Sarah Merly
The Apopka Sports Hall of Fame inducted 18 athletes during its scholarship gala Saturday at the Apopka Community Center.
“Apopka Hall of Fame Scholarship Gala is proud to honor and pay tribute to our sports legends and community heroes,” Apopka Historical Society vice president Francina Boykin said. “This is a celebration with a purpose and pride.”
After Boykin recognized the government officials in attendance, comedian and host Tight Mike invited Apopka Sports Hall of Fame founder Eddie Williams to the stage. Williams said he and his wife were inspired to start the Apopka Sports Hall of Fame when a friend of theirs was inducted into the Coconut Grove Sports Hall of Fame in Miami.
NFL veteran Sammie Smith, a 2019 Apopka Sports Hall of Fame inductee, then joined Williams and Bobby Scott in front of the stage to present medallions to each inductee.
Football and baseball inductee Rodney Brewer emphasized how crucial sports have been in sending Apopka high schoolers to college.
“I think communities save lives with sports,” Brewer said upon receiving his medallion. “I thank the Lord for giving me the ability and putting me around individuals that gave me an opportunity to do some things in 1984 that’s never been done.”
After siblings Kim Beckett and Rogers Beckett Jr. accepted their medallions, inductee Dan LaForest reflected upon Apopka’s sports legacy.
“I love talking about Apopka because there’s no other school in central Florida that’s put more players in the NFL than Apopka,” LaForest said. “There is no other city in Orange County that has a community like Apopka.”
Football inductee Aaron Jones II then shared how former Apopka High School head coach Chip Gierke helped him to become one of the youngest players ever drafted into the NFL at the time. Jones had quit high school in 10th and 11th grade to avoid being bullied.
“But this white man came to me in the hallway,” Jones said. “He said, ‘Son, this is your last chance. Don’t quit on me again. If you just listen to me, I will get you into college.’”
Gierke held Jones accountable as Jones attended day school, night school, and summer school to catch up.
“He cared more about me than I cared for myself,” Jones said. “By him not giving up on me, I actually did a lot of things for Coach Gierke, not for Aaron Jones.”
When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Jones in the first round of the 1988 NFL draft, Gierke was the first person he wanted to call.
“Without Chip Gierke, there was no Aaron Jones,” Jones said. “I’m not trying to get choked up…when they tell you that God will send you help when you need help, believe it, because I didn’t know what I needed when I was 15 years old.”
The final inductee, William Orr, died a few weeks before the gala, so his children accepted the medallion for him.
“I want to say how honored and humbled I am to stand here before all of these giants and accept this award on behalf of my father, William,” Orr’s son Trey Orr said. “We buried him a couple of weeks ago, and I know he’s smiling down on us once again.”
The sports portion of the ceremony ended with a tribute to Gierke.
“The great evangelist Billy Graham once said that a coach in one season will impact more lives than the average person will in a lifetime,” Smith said. “I believe Coach Gierke coached for probably close to 40 years, maybe more, and if he averaged 60 to 80 players on his football team over 40 years — you do the calculation of that. He certainly impacted my life.”
LaForest then explained that Gierke’s name was practically synonymous with Apopka football.
“This man set the tone for what our manhood looked like,” LaForest said. “I hope at one point Apopka High School resurrects a statue of Chip Gierke, because he made Apopka football. He started Apopka football, and he will always be known as Apopka football.”
Proceeds from the gala supported the Jackie Lee Massey Scholarship, who served at Orange County Public Schools for over 30 years. Massey also directed the John H. Bridges Center and volunteered with Apopka Pop Warner, according to Massey’s obituary. Students who live in Apopka or attend schools in Apopka are eligible for the scholarship.
Those wishing to nominate an athlete to the Apopka Sports Hall of Fame may email apopkasportshalloffame@yahoo.com.