The Habersham County Football Ring of Honor just got bigger with six new members. Tavarres King, Bo Hatchett, Daniel Franklin, Gabe Irby, Matt Roberts, and Chris Black were inducted into the hall of fame during a ceremony on May 12 at the Habersham Ninth Grade Academy.
Former UGA head football coach Mark Richt introduced King, a former UGA wide receiver and Habersham Central High standout. King, who played for the NFL and is now retired, still holds most of Central’s receiving records.
As a senior, he totaled a state-record 1,632 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns on 99 receptions and was named the Class AAAA Offensive Player of the Year.
Former Raider linebacker Daniel Franklin holds the high school’s record for most tackles in a career (395), including 128 his senior season. After high school, he went on to play at Oklahoma.
Now a state senator, Hatchett ended his career at Habersham Central owning five school records as QB, including most completions (388), most attempts (695), most passing yards (5,500), most touchdowns (50), and most touchdowns single-game (five). Post- Central he played at Presbyterian College.
Gabe Irby was an offensive lineman who helped lead Habersham Central to consecutive Class 4-A quarterfinals under then-head coach Gene Cathcart. He was listed as the 61st-ranked offensive guard in the class of 2008 by Scout.com. Irby redshirted his freshman year at Wake Forest.
Matt Roberts switched from defense to running back his senior season at Habersham Central. He carried the ball 242 times for over 1260 yards and no fumbles.
Chris Black received special recognition and was inducted into the Ring of Honor for his contributions to Raider football radio for over 30 years.
Calling the games from the press box, Glenn Jones has been the official Raider stadium football announcer for 30 years. He was among the former coaches, players, and alumni on hand to celebrate the new inductees.
“One of the fun things about being a high school PA announcer is getting to know some wonderful young men who represent our school well on the field but also go on to great things in life,” he says.
Longtime Habersham Central coach Jimmy Black was also at the induction ceremony.
The Ring of Honor’s newest members will be honored again this fall. They’ll be recognized during pregame ceremonies at Central’s first home football game on August 26.
