Jay to induct four into Athlete Hall of Fame

Jay High School will induct four people into the high school's Athlete Hall of Fame during halftime of Friday's home football game against Wewahitchka.

Members of the second class of inductees are Truss Shell, Terry Diamond, Rick Weekes and Matthew Dobson.

Jay's first Hall of Fame class was inducted in 2019, which included Merle V. North, Benny Russell, Dr. C. David Smith, Coach John Clarence Smith, Kristi Jernigan and James McDaniel.

Shell

Shell graduated from Jay High School in 1949 where he played basketball. As an honor student he accelerated graduation and skipped the 11th grade.

He served as assistant baseball, football and basketball coach for the Royals beginning in 1960. He served as the head baseball coach from 1960 to 1965 with the Royals winning the district championship in 1964 and 1965.

Shell served as principal of Jay Elementary School from 1965 to 1987 and as a coach, parent and grandparent he has attended more than 1,500 Jay High School sporting events.

Shell was a member of the inaugural class at Pensacola Jr. College, received a bachelor's degree from Troy State University and a master's degree from Auburn University.

Diamond

A 1966 graduate of Jay High School, Diamond played football, basketball, baseball and ran track.

While in high school, Diamond was voted Mr. JHS, Most Athletic and Most Popular.

Diamond is one of three Jay players to make the All Escambia River Conference team in all four sports in one year. He played on six different district championship teams.

He retired as a teacher and coach from Jay, having coached four different sports. He served as head softball coach for one year and head baseball coach for 22 years, where Jay won 11 district championships, and attended five final fours.

Diamond was named ERC Coach of they Year four times, in 2007 he was named the Florida Class 2A Coach of the Year and Jay High School Teacher of the Year in 1988.

Diamond attended Jefferson Davis Jr. College on a basketball scholarship in 1966-1968 and attended William Carey University on a basketball scholarship.

Weekes

Weekes graduated from Jay in 1970 where in played football, basketball, baseball and ran track. He was a member of Jay's 1970 baseball state championship team. He was named to the ERC All Conference Teams for four years in baseball, three years in basketball and two years in football.

Some of Weekes' sports highlights include pitching eight innings in the 1970 state baseball championship game vs. Zephyrhills with a 0.00 ERA in Jay's 1-0 victory. He also had a 0.00 ERA in six and two-thirds innings on the mound against Melbourne Central Catholic in a 3-2 Jay victory.

Weekes played baseball from 1971 to 1973 at the University of South Alabama and played at the University of West Florida in 1974.

Dobson

Dobson is a 1987 graduate of Jay High School where he ran cross country for four years, played basketball for one year and ran track for six years.

In 1987 he won the state championship in track in in one-mile run; he was All-State in track in the two-mile run in 1985 and 1987; All State in cross country in 1986; 1987 district champion in the one-mile and two-mile runs.

Dobson lettered in track all six years at Jay.

He holds the school record for the one-mile run with a time of 4:31 and school record for the two-mile run with a time of 10:10. He also holds the school record in the 1,600 meter run, 3,200 meter run and cross country.

Dobson received the Jay Quarterback Club's Most Valuable Athlete and Most Valuable Player Awards in 1987. He was the quarterback club's MVP in cross country from 1984 through 1987 and was named the Pensacola News Journal's Track Athlete of the Year in 1987.

Dobson continues his love for track by not only running but helping organize local 5-K runs around the community.

He has competed in the Boston Marathon and the Chicago Marathon and in 2004 was the first American to win the Walt Disney World Marathon.

His personal records include 2:27 in the marathon; 29:31 in the 10K; 14:24 in the 5K and 4:13 in the mile.