HOF induction banquet Saturday

By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
San Diego Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers will be the featured speaker at the 2008 Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet Saturday at the Decatur Holiday Inn.
He’ll be on hand to help present his father, Steve Rivers, with a special gift - induction into the county hall of fame.
The rest of the 2008 induction class includes Hartselle’s Walton Ashwander and Harry Puckett, and Bill Nelson of Falkville.
The seven members of the 2008 induction class will be honored at a special banquet June 14 at the Holiday Inn in Decatur with a 6 p.m. reception and a 7 p.m. banquet.
The Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame was created in 1989 as a way to honor past legends from the county. Seven members are inducted each year.
Puckett was a standout football player at Morgan County High School (now Hartselle) before serving in the U.S. Navy for two years.
After leaving the service, Puckett played college football at Milligan College in Johnson City, Tenn. While at Milligan, Puckett helped lead the school to a 9-1-1 mark just two years before the school disbanded its football program.
Puckett served as a high school football official for 20 years after leaving Milligan.
Nelson was a basketball standout at Falkville High School and later at St. Bernard College in Cullman.
He helped lead Falkville to the county championship in 1957.
After graduating from Falkville, Nelson stepped into the starting lineup at St. Bernard, a spot he held for four years.
St. Bernard won the 1960 NAIA regional championship.
After leaving college, Nelson served as a high school basketball official for 10 years. He also stayed active as a player, participating in independent league basketball for seven years.
Ashwander, who now lives in Hartselle, came out of Decatur High School to sign a golf scholarship at Auburn.
He was a four-year letter-winner at Auburn, playing on the Tigers’ 1981 SEC championship team.
A Golf Magazine honorable mention all-American, Ashwander was ranked in the top 100 amateur golfers in the world.
He played two years of pro golf before a shoulder injury forced him from the sport.