Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame's 2026 class
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Anthony Jones is now a Madison County Hall of Famer. Photo: Derek Lacey/Axios
Twelve local athletic heavyweights have been announced as the 2026 class of the Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame.
Why it matters: "We forget sometimes what a great sports community Huntsville is and has been," said Mark McCarter, sportswriter and secretary for the Hall of Fame.
What they're saying: "I think we could've taken the 12 vote-getters behind them and had another great class," McCarter said Wednesday.
- This year, it's one of the most diverse classes yet, he said, including Olympians, a baseball player, sportswriters and even an official.
- Alongside "athletes who've become famous and done things in the national and international spotlight, it's still just as important for us to honor folks who have succeeded here and made an impact here," McCarter said.
Zoom in: A banquet in April will enshrine the new class as official Hall of Famers, selected by the 18-member board from nominations by the public.
The inductees:
Toyin Augustus: A Grissom High grad who attended Penn State and competed for her native Nigeria in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, holding two world records.
Mark Bechtel: Also a Grissom grad, Bechtel is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated, overseeing NBA coverage.
David Bell: A high school official for more than 35 years, he serves as the state's football coordinator of officials and is a member of the Alabama Officials Hall of Fame.
Reggie Benson: A Troy State and Alabama A&M alumnus, Benson was a sportswriter for 23 years for the Huntsville Times.
Dee Cummings: An all-state player for Butler High's late-'90s girls basketball team that won three consecutive state titles. She still owns the state record for assists.
Jeremy "Jerry" Gordon: Grambling State's all-time receiving leader and pro player in the USFL and Canadian Football League.
Jeffrey Hammonds: A Madison County resident for 15 years, he had a 13-year MLB career and was an Olympian.
Donnie Humphrey: Twice an all-SEC player, he was on Auburn's 1983 SEC title team and played three years in the NFL. When he died in 2014, he was a coach in California.
Anthony Jones: Alabama A&M's second winningest football coach, Jones went 83-57 in 12 years and won four division titles. He played five years in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl in 1987 with Washington
- Speaking to press Wednesday, Jones relayed a story of coming to Alabama A&M. Before he took the helm, he said he told his son "kind of a white lie" — that if he didn't like A&M, he wouldn't take the job.
- Upon seeing the stadium, Jones' son said, "Wow, I'm going to miss Morehouse (College)."
- "It was the whole atmosphere that made this place special," he said.
Stephanie Pinto (now Boster): A Grissom alumna and UAH softball player, Pinto racked up many All-City, All-State and All-American honors. She was named the Gulf South Conference's Player of the decade and is in the conference and UAH Halls of Fame.
- McCarter called Pinto "arguably the best softball player in UAH history."
Whitney Smith (now Boggus): Smith was a softball and basketball player at Grissom who also served as the girls basketball coach at the school. She's a three-time All-America bowler at A&M, was conference Bowler of the Year in 2007 and led the team to the NCAA championship game in 2006.
James Willis: An all-SEC linebacker at Auburn who was drafted by Green Bay. He played seven years in the NFL and launched a coaching career that included stops at New Orleans, Auburn, Alabama, Temple and Texas Tech.