This year’s Cullman County Sports Hall of Fame banquet is slated for Saturday, July 20 at Stone Bridge Farms.

The annual induction ceremony — scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. — will usher in the 24th class of the CCSHOF.

Inductees for 2024 include: Amanda Patrick (Cullman), Hilary Stiefelmeyer (Cullman), Robin Conn (Cullman), Dewayne Hill (Holly Pond), Ray Dyer (Hanceville), Perry Hicks (Hanceville), Joey Graves (Cold Springs), Donnie Rice (Cold Springs), Regina Bagwell Jones (West Point), Joseph Winford Smith (Fairview), Taft Dillashaw (Good Hope) and Todd Lindsey (Vinemont).

Let’s take a closer look at Todd Lindsey, Joseph Smith and Hilary Stiefelmeyer below. 

Check out previous print editions or visit www.cullmantimes.com for write-ups on the other inductees.

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Todd Lindsey (Vinemont)

Vinemont High School — Class of 1980

— Lettered in baseball, basketball and football

— Cullman County All-Star Game (baseball)

— Played golf at Wallace State | High school football official for 13 years

— Winner of 45 North Alabama stroke play tournaments

— Cullman County Championship (x12) | Buck Shear Memorial (x8) | Terri Pines Invitational (x8) | Chesley Oaks Open (x3) | Terri Pines Club Championship (x3) | Tennessee Valley Open (x3)

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Inductee Speak

“It’s an honor to be inducted. I’ve always looked at it a little differently because I’m not going in for what I did in high school, but what I’ve done since.”

“This is the 100 percent truth — I’ve won a lot of golf tournaments, but in none of those tournaments was I the best player. In the beginning, I would choke like a dog. But a friend of mine told me something during a round at Terri Pines. He said, ‘You’ve got this mystique about you. No matter how you play, you always shoot the same score.’ I figure if what he said was true then I don’t know why I stress out during these tournaments. It worked out moving forward. I felt like I concentrated better instead of feeling nervous.”

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Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Smith (Fairview)

Fairview High School — Class of 1947

— Left Fairview at age 15 | Joined Navy in response to Pearl Harbor attack | Served as Signalman First Class in Pacific Theater | Ship involved at Okinawa and Iwo Jima

— Returned to Fairview following discharge | Attended Florence State Teachers College (now UNA) | Lettered four years in basketball while serving in ROTC

— Received rank of Second Lieutenant after graduating college

— Won a gold medal in the four-man bobsled at the 1953 World Championship | Team set to represent the United States in the 1956 Olympics before an injury at Olympics trials

— Worked at the USO as Chief of the Armed Forces Entertainment Office | Traveled with celebrities who performed for the USO during Vietnam War, including Bob Hope, Sammy Davis, Jim Nabors and Raquel Welch, among others

— Offered position of Director of Entertainment for Disney and multimillion-dollar deal to write personal memoir, both of which he turned down

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Hilary Stiefelmeyer (Cullman)

Cullman High School — Class of 1994

— Lettered in basketball, volleyball, indoor/outdoor track and field and cross country

— Racked up nine individual state championships and six relay state championships

— Helped Cullman notch state titles in cross country (1990 and 1993), indoor track and field (1992, 1993 and 1994) and outdoor track and field (1994) as well as three runner-up finishes

— Set seven state records | State meet MVP in 1994 (outdoor)

— All-State (cross country | 1991-93)

— Lettered in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field at University of Alabama

— All-SEC | NCAA provisional qualifier | Academic All-SEC

— Played travel softball and women’s professional football

— Six-time CrossFit regional competitor

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Inductee Speak

“Amanda (Patrick) and I have known each other since kindergarten. We played all the sports together. It’s going to be great having her there with me. We are best friends and I love her, so it is great that we get to do this together.”

“I remember playing in pouring down rain in some softball tournaments. Pushing through that was a lot of fun. Getting the triple crown in track — we won indoor, outdoor and cross country that year — was a great memory. Amanda and I always did five events each, so I ran the 400 down and she ran the 400 up.”

“Our coaches were like second dads to us on some of those trips. They put up with a lot of our shenanigans. Our parents never missed a meet, so the support of our parents and coaches really meant a lot to us.”

▶ The News Courier’s Justin Travis contributed to this report.