On Tuesday, January 31st, the following were inducted into the MW Athletics Hall of Fame by Athletic Director Paige Hawkins:
The 1967-68 Maggie Walker Men’s Basketball State Championship Team, and
- James Edward Segear (Principal) – the first black principal of Richmond Public Schools at MW High School, who served from 1938-1951.
- Pierce Callaham, Sr. (Coach) – A MW graduate in 1956, Mr. Callaham continued his education graduating from Norfolk State in 1961, then becoming a history teacher at MW for 36 years. Mr. Callaham became the basketball coach in 1969 which is seen as some of the most dominate years of basketball in the school’s history. During his 17 years of coaching, he had a combined record of 281-118. He was Coach of the Year (4) times, his teams were (4) times state champions, (7) times region champion, (9) times district champions and in 1976 his team was ranked #3 in the nation.
- Joseph Kennedy Jr. (Contributor – Band Director) – Mr. Kennedy was the band and orchestra director at MW from 1954-1969. He was one of the most versatile violinists in modern history, equally adept at performing European, as well as African-American classical music. Mr. Kennedy was one of the first of (2) black musicians admitted into the Richmond Symphony.
- Fred ‘Cannonball’ Cooper (Coach) – Cannonball was an assistant football coach at MW from 1945-1959 and head coach from 1960-1969. During his ten years as head coach, his teams compiled a record of 83-19-1 and won State championships in 1963 and 1965. His teams also had (9) straight wins in the historic ‘Armstrong-Walker Classic,’ including a win in the 1969 game played before 34,000 fans. Mr. Cooper was inducted into the VUU, CIAA and VHSL Hall of Fames in 1988, 1989, and 1990.
- Arthur ‘Stretch’ Gardner (Coach) – Stretch was a local sports legend and educator in Richmond. Graduating from Armstrong HS and Virginia Union University, he became a coach and PE teacher at MW for 31 years where his basketball teams are believed to have won more than 500 games. He guided his boy’s teams to the National Black Tournament (3) times. His girl’s team won (47) straight games. Mr. Gardner was inducted into the CIAA Hall of Fame in 1986.
- Marisha McCollum (Basketball & Track) – Ms. McCollum played basketball and ran track for MW from 1977-1980. She was named Player of the Month in 1980 by Anheuser. McCollum led MW women’s basketball in scoring all (4) years with an average of 25 pts/game and led the team to a State championship in 1980. She was honored as the Best All-Around on the track team for her accomplishments in the mile and the 440 relay.
- Jeffery Washington (Football, Wrestling & Track) – Mr. Washington was a 3-Star Athlete from 1973-1976. He was the most Valuable Player in the 1975 Armstrong-Walker Classic Game with 1,300+ yards, while the team went 10-0 for the season. He was captain of the wrestling team where he was the district, region, and a top 10 finisher in the State at the 176 lb. weight class in 1975. He was also captain of the track team where he was the anchor of the 440 relay and a top pole vaulter. When asked why he felt he should be inducted, he replied; “I learned pride, honor, and respect while learning how to compete and win for the mighty Green Dragons.”
Thank you for many years of Green Dragon excellence!
