Meet the Statesboro Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024

The Statesboro Athletic Hall of Fame committee has named the 2024 Hall of Fame inductees.  

The former athletes being inducted are:

• Monnette Bennett – SHS Class of 2008

  

  
  Monnette “Mo” Bennett was a member of the Statesboro High School Lady Devils basketball team. As a four year letter recipient, she excelled on the court, and as a senior received many accolades. A highlight of her high school career was the retirement of her number (12). While at SHS, she also excelled on the softball diamond (lettered three years) and on the track (lettered two years).

  An athletic scholarship to the Georgia Institute of Technology enabled Mo to continue her basketball career from 2008 until 2012, where she led her team to the best record in school history. Following college, she played for the Women’s Universal Basketball Association and then for the All Navy Women’s Basketball team after joining the U.S. Coast Guard. During this time, she also played for the All Armed Forces USA team.

  Currently, Mo lives in California and plays in the Women’s Premier Basketball Association where she continues to receive recognition for her basketball skills. Outside of the game, she coaches high school basketball and works for the Hayward Police Department as a district command/community officer and is a youth camp coach for the Police Athletic League.

• Charlie Jackson – SHS Class of 1972

  

  
  Charlie Jackson attended William James High School until he transferred to Statesboro High School in 1971 for his senior year. Despite only being a member of the Blue Devils football team for a short period of time, he was selected as a team captain. Charlie was a linebacker on defense and a running back on offense. His 14 touchdowns helped the team end the season with a 9-1 record.

  After graduating from high school, Charlie received a scholarship to play football at Savannah State. He was recognized as an All-Conference linebacker by the SIAC for both his junior and senior years.

  In 1976, Charlie enlisted in the U.S. Army and served his country for 7½ years as part of the Infantry 11th Bravo. He was stationed in Germany, Egypt, and the Mojave Desert.

• Andrew Middleton – SHS Class of 1992

  

  
  Andrew Middleton participated in six sports at Statesboro High School – basketball, soccer, cross country, track, tennis, and football. He earned letters in five of them. In addition, he received the Scholar Athlete Award (highest GPA) for every sport he played his senior year.
  
  Andrew also had great academic success at Statesboro High, and during his senior year, he was awarded several scholarships – UGA Alumni scholarship, Governor’s scholarship, Moose Club scholarship, and a HOPE scholarship. He attended the University of Georgia and graduated in 1996 with a BSED in Mathematics Education.
  
  He currently lives in Atlanta with his family, where he works at IHG Hotels and Resorts as Director of Marketing Analytics. In the community, he delivers food to individuals for the organization called Open Hand Atlanta and enjoys traveling with his family.
   
• Jamie Childs Purdy – SHS Class of 1996

  

  
  Jamie Childs played softball and basketball and ran track and cross country at Statesboro High, producing outstanding statistics in a record season and leading the team in assists and steals her junior and senior seasons, respectively. She was known for her outstanding defensive play.
  
  Jamie attended Piedmont College where she earned four letters in basketball and two letters in softball. She was honored as an inductee into the Piedmont Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. She earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from Piedmont College and a master’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in sports psychology from Georgia Southern University.
  
  Jamie served as the head coach for Middle Georgia College for two seasons and led the Warriors to the Georgia Junior College Athletic Association championship game in just her second year as coach. She then returned to Piedmont College, now Piedmont University, as the head coach of the Women’s Basketball team where she has established herself as one of the most successful coaches in the South at the Division III level.

The Class of 2024 Honorary Inductee will be former Statesboro High School coach, Robert Hodges.

Hodges was a football, basketball, and track athlete at Statesboro High School from 1934-1938. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Georgia where he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in World War II. His dedication to the Navy earned him the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

Later, he returned to Statesboro High School in 1967 as a math teacher and assistant football, basketball, and track coach. Student athletes recall how Coach Hodges was always willing to go the extra mile for his athletes. For example, he took some of the B Team basketball players to Macon, Georgia, to watch the varsity basketball team, coached by Ray Williams, win the state championship in 1968.

He impacted hundreds of student athletes before retiring from SHS in 1976. His commitment to these athletes and to the Statesboro High School athletic program for nine years has earned him a place in the Statesboro Athletic Hall of Fame as an honorary member.

Purchase Banquet Tickets Now

The reception, banquet, and induction ceremony honoring these inductees will be held Thursday, September 19th at Statesboro High School. Full biographical information will also be provided at that time.

The reception begins at 5:30pm, followed by the banquet at 6:00pm and the induction ceremony at 7:00pm. There is no fee to attend the reception or the induction ceremony, but the banquet fee is $25.00.  

Contact Missy Morgan (912-531-9843) at the Statesboro High Athletic office to purchase tickets.  

All inductees will be recognized during the pre-game ceremonies at the Statesboro High School vs. Bradwell football game on Friday, September 20th.