Stephens County High School will induct nine new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Aug. 29, ahead of the Indians’ home football opener against Cedar Shoals at The Reservation.
Headlining the second Hall of Fame class is Ken Swilling, a four-sport letterman at SCHS and Georgia Tech All-American. Swilling helped lead the Indians to the North Georgia championship game in his senior year and earned multiple honors, including AJC Super 11, first-team All-State, and Parade All-American.
At Georgia Tech, Swilling was a key member of the 1990 national championship team and earned consensus All-America honors. Swilling was later drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played in the NFL with New England, Arizona, and Cleveland. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
Additional inductees include:
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Julius Dixon (Class of 1985): A four-sport letterman in football, wrestling, baseball, and track. He captained the football and track teams and went on to play football at Furman University. Dixon currently works as a teacher and football coach.
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Charlton Veazey: The first head football coach after the consolidation of SCHS and Toccoa High School in 1971. Veazey led the team to a 9-1 regular season in its debut year. He previously served as Greene County High School’s head football coach and athletic director and lettered in football at UGA in 1953. Veazey passed away in 2011.
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Shana Smith: A four-year starter for the Lady Indians basketball team in the late 1980s. Her teams won three region titles and reached the state finals in her senior year. She earned All-State honors and graduated second in career scoring. Smith is a Dartmouth College graduate and now works as a managing director in Washington, D.C.
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Charlie Greene: Head football coach from 1975-1984, Greene guided the Indians to their first-ever win over Gainesville and a deep playoff run in 1977. His teams won region championships in 1975 and 1977. After leaving Stephens County, he coached at Thomas County Central, where he mentored future Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward.
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Anthony Harrison: A multi-sport athlete who lettered in football, baseball, and track. He recorded 11 interceptions during his football career and was named team MVP and All-State in 1982. He went on to play at Georgia Tech. In baseball, he batted .653 his senior year and was named team MVP.
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Lance Skelton: A standout in football, basketball, and track in the late 1970s. Skelton was a defensive leader on the 1977 region championship football team and earned All-State honors. He helped the basketball team reach the Final Four and placed second in the 110-meter hurdles at the state track meet. He played football at Georgia Tech.
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Jerry Brown: A longtime teacher and coach who led the girls’ basketball program for 33 years, compiling five region championships and 15 state tournament appearances. His 1989 team reached the AAA state finals. Brown also served as an assistant football coach for 23 years and coached tennis and baseball during his 42-year education career.
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Eldorado Cochran: A dominant running back during the 1987 and 1988 region championship seasons. He was named Region 8-AAA Running Back of the Year both years and earned All-State honors. Cochran participated in the Georgia-Florida All-Star Game and played college football at Northeast Oklahoma A&M and Troy University.
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Leigh Wilbanks: A key contributor to the Lady Indians basketball team from 1984–87, helping the team to three region titles and a state finals appearance in 1987. She was named Area Player of the Year and All-State her senior season. Wilbanks also lettered in track, cross country, and tennis. She played basketball at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where she served as team captain and squadron commander and was honored as a top 10 cadet in the class of 1991.
The Hall of Fame ceremony will take place before kickoff on Aug. 29.
