THOMASVILLE- During each home game during the 2024 football season, the Thomas County School System will recognize the first class of inductees into the new Thomas County Schools Sports Hall of Fame, which honors significant athletes, coaches, and contributors to the unique tradition of sports in our county.
This week’s inductees for the Florida High game were Billy “Boo” Taylor, Charlie Ward, Sr., and Charlie Ward, Jr.
Billy “Boo” Taylor was arguably the greatest baseball player to call Thomas County home. Taylor is a 1979 Central graduate, where he was a star player for the Yellow Jackets. After being drafted by the Texas Rangers in the second round (39th overall pick) of the 1980 Major League Baseball draft, Taylor would eventually land in the Atlanta Braves farm system. But his remarkable story culminated when in 1994, a full 14 years after being drafted, he finally played in the big leagues with the Oakland A’s. With a 3.50 ERA, he was considered the most important reliever in the A’s bullpen. From 1996 to 1999, Taylor saved 99 games. His best season came in 1998, where he had 33 saves.
Charlie Ward, Sr. was one of the true legends in Thomas County athletic history. Ward, Sr. was a star player at Douglass High School, and would go on to be the featured player at FAMU, where, according to Rattler head coach Jake Gaither, he was the most important player on the field for his team. Ward, Sr. would return to Thomas County to serve as the head coach of the Magnolia High School Buccaneers. After integration, he became a mainstay as part of the coaching staff at Central High School, where he influenced thousands of lives through his special teaching and coaching abilities before retirement.
Charlie Ward, Jr. is considered the greatest athlete in Thomas County history. Ward, Jr. led the 1986 and 1987 football teams to the state semifinals. Also a basketball star, “Junior” played baseball for Central, and hit a home run in his first-ever at bat. He would go on to lead Florida State to their first ever football national championship in 1993, and the Seminole basketball team to the Elite Eight. Junior would also win the Heisman Trophy in 1993 by the largest margin ever in the history of the award. After a long career in the NBA, Junior is now the head basketball coach at Florida High, and led them to a state championship in 2022.
After the induction recognition during pregame, the trio served as honorary captains for the Yellow Jackets coin toss.