| The Board of Directors of the State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame recently announced the Class of 2025. Eight new inductees were selected by ballot through a statewide selection committee and votes were tabulated by the accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers. The newly elected inductees for the Class of 2025 are as follows: ROBERTA ALISON BAUMGARDNER KEITH BUTLER OTIS DAVIS JASON DUFNER MARK INGRAM MIKE MITCHELL CHARLES “BUTCH” MOORE FRANK WARREN Beginning with the inaugural class in 1969, this will be the 57th Class inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. The eight newly elected inductees will bring the total number of inductees to 409. The 57th Annual Induction Banquet and Ceremony will be held in the Birmingham Ballroom of the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, on May 3, 2025. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum at (205) 323-6665. |
| CLASS OF 2025 BIOGRAPHIES: ROBERTA ALISON BAUMGARDNER / TENNIS Born December 13, 1943, in Alexander City, AL. Baumgardner began playing tennis at the age of 7 under her father’s coaching. She won multiple junior tournaments and was ranked the top junior tennis player in the south region for four years. She was also ranked seventh in the country among those 18 years old and younger. University of Alabama tennis coach Jason Morton convinced Baumgardner to join him in Tuscaloosa, becoming the school’s first female to receive an athletic scholarship. Baumgardner competed on Alabama’s men’s tennis team compiling a career record of 39-14 over three years. A few opposing coaches refused to allow their players to compete against Baumgardner solely because she was a female. She won the women’s collegiate singles title in 1962 and 1963. Baumgardner continued to compete after college, winning the Blue-Gray championship four times, the Southern Championship three times and the Alabama State Closed Championship in 1965 without losing a single game. The University of Alabama hosts an annual “Roberta Alison Fall Tennis Classic” and named their indoor tennis facility in her honor. KEITH BUTLER / FOOTBALL Born May 16, 1956, in Anniston, AL. Butler played linebacker at Memphis State University where he was an AP All-American his senior year. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 1978 NFL Draft. Butler played ten seasons with the Seahawks, totaling 813 tackles which ranks him second among the franchise’s all-time tackle leaders. After retiring from the NFL, Butler joined his alma mater, Memphis, as an assistant coach; coaching linebackers, defensive ends, and special teams from 1990-1997. He joined Arkansas State’s coaching staff, serving as defensive coordinator for one season before becoming the linebackers coach for the Cleveland Browns for three seasons. He then joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as their linebackers coach in 2003. He would serve in this position until 2014 when he was promoted to defensive coordinator. Butler served as defensive coordinator of the Steelers for seven seasons and retired after the 2021 season. Butler won two Super Bowls as a coach with the Steelers. OTIS DAVIS / TRACK & FIELD Born July 12, 1932, in Tuscaloosa, AL. Following a four-year stint in the Air Force, where he played basketball and baseball, Davis enrolled at the University of Oregon on a basketball scholarship. After not receiving enough playing time, he joined the track and field team. Coach Bill Bowerman initially utilized Davis as a jumper, but soon had him running with the sprinters as well. Just two years later, Davis broke the world record in the 400 meters and anchored the world record-breaking 4×400 relay team at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, winning a pair of Olympic gold medals. Davis was the first Oregon athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. After retirement from running, he began a career coaching and teaching in the U.S. and Germany. Davis received the Bill Hayward Amateur Athlete of the Year Award in 1961, and was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1981, the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 1992, and the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2004. In 1996, he was a torch bearer for the Atlanta Olympics. JASON DUFNER / GOLF Born March 24, 1977, in Cleveland, OH. Dufner was a walk-on on Auburn University’s golf team. He won three events in college and was named an Honorable Mention All-American in 1997. Dufner’s first professional victory came on the Nationwide Tour in 2001. He first competed on the PGA Tour in 2004. After returning to the Nationwide Tour for a few years, Dufner has been a member of the PGA Tour every year since 2009. He achieved his highest ranking in September 2006 when he was ranked sixth in the world by the Official World Golf Ranking. Dufner’s biggest accomplishment came in 2013 when he won the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. Dufner has won eight professional tournaments in his career. MARK INGRAM / FOOTBALL Born December 21, 1989, in Hackensack, NJ. In his first season as a running back at the University of Alabama, Ingram was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team. In his sophomore year, he was named a consensus All-American and was the offensive MVP in their national championship victory over Texas. Ingram won the Heisman Trophy in his sophomore season, the first in the history of the University of Alabama football. He was drafted 28th overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 2011 NFL Draft. Ingram also played with the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans before finishing his 12-year career in New Orleans. He was named to three Pro Bowls and finished his career with 10,236 total yards and 75 total touchdowns. MIKE MITCHELL / BASKETBALL Born January 1, 1956, in Atlanta, GA. Mitchell played college basketball at Auburn University where he was a four-time All-SEC selection and was named a Second-Team All-American in his senior season. He remains Auburn’s all-time leading rebounder and is second all-time in scoring. Mitchell was drafted in the 15th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1978 NBA Draft, but he played the majority of his career with the San Antonio Spurs. Mitchell was named an All-Star in 1981. After leaving the Spurs, he played professionally in Italy and Israel. Auburn retired Mitchell’s jersey number in 2013. He finished his 11-year NBA career with 15,016 points, 4,246 rebounds, and 1,010 assists. CHARLES “BUTCH” MOORE / BASEBALL Born June 21, 1953, in Birmingham, AL. Moore was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Minor High School in the fifth round of the 1971 MLB Draft. He made his debut with the Brewers on September 8, 1973. In his eighth season, Moore hit for the cycle against the California Angels and stole two bases. No other MLB player has hit for the cycle and stolen two bases in the same game. Moore played 14 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers and one season with the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2014, he was named to the All-Time Alabama Baseball Team and the Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor. FRANK WARREN / FOOTBALL Born September 14, 1959, in Birmingham, AL. Warren was a defensive lineman at Auburn University where he was named All-SEC for three consecutive seasons from 1978-1980. He was drafted in the third round of the 1981 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Over his 13-year career with the Saints, he recorded 56 sacks, ranking him sixth among Saints all-time sack leaders. Warren also recorded two fumble recovery touchdowns which ties the Saints franchise record. He retired in 1994 and was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame in 2002. Warren was also named to the Saints 50th Anniversary Team in 2019. TG Cover photo: Mark Ingram rushes against Clemson in 2008. Photo courtesy UA Athletics. |
