Coweta Sports Hall of Fame to induct 3 on April 15

From Special Reports

The Coweta Sports Hall of Fame is set to grow by three new inductees at its 20th Annual Banquet on Saturday, April 15, at the Coweta County Fairgrounds and Conference Center.

The 2023 Coweta Sports Hall of Fame Class will include Matt Donahue, Vernon Strickland and James Warner. Each were standout athletes at Newnan High School.

Tickets are now on sale for the Banquet which begins with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the ceremony will follow at 7 p.m. The tickets are $45 each and can be purchased by mail. The Hall of Fame says to mail the ticket request with payment to: Coweta Sports Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 2627, Newnan GA 30263. Make checks payable to the Coweta Sports Hall of Fame. For additional information, contact Cheryl Roberts at 706-672-2311 or by email at [email protected].

Below are detailed biographical stories on each new member of the Coweta Sports Hall of Fame.

Matt Donahue

Matt Donahue

Matt Donahue was a standout pitcher for the Newnan Cougars in the mid 1980’s who went on to play baseball at the junior college level, then starred in the Atlantic Coast Conference before being drafted by the Florida Marlins.

Donahue played his first three seasons at Newnan under Coach Jabo Jordan, earning a starting nod on the mound and at first base. His final season was played under the direction of new coach, Joe Pope. That senior campaign saw the Cougars advance all the way to the Class AAAA State Championship game.

After graduating from Newnan following the 1988 baseball season, Donahue went to Middle Georgia Junior College, a national JUCO baseball powerhouse coached by Robert Sapp, to begin his collegiate career. He was named a JUCO All-American his sophomore year and played on JUCO Team USA when they faced the Cuban National Team in 1990. Middle Georgia went to the JUCO World Series that same year and advanced to the National Championship game where Donahue was the starting pitcher against the defending champs from San Jacinto College – North. He was named to the All-Tournament Team for the Junior College World Series.

Following junior college, Donahue caught the attention of long time N.C. State head baseball coach, Ray Tanner, who offered him a scholarship. He became a starter in 1991 (his junior year) and was named 2nd Team All ACC as the Wolfpack went 48-20 on the season. His senior season, he was named 2nd Team All American and 1st Team All Atlantic Coast Conference after leading his Wolfpack team to a 46-18 record including a 15-9 mark in the ACC. N.C. State also captured the ACC Tournament that year and Donahue was named the ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Among the records he set while at N.C. State were single season wins (14); single season starts (20) and single season innings pitched (159.1). He is #4 all time at N.C. State in career wins with 27 and is #5 all time career strike outs with 285.

Donahue was drafted in the 22nd round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft by the Florida Marlins (the #628 player overall.) He played two seasons in the Marlin’s minor league system before going into coaching. He went back to his alma mater and was an assistant coach for four seasons before going on to coach at Georgia for three seasons before going to work in the private sector.

Donahue and his wife, Lisa, have a teenage son, R.J., who currently plays high school baseball at Dalton High School.

Vernon Strickland

Vernon Strickland

Vernon M. Strickland played football at Newnan High School for legendary coach Max Bass from 1988-1990, graduating in 1991, before walking on at Georgia Tech and later earning spots on rosters with various NFL teams.

Strickland was diagnosed with leukemia in the 8th grade and played football while undergoing chemotherapy during his freshman year. His senior year, he played defensive end and led the NHS team with the most sacks in 1990.

Prior to his NHS graduation, Strickland encountered some major events, namely the sudden death of his sister, Tishana, due to a car accident and subsequent birth of his baby brother, that drove his decision to remain close to Newnan. In 1991, he walked on at Defending National Champion, Georgia Tech, where he joined the team as the sixth-string weakside linebacker and redshirted under Coach Bobby Ross. By the end of the 1992 pre-season, under new head coach Bill Lewis, Strickland contended for the number two spot at weakside LB. That season and the next brought disappointing 5-6 records. Strickland was moved to middle LB prior to the 1993 spring and played on special teams and reserve LB that fall.

In 1994, Strickland was moved to running back mid-season and made his on-field debut against North Carolina, where he was slated to share time in the backfield with fellow NHS alum, Derrick Stegall, who was injured early. Later that game, Strickland made a key block on what would have been a game winning drive but ended with a turnover. The loss was part of a 1-7 start, with Lewis being fired. Tech named George O’Leary interim head coach for the remainder of the season, becoming head coach in 1995. Strickland requested to move back to middle LB and following an outstanding spring practice, he was awarded a full scholarship. In the 1995 season opener, he recorded 2 ½ sacks, forced a fumble, and led the team with 9 tackles in a 51-7 win over Furman.

In 1997, Strickland signed with the Berlin Adlers of the German League of American Football as a LB and assistant coach. That season, Strickland led the league in tackles, averaging more than 12 per game. Afterwards, he returned to Tech to complete his degree and graduate with a Bachelor’s in Textile Engineering in March 1998.

The San Francisco 49ers invited Strickland to minicamp in April, after which he signed a 4-year contract. Strickland was waived in the final 53-man roster, however, and re-signed as one of five 49ers practice-squad players for the season. The 49ers allocated Strickland to the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe for spring 1999, and following that preseason, he was named by USA Today as “a key player to watch” and defensive captain on the inaugural Thunder team. Strickland was named NFLE Defensive Player of the Week following a game against the Scottish Claymores where he intercepted a pass to secure victory. Following the season, Strickland reported to camp with the 49ers; and after a strong start, he was injured which caused him to miss three preseason games. He was eventually waived in the final cut of the 1999 preseason. Strickland signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants in 2000 and tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a game versus the Jacksonville Jaguars which ended his NFL career.

After working as a mechanical engineer, Strickland earned his Juris Doctor, with honors, from The Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University.

Strickland is currently Managing Partner at Strickland Debrow LLP. He and his wife, Mak, have a son, Drake, and a daughter, Emmerson Rose. His parents are Vernon and Carolyn Strickland and his brother is Joshua Strickland.

James Warner

James Warner

James Warner is a native of Newnan who played football and basketball at Newnan High School before going on to Athens to become a 4-year letterman in football for the Georgia Bulldogs.

At Newnan, Warner played for legendary coach Max Bass from 1987-1990 as the Cougars put together four winning seasons in a row. Along the way, Warner was named Class AAAA All-State in football. His freshman season, Newnan started the season with a 4-0 record but dropped four of their final six and barely missed the region playoffs. His sophomore year proved to be the most successful one of his prep career as the Cougars lost their opener to Griffin, 17-10 but proceeded to reel off nine straight wins to finish the regular season with a 9-1 mark but were upset in the region playoffs by Morrow, 20-17. The next year they went 6-5 on the season, losing again to the Mustangs in the region playoffs. His senior season brought a disappointing 6-4 record and another miss at the region playoffs.

Following his high school career, Warner went on to Georgia where he lettered in football from 1991 to 1994 under head coach Ray Goff. During that time, the Bullldogs compiled a record of 30-15-1 and went to two bowl games.

As a redshirt freshman, Warner had the distinction of catching a 19-yard pass on offense and recording a quarterback sack in the same game as he played both ways during that season. Georgia went 9-2 during the regular season that year, defeating the likes of LSU, Ole Miss and Auburn while being upset by Vanderbilt. It earned Georgia a trip to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. where they fell to Arkansas, 24-15.

The following season, the Bulldogs finished 10-2 on the season. Wins that year included gaining revenge on Vanderbilt and Arkansas, as well as victories over S. Carolina, Auburn, Ole Miss and Kentucky. The reward for that regular season was a trip to Orlando and the Citrus Bowl where they fell to Ohio St. by a slim, 21-14 margin. Warner’s junior and senior seasons were not as successful as the team went 5-6 and 6-4-1 respectively and missed out on the bowl season those two years.

Warner started ten games as tight end for the Bulldogs his senior season after three-year starter, Shannon Mitchell, graduated. That year he caught four passes for 44 yards and a touchdown. His team lost a heartbreaker to Alabama, 29-28 in Tuscaloosa and tied Auburn, 23-23 on the road.

During his career in Athens, Warner not only earned four letters on the gridiron but won the Letterman’s Award and received the Wallace Butts Award – one of the University’s oldest and most prestigious awards. Butts served as the head coach at Georgia from 1939-1960, compiling a record of 140–86–9. His Georgia teams won a national championship in 1942 and four SEC titles during that time.

Warner has a son, Jamal and a daughter, Tameka.