TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — Cecil Hurt, a celebrated sports writer who worked at The Tuscaloosa News for nearly 40 years before his death in 2021, will be posthumously inducted into the Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame.
Hurt, who covered the ins and outs of Alabama football from Paul W. "Bear" Bryant to Nick Saban with a writerly flair that gained him countless awards and readers alike, grew up in Huntsville and attended Butler High School. The longtime columnist, who died in 2021 after a short hospitalization for pneumonia, is one of 12 athletes and sports figures who will be inducted into the hall, whose induction ceremony will be held April 14 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville.
Among Hurt's many accolades, Hurt was named Alabama Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association three times and received the Mel Allen Media Award from the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2019. Following his death, a commemorative plaque was placed in the Bryant-Denny Stadium pressroom honoring his life and career.
Others who will be inducted into the hall include:
- Courtney Beasley, basketball guard at Southern Miss
- Bobby Lee Hurt, basketball player at the University of Alabama.
- Tasheika Morris, 1999 Miss Basketball and a four-time All-State selection at Butler High School; she signed with Tennessee out of high school.
- Israel Raybon, two-time All-American for the University of North Alabama football team who went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Carolina Panthers.
- Dwight Scales, a football player at Grambling State who played eight years in the NFL.
- Jayson Swain, all-American receiver at Grissom High School before going on to play at the University of Tennessee.
- Tom Pruett, coached on Huntsville High's soccer team for over 20 years.
- Dale Palmer, softball coach at Sparkman High School who led his teams to over 1,000 wins and six state championships.
- Jeff McCorvey, bowling coach at Alabama A&M who coached the program for 16 years, leading the team to a 2006 runner-up finish in the NCAA tournament and SWAC titles in 2007 and 2010.
- Carlos Matthews, track runner at Alabama who won 10 gold medals in the Alabama State Games.
- Brian Campe, an alumnus of Bob Jones High alum who serves as technical director of Legacy Motorsports.
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