Thomasville-Thomas County Sports Hall of Fame to induct 6

A multiple sport star of football, basketball, baseball and tennis, Herbert Butler led Brookwood’s Warriors on several athletic fronts in the late 1970’s.

As a football player, he started on both sides of the ball as a defensive back and running back. In his senior year of 1979 he was named all-region, allstate, and team MVP. Butler set school records with a 98-yard touchdown run, a 95-yard punt return, and four kickoffs of 90yards or more. He set the school season rushing record with 1,429 yards that stood until 1985.

In basketball, he was named all-region three times and allstate twice as the team’s leading scorer and team MVP in his junior and senior years. He was also named all-region for the Warrior baseball team those seasons.

After graduating from Brookwood, Butler would sign a full scholarship with Bobby Bowden’s FSU Seminoles, and would eventually play basketball at Berry College.

Butler currently resides in New York where he served for 12 years on the board of directors for the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, church of the Archbishop of America, including one year as vice-president.

Richard Cook served as a team manager for the state and national champion Thomasville Bulldog football team in 1974 & 75. He played baseball and basketball for the Bulldogs. Owner of Cook Real Estate & Realty locally, Cook has had extensive involvement in area causes and organizations. He served in the Thomasville Jaycees, earning Jaycee of the Year and serving as past president. In 1987 he became a Junior Chamber International Senator, which is the highest award available to Jaycees. Cook was a member of the board of directors of the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Cook has also actively served as part of the Lions Club, where he was a past president, and the Thomasville Exchange Club, where he has served as president since 1997.

He continued his support of local athletics through his involvement as an official, officiating area football games for over a decade. For his alma mater, Cook has been a part of the Bulldog football chain crew since 1983, and has assisted in organizing several reunions of football teams, including the 1973 state champions. He also served on the committee for the 100 years of football celebration for Thomasville High football in 2013.

He is married to Mary, and they have two daughters, Madison and Camille.

An integral part of the firstever state championship football team as a senior running back for Thomas County Central in 1992, Dondell Green would rush for over 1,000 yards in that magical season for the Yellow Jackets. He was the leading rusher for Central in the title game against Peach County, which Central won 14-13. Green would be named all-region and all-state honorable mention for his efforts.

The accolades for Green were not limited to the gridiron, as he was the first TCCHS region champion in wrestling, and would go on to place in the state AAA wrestling championship in his weight class in his junior and senior years at Central.

He would continue his football career as a scholarship player at Georgia Southern University, where he would be a part of the Eagles’ Southern Conference Championship team in 1993. A knee injury would cut his football career short.

After working in retail for a decade, Green was called to mentor young people. After starting a career as a personal trainer and mentor for COGI in Thomasville in 2006, he founded Joshua’s Promise, Inc. in 2009, which is dedicated to implementing positive changes in the lives of atrisk children in Meigs.

Dondell is married to wife Jennifer, and they have four children, Quantavious, Christopher, Quanese, and Dondell, Jr.

Jason Hurst was a standout three-sport athlete at Brookwood during his time as a Warrior, playing football, basketball and baseball. A true triple threat, he was named all region three times during his high school career.

In 2019 he was inducted into the inaugural class of Brookwood’s Hall of Fame. He initially played baseball on scholarship at Jacksonville University before transferring to Georgia Southern University. There he had a .380 career batting average, second in Georgia Southern history.

He was captain of the Eagle team, and earned first team All-Southern Conference as a senior, batting .392 with 10 homers and 60 RBIs. He would go on to sign with the Boston Red Sox, and played in the minor and independent leagues for five years.

After his playing career he has remained involved in athletics, serving as an assistant hitting instructor for the Tampa Bay Rays and coached football and baseball. He is now the Owner and Head Coach at Hard Knocks of Dothan, a premier baseball facility focusing on youth training development. Hurst is also an assistant baseball coach at Enterprise State Community College and resides in Dothan, Alabama.

As head basketball coach from 2007-2022 at Thomasville High School, Ben Tillman compiled a sparkling 317-100 record, leading his team to 15 state playoff appearances and 8 region championships, while playing for state twice, winning the state 1-AA championship in 2018.

He was named Region 1-AA Coach of the Year 8 times and was once named Athletic Director of the Year.

Under Tillman’s guidance, 21 Bulldog players earned college scholarships, and four went on to play professional basketball. 100% of Thomasville’s senior basketball players graduated high school during his tenure.

Tillman has mentored many young men over the years, and has volunteered his time and work with Habitat for Humanity. He served as a counselor at Thomasville High, Harper Elementary, and Scott Elementary, where he also worked as an assistant principal.

He has been a faithful member of Rose City Church of Christ for over 30 years where he serves as an elder and church treasurer. Tillman is also a member of Mu Beta Beta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi, Inc., a local fraternal organization that mentors young men and awards scholarships in the Thomas County community.

Ben and his wife Stephanie have two children, Trey and Lindsay.
 

The third member of her family to be enshrined in the Sports Hall of Fame, Laurie Bobo Young is no stranger to athletics. In high school, she led the THS Lady Bulldog basketball team to the state semifinals her sophomore year, and to the Elite Eight her junior year. After her family moved to Floyd County for her senior season, she helped lead that team to a 25-win season, and was selected all-region and allstate.

Attending Shorter College, she was selected as All-Conference during her freshman season. Laurie led the team in rebounds all four years at Shorter.

After graduating with an education degree, Laurie began her teaching career in Bremen, where she served as an assistant coach for basketball and head tennis coach for seven years. In 2005 she was selected teacher of the year. In 2015 she and husband Daniel moved back to Thomasville, where she began teaching at Jerger Elementary.

Laurie is never far from a sports arena. At the local YMCA, she coaches girls basketball, where in 2021 she helped lead her team to an undefeated season. In 2022 she helped lead the 8 & under girls All-Stars to the Georgia Parks and Recreation Association state championship, the first ever girls basketball title for the YMCA. She is also actively involved with numerous baseball and girls softball teams in the community.

Laurie is a member of First Baptist Church where she is active in the youth ministry. She and husband Daniel have two children, Walker and Copelan.