About Inductee

From the middle of the 1960s until halfway through the 70s, Huntsville High coach Tom Owen turned out many young football players who went on to distinguished careers at various colleges and universities throughout the Southeast. One of the foremost of these was John Walters, a three-year letterman at HHS from 1968-70. Born July 27, 1953 in Savannah, Ga., Walters moved with his family to Huntsville in 1957. Playing quarterback and safety, he had a key double role in HHSs undefeated 1969 team, and was named the schools MVP as a quarterback-safety in 1970. After high school, he attended the University of the South at Sewanee, Tenn., where he was a single wing tailback and later a safety for another famed coach, Shirley Majors. From 1976-80, he was an assistant coach in football and basketball at Lee High of Huntsville, also coaching the freshman baseball and girls softball teams. Deciding on a career change, he enrolled in the UAB School of Optometry in 1980, graduated four years later, and opened a practice in Madison. In his spare time, Walters coaches baseball, basketball and football in the recreational leagues. A lifelong baseball fan, Walters played for three years in the 40-and-over baseball league in Huntsville. He has contributed time and money to Bob Jones High School, Discovery Middle School and Liberty Middle School. He was also on the Madison City Schools Board of Education from 1998-2001. Walters cites four families who molded him into the athlete and citizen that he became. Coach Owen and all the assistant coaches at Huntsville High were great. We were always prepared mentally and physically. Coming in to play quarterback behind Robby Rowan and Jeff Smith was like Steve Sloan following Joe Namath and Kenny Stabler. Coach Majors at Sewanee taught me perspective and toughness. The perspective of academics first and football second was never more exemplified than my four years at Sewanee. You played for the love of the game. And at Lee, I had tremendous mentors John Childress and Glen Nunley in football, and Jerry Dugan in basketball. But the most important of his families centered around his parents, Joe and Claire Walters, and a houseful of siblings. I grew up with three older brothers and three younger brothers who were excellent ballplayers, he said. My parents gave all of us, and my three sisters, all the love, support and sense of fair play that helped us achieve great things in our lives. Walters and his wife Janice have two children: Andrew, 20, a sophomore at Sewanee, and Mary Hannah, 18, a senior at Bob Jones High.