12-10-15
DAHLONEGA | The University of North Georgia Department of Athletics is honored to announce the four outstanding individuals who will be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame as its sixth annual class at a luncheon on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Those individuals include Anthony Harris, (’76, men’s basketball), Melissa Johnson, (’01, softball), Hugh Mills, Jr. (’43, men’s basketball) and Casey Smith (’10, women’s soccer).
The induction ceremony will take place Sat., Feb. 13, 2016, at 11:30 a.m., in the university’s Dining Hall Banquet Room. Tickets are available for $45 per person, or a table of eight for $500, with guests encouraged to reserve by calling 706-864-3212 or registering online at ungalumni.org/HOF.
“We are excited to honor this year’s class of the North Georgia Athletics Hall of Fame,” UNG director of athleticsLindsay Reeves said. “The collective contributions that this group has made to the legacy of North Georgia athletics are remarkable and we look forward to welcoming them back to campus and into this special group of all-time UNG greats.”
The induction ceremony will precede a Peach Belt Conference basketball doubleheader against Georgia College set to tip off at 1:30 p.m., in Memorial Hall. The UNG Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2016 will be recognized alongside the 22 previous inductees at halftime of the women’s game.
The Hall of Fame ceremony will coincide with UNG’s homecoming festivities that fall on the same day. Along with an introduction of the 2016 HOF Class to the Nighthawk Nation, fans will experience performances from the Corps of Cadet’s Boars Head Brigade, the Blue Ridge Rifles squad, the UNG Patriot Choir and the Golden Eagle Band, all honoring the rich military heritage of the institution.
The UNG Athletics Hall of Fame honors individuals who have earned outstanding athletic achievement or made substantial contributions to the university. A nine-member Board of Directors is responsible for operations of the Athletics Hall of Fame and serves as selectors for all honorees, based upon nominations.
Single game tickets for the Hall of Fame basketball doubleheader against Georgia College are available the day of the game at the main entrance to Memorial Hall Gym. Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for youth and free to all UNG faculty and students with valid UNG ID.
Anthony Harris – Men’s Basketball – Class of 1976
In his two seasons on the hardwood at North Georgia, Harris led his team to a mark of 42-16, which included a GIAC Championship in the 1973-74 season. In his career, he averaged a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds and still holds single game and single season rebounding records at UNG with 21 and 326 rebounds, respectively. After helping North Georgia to three conference championships as an assistant coach, Harris went on to become the head coach at Gainesville College for two seasons, leading the team to a 27-3 record in 1982-83, Harris would finish his Gainesville College coaching career having the highest winning percentage of any men’s basketball coach at Gainesville College at .797 (47-12). Currently, Harris is teaching in Covington, Georgia, at Oxford of Emory.
Melissa Johnson – Softball – Class of 2001
Johnson helped lead the softball program to its first-ever postseason appearances in 1999 and 2000 in the NAIA Regionals. During her career at North Georgia, she was a four-time All-Conference player in the GACC, a three-time All-Region player in 1999, 2000 and 2001, the 2001 GACC Player of the Year and a second team NAIA All-American. Johnson was also named GACC Freshman of the Year in 1998 and an NAIA All-Region honoree in 2000. She currently holds the career record for doubles at UNG with 68 and is third in career runs batted in with 164.
Hugh Mills, Jr. – Men’s Basketball – Class of 1943
Mills played basketball for North Georgia from 1941-43. The 1943 Cyclops – the school yearbook – described him as the “wheel horse of the team, on offense and defense.” After leaving North Georgia, Mills went on to be a successful coach at the high school level in both basketball and track. In 1965, Mills was named the founding president of Gainesville College, now part of the University of North Georgia, and held that position until his retirement in 1984. The physical education complex on the UNG Gainesville campus is named in his honor. In 2003, Mills received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from North Georgia.
Casey Smith – Women’s Soccer – Class of 2010
Smith was the women’s soccer program’s first-ever NCAA All-American and she is the only student-athlete in program history to earn All-America honors twice in her career (2009 and 2010). Smith was named to the Peach Belt All-Conference three times. In her senior season, Smith led the Peach Belt Conference in assists with 18 and was named Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week in the same season. She led the nation in assists per game with 0.9 in 2010 as well. Smith was named second-team NSCAA All-American and third-team Daktronics All-American in her senior year. She finished her playing career holding the PBC career assists record with 44 assists in four years, a record that still stands today.
