Morten Andersen, Calvin Johnson and Dikembe Mutombo headline the latest list of selections for the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame.
Chosen along with those three were Garland Pinholster, Gary Stokan and Margaret Matthews Wilburn. An induction ceremony is planned for Feb. 8 at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Andersen played for the Falcons from 1995-2000 and again from 2006-07. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Andersen is best remembered locally for his field goal in overtime that defeated the Minnesota Vikings to win the 1998 NFC championship. His kick propelled the Falcons to their first Super Bowl appearance.
Johnson ranks as one of the great football players in Georgia Tech history, playing for the Yellow Jackets from 2004-06. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions as the second player chosen in the 2007 NFL draft. Before he played at Tech, Johnson was a star for Sandy Creek High School.
Mutombo spent five seasons with the Hawks, signing in July 1996 as a free agent, and is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Hawks reached the NBA playoffs in three of Mutombo’s five seasons with the team. He made three All-Star appearances while playing for the Hawks and was twice chosen as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Pinholster was the head men’s basketball coach at Oglethorpe from 1956-66 and led the Stormy Petrels to the semifinals of NCAA Division II tournament in 1963. Oglethorpe’s teams were a combined 181-67 with Pinholster as coach.
Stokan is the CEO and president of the Peach Bowl. He served as president of the Atlanta Sports Council from 1988-2009. In that role, Stokan played a significant role in elevating Atlanta’s status in the sports world, particularly in college football. That status helped the city secure the College Football Hall of Fame, which opened in Atlanta in 2014.
Wilburn attended the now-defunct David T. Howard High School, where she became a Georgia long-jump champion in 1952 and 1953. At the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Wilburn won the bronze medal in the 4x100 meters.
