Inductees
1967 and 1968 Bradleyville Eagles Basketball
The 1967 & 1968 Bradleyville Eagles basketball teams continue to hold the state record for consecutive wins with 64. Bradleyville won the first three games of the ’67 season before losing to Sparta 68-65. Then, Coach Argil Ellison’s team began their record breaking win streak with an 87-57 win over Gainesville. The Eagles completed the remainder of the season undefeated and won the Class S State Championship. Leading up to the state tournament, the team also won the Forsyth, Blue and Gold, Ava and Regional tournaments. They also claimed the Blue and Gold, State and Eddie Matthews Sportsmanship Awards. They began the next season ranked #1 among all classifications in the state. The Eagles flew through the regular season and earned victories in the Forsyth, Ava and Blue and Gold tournaments, including a mid-season win over Charlie Spoonhour’s Salem Tigers. They moved through the regional tournament bracket without any major scares from their opponents and won the Class S State Championship. The team won the Ava and Blue and Gold Tournament Sportsmanship Awards and also won the Eddie Matthews Memorial Sportsmanship Award.
The legacy of the 1967 & 1968 Bradleyville Eagles is chronicled in a book authored by James Leon Combs entitles Bradleyville Basketball: The Hicks from the Sticks.