WVOW Sports
Press Release WHS Athletic Hall of Fame
WILLIAMSON The Williamson High School Athletic Hall of Fame Board of Directors have announced in a recent press release their inductees for the Class of 2024.
The 2024 class, which will be the 27th group enshrined among other Wolfpack greats, will see five new members inducted.
Those five members of the Williamson High School Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024 are as follows:
CHRIS CARROLL: Carroll, a 2001 graduate, was a key member of the 2001 Class A State Championship squad which was the final team to win a state title in Wolfpack history. He was voted First Team All-State and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the State Tournament as a senior. In the state championship win over Oceana he scored a game high 22 points. Carroll went on to play at Pikeville College for four years where he started as a center for the Bears.
JESSICA FIELDS-DIAMOND: Fields-Diamond was a 2010 graduate of Williamson High where she started for the girls basketball, volleyball, and softball teams from 2007 to 2010 while also running track and field in 2008. She was a member of the 1,000 point club for the Lady 'Pack and was named Class A All-State Honorable Mention in 2010. She served as a captain on the basketball, softball, and volleyball teams in 2009 and 2010. She pitched the Lady Pack softball team to sectional titles in 2008 and 2010. She was awarded the Ban Hamilton Award as a senior for the most career varsity letters earned.
BOBBY FLETCHER: Fletcher was a member of the 1981 graduating class from Williamson High. He played on the varsity basketball team as a sophomore, junior, and senior. Fletcher was a captain and key member on the 1981 basketball team, which many argue is the greatest in WHS history. That year the Wolfpack was ranked No. 1 in Class AAA all season long and entered the state title game undefeated, before losing to Princeton 51-47 in the title game to finish with a 25-1 record. Fletcher, who was nicknamed "Rim Wrecker", went on to play collegiately at Berea.
CHRIS LEFTWICH: Leftwich, a 1979 Wolfpack graduate, was a member of the football and track team as a sophomore, junior, and senior while also playing basketball as a sophomore. He was well known for his defensive prowess on the gridiron, as he was named a defensive captain as a senior. After is senior season he was named to the All-Southern Team, the WDN All-Area Football Team, and played in the Kiwanis Senior Bowl.
CLINTON OOTEN: Ooten was a Class of 1989 graduate of Williamson High School. He was a three-year player for the Wolfpack football team where he rarely left the field. Ooten served as the starting offensive tackle and defensive tackle while also seeing time as inside linebacker and on special teams. During his playing career for the Wolfpack he earned an Honorable Mention selection to the All-State Team as well as All-Area and All-County selections. Following high school he earned a preferred walk-on spot on the West Virginia University football team under famed coach Don Nehlen. Ooten played with one of the top quarterbacks in Mountaineer history, Major Harris.
The 2024 class will be officially inducted at the annual induction ceremony and banquet which will be held on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 4 p.m. inside the Williamson Community Center in West Williamson. Doors will open for the event at 3 p.m.
A meet-and-greet with finger foods and refreshments will also be held on Friday, Aug. 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. also inside of the community center.
Aside from inducting the 27th HOF Class, the Board of Directors will also be recognizing the 1988 and 1989 Class AA State Championship basketball teams during the Saturday ceremony.
Additionally, the HOF will also be honoring worthy individuals with its newest HOF honor, “The Friend of the Pack” Award during the Induction Weekend.
This is a new award created in 2022 for the Athletic Hall of Fame Board to bestow and will be awarded at the discretion of the Hall’s Board of Directors to those individuals the board believes to have made exceptional contributions to the success of Williamson High School’s Athletics Program during the school’s 101-year history.
The 2024 “Friend of the Pack” honorees will be announced in the coming weeks
Tickets for the induction weekend will be $40 per person and $25 for children 12 and under. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased by contacting Athletic Hall of Fame Board Treasurer Cecilia Lynn Hatfield Barker at 606-625-0085 or ccbarker@k12.wv.us or by contacting Board President Harold Hickok at 423-316-0355.
For more information on the Williamson Athletic Hall of Fame and its 27th Annual Hall of Fame Weekend, you may contact the Hall through its Facebook page at Williamson High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
PHOTO | WHS Athletic Hall of Fame