By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
CENTRE – Coaching legends and multiple sports standouts highlight the Cherokee County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024. The organization announced its latest class between the Cherokee County Basketball Tournament varsity championship games on Saturday at Richard Lindsey Arena in Centre.
The 2024 class is comprised of Joe Carpenter, Tori Davis, Jason Howard, Steve Smith and Rachel Smith. The class will be formally inducted at a banquet in the arena on June 1 at 6 p.m.
“On behalf of the board of directors, it is our pleasure to announce another outstanding class of inductees into the Cherokee County Sports Hall of Fame,” President Sid Garrett said. “The Cherokee Sports Hall of Fame is blessed with tradition and talent among its schools in our county. Congratulations to the 2024 members. Their selection is well deserved.”
Garrett went on to explain the selection process the board follows when selecting new members for the hall of fame.
“The hardest part from a director’s perspective is selecting a class with so many worthy nominations,” he said. “The bylaws that govern the hall of fame elections are held every two years. Once nominated, the nominee will remain on the ballot for three voting cycles.”
Garrett encourages community members to check out the Cherokee County Sports Hall of Fame website (www.cherokeecountyalabamasportshof.com) for more details, including how to nominate a potential candidate.
The following is a synopsis of the Class of 2024 inductees’ careers.
Joe Carpenter
A 1978 graduate of Pickens Academy, Carpenter spent 37 years as an educator and coach at White Plains (1983-84), Ragland (1984-92), and Cedar Bluff (1993-2021).
At Cedar Bluff, Carpenter coached the Lady Tiger track and field teams to seven Class 1A state titles (2000, 2007-12). He also guided the Tiger boys basketball team to two Class 1A state runner-up finishes in 2011 and 2012, and the Lady Tigers to the Final Four in 2013.
Carpenter won a combined 727 basketball games in his coaching career, including seven area championships, five county championships, 23 playoff appearances and 11 regional appearances. He captured his 700th victory in the Lady Tigers’ 65-32 win over Cherokee County High School on Dec. 5, 2019.
On Sept. 15, 2023, as part of a ceremony prior to the Tigers’ football game against Gaylesville, Cedar Bluff School announced a resolution passed by the Cherokee County Commission naming the basketball court in honor of Carpenter.
Carpenter was also part of the Tigers’ success in football. He was defensive coordinator from 1993-2001. The Tigers earned nine state playoff berths in that time.
Carpenter also coached Cedar Bluff’s junior high football teams from 2002-20, with undefeated seasons in 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2014.
Carpenter retired in 2021, but is still helping his son Caleb coach basketball at Ashville.
Tori Davis
Known for her softball and basketball skills at Cherokee County High School, Davis led the Lady Warriors to four straight Class 4A state softball tournament appearances (2010-13), two of which ended in state runner-up showings (2011 and 2012). She was also part of six Cherokee County softball championship teams and area title teams from 2008-13.
As a junior in 2012, Davis compiled a 39-3 record with a 0.60 ERA in the pitching circle. She struck out 275 batters in 255 innings. Davis also delivered at the plate, batting .496 with 17 doubles, five home runs, two triples, 14 walks, 38 runs and 42 RBIs. She was chosen as the Class 4A Player of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association following the season.
Davis had an equally impressive senior softball season in 2013. She went 40-7 in the circle with 447 strikeouts and a 0.47 ERA. At the plate, Davis batted .379 with seven home runs, 38 runs and 54 RBIs. She threw five no-hitters and pitched two perfect games. She also tied the AHSAA state record for fourth with most shutouts in a season (29). Davis was honored by the ASWA as its Player and Pitcher of the Year, as well as a selection on the Super All-State Team.
Cherokee County High School retired Davis’s number 00 in 2015.
In basketball, Davis helped lead the Lady Warriors to two Northeast Regional appearances (2011, 2013), three area championships (2010-13) and three Cherokee County championships (2011-13). She was selected to the Northeast Regional All-Tournament Team in 2013.
Davis scored over 1,000 points in her basketball career and also set the Lady Warrior scoring record in a game with 43 points against Alexandria.
Davis signed a softball scholarship with the University of North Alabama. She suffered an injury to her pitching shoulder which required surgery. Davis battled her way back and helped the Lady Lions win the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championship.
After graduating from UNA in only three years, Davis still had two years of athletic eligibility remaining. She received a scholarship as a graduate transfer to Faulkner University. During the 2017 season, Davis pitched in 17 games and finished with a 1.30 ERA with a season-high 10 strikeouts against Brewton-Parker. In 2018, Davis pitched in 14 games and compiled a 6-1 record with a 1.43 ERA, helping Faulkner advance to its first ever NAIA World Series.
After graduating from Faulkner in 2018 with a master’s degree in Math Secondary Education, Davis was hired as a math teacher and coach at Foley High School.
Jason Howard
In 20 seasons as a head football coach (18 at Spring Garden), Howard compiled a 134-93 overall record, including a 16-12 mark in the playoffs. Two of those years Howard coached at Ohatchee (2010-11), where he graduated in 1989.
During two terms at Spring Garden (2003-09 and 2012-22), Howard compiled a 129-78 record. Under his guidance, the Panthers posted six 10-win seasons, including five straight region championships. Howard led the program to its only undefeated regular season in 2021 and the most wins in school history (12) in back-to-back seasons (2020 and 2021). The Panthers went 10-2 in 2022, Howard’s final season at Spring Garden.
The football field at Panther Stadium was named in Howard’s honor on Feb. 4, 2022.
Howard also found success on the hardwood as the boys basketball coach at Cedar Bluff (1994-03) and Spring Garden (2004-08). He had an overall basketball record of 215-162, including a 73-53 mark at Spring Garden, which included three area championships and two Final Four appearances.
Howard is currently a basketball and softball assistant at Coosa High School in Rome, Ga.
Steve Smith
A 1988 graduate of Cherokee County High School, Smith played at quarterback for head coach Bobby Joe Johnson. He helped lead the Warriors to two area football championships and was an all-state honorable mention as a senior.
Smith passed for a then-school record 1,173 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1987 and was the school record holder for career passing yards with over 2,100 yards.
After graduating from high school, Smith went on to play at Jacksonville State (1988-91). He was part of three Gulf South Conference championship teams as a player under head coach Bill Burgess. Smith also served as a graduate assistant on the Gamecocks’ 1992 Division II national championship team.
After graduating from JSU, Smith had a successful 11-year football coaching reign at Class 1A Cedar Bluff, which includes an 85-45 record with 10 playoff wins and six region championships.
Smith’s football success shifted over to Class 3A Piedmont in 2006. In 17 years at Piedmont, he guided the Bulldogs to a 198-36 record, which includes a 52-12 mark in the playoffs with five state championships, two state runners-up, and 10 region titles.
In 29 years, Smith has a combined record of 288-86, including a 62-22 mark in the playoffs. He just finished his first season as head football coach at Class 3A Westbrook Christian in Rainbow City.
Smith is married to fellow Class of 2024 inductee, the former Rachel Stone.
Rachel Stone Smith
An overall athletic standout at Cherokee County High School in the early 1990s, the former Rachel Stone was part of two 1992 state championship teams in basketball and track and field. She qualified for the state track meet in five events (shot put, discus, mile relay, 400m dash and 4x100m relay). She won gold medals in both the mile relay and 4×100.
But it was the sport of softball in which Smith went on to excel at the collegiate level. At Gadsden State, Smith was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association All-Region Softball First Team Outfield selection in 1993 and 1994.
Her softball success followed her to Jacksonville State, where she was a two-year starter for head coach Jana McGinnis in 1995 and 1996 – JSU’s first two seasons at the Division I level. As a senior in 1996, she earned First Team All-Trans American Athletic Conference and was GTE Second Team All-South Region as an outfielder.
A member of the All-Conference Team, Smith delivered a walk-off hit against host Campbell University in the TAAC championship game to give JSU the conference title. The win secured the Gamecocks’ first NCAA Softball Regional berth, where JSU traveled to Seattle to play top-ranked Washington.
Smith left JSU in the career top 10 in batting average, doubles, triples and stolen bases.
Following her master’s in education, Smith went on to become the varsity volleyball and junior high girls basketball head coach at Sand Rock in 1998. She was also assistant softball coach in 1999 before becoming that sport’s head coach from 2000-01.
Smith later went on to become the head softball coach at Piedmont High School in 2014 and is still coaching there today. The Lady Bulldogs are coming off a 39-win season in 2023 and their third consecutive state tournament appearance. Following last season, Smith was named the Class 3A Softball Coach of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.
Smith is married to fellow Class of 2024 inductee Steve Smith.