About Inductee

George Newby was born in 1932 in Madison County and Madison County has been a better place because he chooses to live his life here. George is one of the most versatile inductees ever into the Hall of Fame. He has been recognized not only in his professional undertakings but as a good citizen as well. He started his career at Joe Bradley High School under the legendary Principal, E.F. DuBose. George recalls, Mr. DuBose not only taught me how to teach, but also he gave me my first coaching job. He instilled in a rookie teacher values that have lasted a lifetime. Such values as: being attentive to small details, teamwork, the value of each student, punctuality, note taking, self-discipline for myself and my students, honesty and integrity. George went on to say, I used these values with the first team that I coached and continue to use them today. After being at Joe Bradley for five years, he accepted a teaching-coaching job at S.R. Butler High School where he was the head track coach and assistant football and basketball coach. George says that being an assistant for Coach Thomas Cotton Rogers in basketball was the defining moment in his coaching career. Coach Rogers only required a couple of things of me: I was to prepare the Junior Varsity for Varsity play and assist him with the Varsity. Coach Rogers gave me the opportunity to be myself and it was a daily valuable learning experience for a young coach, explained Newby. It was from this experience that Coach Newby was to be named the first head basketball coach at Grissom High School. During Georges coaching career he received Coach of the Year honors for his efforts in tennis, track and basketball. Given Georges outstanding career as a high school coach, it is no surprise that he was an outstanding classroom teacher as well. A few of his more prestigious awards are as follows: Madison County Teacher of the Year in 1959, Alabama American History Teacher of the Year in 1981, Freedoms Foundation Award in 1981, National George Washington Honor Metal for Excellence in Education in 1982, and NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal in 1998. After George retired with 25 years from the Huntsville City Schools, he coached Girls AAU basketball for the next thirteen years, winning twelve consecutive state tournaments and two national tournaments. George worked for NASA and retired from this second career after 16 years. George is married to the former Lorene League and they have two sons and a daughter. Sons are Wayne Newby and Jonathan Newby, and their daughter, Wanda Lee Newby Bragg, is deceased.