About Inductee

John Gaught was born on the 23rd day of March, 1925, in the city of Huntsville. John came of age with his buddies on Beirne Avenue during the thirties. Those were hard times. He had to play ball with hedge apples because there was no money for a real ball. John's circumstance of birth put him at just the right age to serve his county during World War II, and that he did. He dropped out of school and joined the Navy. John served from 1942 until his discharge in 1946. Among his service medals are VICTORY WORLD WAR II and THE PURPLE HEART (wounded in action in 1943). John did not concentrate on one sport. He played, coached and managed all, each in championship style. 1937 was the beginning of John's winning ways. He won the Beirne Avenue Round-Ring Marble Championship. In the Navy he won the middle-weight championship of the U.S. Navy Amphibious Forces in the Southwest Pacific. John was also a Golden Glove Champion. He was one of the city's best softball players and played baseball with several of the city's state champion amateur baseball teams. As a youth John won trophies for his roller-skating ability. The Gaught All-Stars, a John Gaught creation, are a sports legend in our town. John and the rest of the All-Stars were honored last year with our special award. The list could go on but the space is short. The main thing that sets John Gaught apart from the rest is his love of sport and his unusual efforts to help the young in our community grow through participation in sport. John and his wife, Eleanor, have two sons - John David Gaught and Dwight Sherman Gaught.