There is zero doubt that when each member of the 2024 Class of the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame induction class stepped onto the field during their high school football days, they were more than likely the best player in the game. A vast majority of these talented athletes took their talents beyond their high schools and were able to excel at the next level in the pros.
In this year’s Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame induction class, 23 of the 30 players being inducted in the Hall saw their dreams come true when they made the NFL.
Each player entering this year’s Hall who made it all the way to the NFL gave their blood, sweat and tears for a shot to make it at playing professional football.
The most common team that this year’s Hall of Famers played for was the Chicago Bears. Five Hall of Famers in the 2024 Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame class played for Chicago, including Frank Broyles, Tommy Hart, Alec Ogletree, Leonard Pope, and Ben Zambiasi. While Broyles was drafted in 1946 by Chicago in the third round of the NFL Draft, he never got to play a down and instead went into coaching— not a bad alternative for one of the greatest coaches to ever walk the sidelines.
Behind the Chicago Bears, the hometown Atlanta Falcons were the second-highest team on the list with the most inductees playing for them during their careers with four players who dressed out for the Dirty Birds. Alfred Jenkins, Robert Lavette, Andy Spiva and Jessie Tuggle all put on the red and black for the Falcons and played for their hometown team.
Tuggle, a five-time Pro Bowler and 14-year NFL veteran spent his entire professional career playing for the Dirty Birds and recorded 831 total tackles, 21 sacks, five forced fumbles, six interceptions, and six fumble recoveries during his 209 games in uniform for the Falcons. This year’s Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame is not the only time “The Hammer” has been honored for his efforts in Atlanta as the Falcons inducted him into the teams ‘Ring of Honor’ in 2004 as a part of the inaugural class.
In this year’s class, there are four inductees to have the honor of playing in a Super Bowl. Georgie Atkinson, Jerry Mays and Demaryius Thomas each won Super Bowls with their respective teams and are forever known as champions. Thomas appeared in two Super Bowls in his career where he went 1-1, losing to the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 and defeating the Carolina Panthers in 2015. In the Broncos Super Bowl winning season, Thomas recorded a team-high 1,304 yards and six touchdowns, finishing seventh in the NFL.
The 30 legendary players below will be inducted into the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony which will be held next Saturday, October 26 at the College Football Football Hall of Fame at 5 p.m. in Atlanta.
The list includes:
George Atkinson: Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos
Frank Broyles: Chicago Bears
Joe Burns: Buffalo Bills
Edgar Chandler: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots
Thomas Davis: Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers
Jonathan Dwyer: Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals
David Green: Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts
Lauren Hargrove: Green Bay Packers
Tommy Hart: San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints
Len Hauss: Washington Redskins
Kent Hill: Los Angeles Rams, Houston Oilers
Alfred Jenkins: Atlanta Falcons
Homer Jordan: Cleveland Browns
Robert Lavette: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons
Hutson Mason: Washington Redskins
Jerry Mays: San Diego Chargers
Alec Olgletree: St.Louis/Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, New York Jets, Chicago Bears
Leonard Pope: Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears
David Rocker: Los Angeles Rams
Andy Spiva: Atlanta Falcons
Demaryius Thomas: Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Houston Texans, New England Patriots
Jessie Tuggle: Atlanta Falcons
Ben Zambiasi: Chicago Bears
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