletic director, Abraham was responsible for planning, organizing, and implementing all sports at Darton State College, which began in 1995. She did it all, from hiring coaches, recruiting, planning the program, and staffing as appropriate for each sport, including baseball, softball, men’s golf, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, wrestling, women’s basketball, women’s tennis, men’s cross country, and women’s cross country.

Under her direction, the athletic department operated sound fiscally. The softball team won the region and district championships and finished runner-up at the 1999 National Championship. The basketball team won the 1998 region and district championships and finished in the top 10 at the National Championship.

Abraham directed the fundraising to build baseball and softball fields at DSC (ASU’s West Campus). The first baseball game was held on campus in 1995. Both a competition and a practice soccer field were constructed on the campus. She was also the driving force behind the renovation of the athletics facility on the West Campus, including the basketball arena.

It is the results of her vision, direction, guidance, and belief that a student-athlete is a student first and an athlete second, that the athletic programs and facilities at Darton State College were as successful as they were during her tenure as athletic director.

Special Illustration: ASU