Fairview's Windell Calloway.

Windell Calloway was a little surprised when he got the call, but that feeling of surprise soon turned into honor as the news began to take hold.

“It was a great feeling,” he said. “It was something that I didn’t think would ever happen to be honest.”

Calloway will join the ranks of the Cullman County Sports Hall of Fame when he is inducted with 10 others as part of the 19th class during the annual banquet on Saturday night at the Civic Center.

Calloway, a 1969 Fairview and 1973 Saint Bernard College graduate, coached basketball at the former for 30 years, along with stints as a football, baseball and track coach at the school. He is still coaching basketball at St. Bernard as well.

At Fairview, he coached teams that won a varsity baseball championship, two ninth-grade boys basketball county titles and a junior varsity boys basketball county crown. He also coached Fairview’s first-ever cross 

country team.

Calloway coached the varsity girls basketball team for a stretch as well, and his team won an area title along with back-to-back county tournament crowns.

“I had some really good players during that time,” he said. 

The baseball title was also notable because one of the players on his team, fellow CCSHOF member Greg Boatright, is now the head coach he assists at St. Bernard.

Calloway credited Boatright for bringing him back into coaching after he was out for a few years, which began a partnership that has lasted nearly 15 years.

“I kind of got back into coaching because of that,” he said. “I thank Boat for getting me back into coaching.”

Calloway was a basketball assistant for Boatright at Fairview and stayed on his staff when he went to coach at St. Bernard five years ago.

The partnership has been a fruitful one, as Fairview won three county titles and made a few deep runs in the postseason, and St. Bernard has won three area championships in the last five years. 

“He’s been really good to me letting me do what I want to do and say what I want to say,” Calloway said. 

After 30 years of coaching, Calloway said he doesn’t see a finish line for his career.

“I don’t know. It’s still a lot of fun,” he said. “I like coaching with Greg.”

Whenever he does decide to hang up his clipboard and retire, he said he’ll be honored to do so as one of the select members of the storied Cullman County Sports Hall of Fame.

“I’m thrilled about getting in and very honored,” he said.