The Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame inducted twelve significant contributors to prep sports in the state of Alabama this past Monday. The Class of 2025 was chosen by a committee of coaches and administrators assembled by the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association (AHSADCA) from nominations submitted by member schools and other organizations.
Here are the inductees:
Steve Bailey (Administrator/Coach): Bailey coached at Saint James and Jeff Davis and had an overall record of 46-27. He led the Vols to the Class 6A finals in 2002. As an administrator, he became the first full time Director of the AHSADCA, growing it into one of the largest coaching associations in the country.
Emanuel ‘Tubb’ Bell (Coach): Bell was the Wenonah High School girls’ basketball coach from 1996-2019 and had an overall record of 530-194. His teams won state championships in 2004, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Bell was the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame’s “Frank House Award” recipient for his lasting impact on those he mentored.
Tanya Broadway (Coach): Broadway coached the Grissom High School volleyball team from 1994-2020 and had a record of 1,257-395. During this time, the team won Class 6A state titles in 1998 and 2003, and finished as state runner-up on eight occasions.
Robert Burdette (Coach): Known for his high-octane offensive coaching style, Burdette coached South Lamar High School to the 1992 boys’ state championship and set the record for most points scored in a season with 3,605. Burdette coached Homewood (1992-1995) and Calera (1995-2014), winning state championships in 1995, 1996, and 2005.
Matt Cimo (Coach): Cimo was the Auburn High School baseball coach from 1993-2024. He had an overall record of 673-424 and won state titles in 2009, 2010, 2018 and 2021. He was inducted into the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2021.
Renard Davis (Coach): Davis coached the McIntosh High School girls’ basketball team from 1999-2022 and had an overall record of 602-165. During this time, the team won 14 area championships, made seven Final Four appearances, three Elite Eight appearances, and three Sweet 16 appearances.
Melanie Donahoo (Coach): One of the AHSAA’s most prominent volleyball coaches, Donahoo coached the Whitesburg Middle School volleyball team from 1996-1999 and won the city championship in 1997 and 1998. In 2000, she became the head coach at Huntsville High School, where she won 5A state championships from 2002-04, 6A state titles from 2002-2007, and four more from 2009-12. Her overall record is 777-151.
Drew Ferguson (Contributor): Ferguson was once considered the state’s most prominent athletic trainer and played a key role in getting Alabama’s current concussion law passed. He served as the athletic trainer for the Birmingham team in the World Football League and co-founded the Sports Medicine Institute of Alabama.
Brent Hubbert (Coach): Hubbert coached the Maplesville Red Devils to a record of 166-26 over 17 years and won 1A state titles in 2014, 2015, and 2016. He currently serves as the head football coach and athletic director at T.R. Miller High School, where he has compiled a 58-17 record.
Meridy Lyle Jones (Coach): She has coached the UMS-Wright girls’ tennis team since 2004 and has won an impressive 16 state titles in Class 1A – 6A. Her girls’ program set a state record with 11 straight titles from 2009-19.
Floyd Mathews, Jr (Coach): Mathews began his coaching career in 1975 at St. Jude in Montgomery. He won a Class 2A state championship in 1984 for boys’ basketball. Mathews coached in a variety of roles at Sidney Lanier high school from 1985 until his retirement in 2013.
Hadley Provience (Old Timer): Provience was one of the most influential coaches and administrators in the Alabama Interscholastic Athletic Association (AIAA) before the association merged with the AHSAA in 1968. He served as the Trinity High School football coach from 1947-1967. During this time, he coached two undefeated teams (1951 and ’58) and coached players like Arthur “Redbone” Kirby and Ronnie Fletcher. TG
Cover photo: FRONT ROW, FROM LEFT: Diane Ferguson (representing her husband Drew Ferguson, deceased); Melanie Donahoo; Tanya Broadway; Ashley Bell (representing her father Emanuel Bell, deceased); Dr. Benitha Mathews (representing her husband Floyd Mathews, deceased). BACK ROW, FROM LEFT: Brent Hubbert; Steve Bailey; Robert Burdette; Meridy Jones; Ranard Davis; Matt Cimo; Merrill Provience (representing his father Hadley Provience, deceased). (AHSAA PHOTO | Jake Crandall)
