G. Barry Willoughby’s résumé has all the makings of a Hall of Famer.

Still, when the 1963 Cullman graduate received word he’d be a part of this year’s Cullman County Sports Hall of Fame class, he simply couldn’t help but be somewhat taken aback.

Willoughby’s surprise will likely wear off when he and nine other local legends are formally inducted into the prestigious group during a banquet celebrating the aforementioned 18th class at the Civic Center this Saturday night.

His excitement, though? Not so much.

“I didn’t think this would ever happen to me,” he said. “I thought it would be somebody else. It’s a huge honor. I’m excited about seeing some of my old teammates, coaches and friends. It’s something that I’m definitely looking forward to, even if I’m still a little bit shocked.”

Willoughby was a football giant for the Bearcats, securing All-Tennessee Valley Conference honors (1961-62) and All-State accolades (1962) as a lineman under heralded head coach Oliver Woodard.

He was a key part of the 1962 Black and Gold squad that went a perfect 10-0 en route to a state championship. The exceptional team outscored its opponents 399-78 and allowed seven or fewer points in seven outings.

One of Willoughby’s more memorable moments came in a 20-0 home victory over Decatur.

“We played in front of about 15,000 folks,” he recalled. “It was a really big game back then and, of course, I was involved with a whole lot of special people, players and coaches as well. Most of that 1962 team had been playing together since we were Pee Wees. Then, we didn’t really have a big team in numbers. There were only 27 players or so. Today, that’s unheard of really.”

Bobby Waters, Leslie Kelley, John Calvert, Wayne Trimble and Wayne Chappell also collected All-State recognition. Chappell is set to join the Cullman County Sports Hall of Fame alongside his former teammate on Saturday.

Willoughby took the next step of his gridiron career after graduation when he inked a football scholarship to the University of Alabama and began playing for longtime Crimson Tide head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant shortly afterward.

In Tuscaloosa, Willoughby played for two national championship teams (1964 and 1965) and helped Alabama nab a 39-4 record over the course of four wildly successful seasons.

Oh, they also beat Auburn three of those four campaigns.

The biggest blessing, however, came via the aforementioned Bryant.

“Playing for him, we all had a lot of respect for him,” Willoughby said. “We didn’t realize what kind of coach he was until we got out and moved on. He was a great one. Great coach and great man. He just wasn’t one of our favorite people to see coming toward us when it was practice time.”

What Willoughby is looking forward to, though, is Saturday night.

“I can’t wait to get there,” he said.