Stillman College Reveals 2026 Class Of Inductees To Athletics Hall Of Fame

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Stillman College on Tuesday announced it will induct seven new members into its Athletics Hall of Fame during Homecoming Week in February.

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The Class of 2026 includes former football coaches Theopolius Danzy and Dennis Conner, athletics contributor Mason Bonner, and four former student-athletes: Cedric Walker (baseball), Frankie Peoples (men’s basketball), Charles Ross (men’s basketball) and Myles Thrash (men’s basketball).

The induction ceremony is set for Feb. 6, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. at Downtown Social, located at 400 20th Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa.

Tickets for the Hall of Fame Induction Breakfast are on sale for $40 and can be purchased online.

Inductees will also be honored during Stillman’s Homecoming basketball games on Feb. 7, when the Tigers host Maxwell Air Force Base at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

“Our 2026 Hall of Fame class reflects the very best of Stillman College — competitive excellence, strong academic commitment, and a lifelong dedication to service and leadership,” Stillman Athletics Director Terrance Whittle. “These inductees helped to build the tradition our current student-athletes are now carrying forward.”

Here's a look at the honorees, along with their bios provided by Stillman College

THEOPHILUS DANZY - FOOTBALL HEAD COACH

Theophilus "Theo" Danzy revived the Stillman College football program as the first NCAA head coach in 1999 and served as the program's longest-tenured head coach. He led the program for seven seasons, compiling a 39-28 record, including an 8-2 run in 2002 as an independent NCAA Division III program. The 2002 season included a 35-28 win over NCAA Division I-AA SWAC member Texas Southern. Stillman football had been on hiatus since the 1950 season. After a 3-5 first season, Danzy's Tigers had a streak of six non-losing seasons, including a 6-4 mark in the program's first year in NCAA Division II competing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). A graduate of Tuscaloosa Industrial High School (later called Druid High School), Danzy attended Tennessee State University, Northeastern University and Southern University. He began his coaching career in 1958 at Rutherford County High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and spent 38 years in the college coaching profession, compiling an 83-89-3 record as head coach at Prairie View A&M, Alabama A&M, Alcorn State, Miles College and Stillman. Danzy, who died in 2012 at the age of 82, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously.

DENNIS CONNER - FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Dennis Conner served as defensive coordinator for Stillman College under its first 10 seasons since the program was revived in 1999. During his tenure as the longest-serving Stillman defensive coordinator, the Tigers compiled a 33-24 record in NCAA Division III and 21-20 in NCAA Division II. Conner was a finalist for the 2005 NCAA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year, presented by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and was nominated again in 2008. His defenses produced seven SIAC All-Conference selections, seven All-Americans, four NFL players, and several AFL and CFL players. A Central High School graduate, Conner played football at Jackson State University, where he was a Sheridan Black College All-American and competed in three SWAC Championships. He began his coaching career at Central in 1989, including helping coach the Falcons to the 1991 AHSAA Class 6A championship. He returned to Central in 2010 as head coach for 10 seasons. He currently serves as Assistant Athletic Director and Dean of Students at Central High School, and has been employed by Tuscaloosa City Schools for 37 years.

MASON BONNER - CONTRIBUTOR

Mason Bonner has served Stillman College in various roles for more than 30 years spanning three stints of time since 1983. Serving primarily in student recruitment in the Office of Admissions, Bonner was the College's Director of Admissions from 1985-2004. He recruited several Stillman student-athletes, including SC Athletics Hall of Fame members, to campus, traveling across the U.S., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He served as the play-by-play announcer for Stillman College football and basketball in the 1990s and 2000s and has served as the public address announcer for basketball and volleyball for nearly a decade. In his current role as Director of Community Engagement, he has helped involve student-athletes in community service projects throughout Tuscaloosa. He has served as chair of the Stillman College Athletics Hall of Fame since its inception in 2022. A graduate of Druid High School, Bonner played basketball at Middle Tennessee State University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1974. He was a recipient of the President's Lifetime Achievement Award presented by President Joe Biden in 2024.

CEDRIC WALKER - BASEBALL

A 1985 alumnus of Stillman College, Cedric Walker was a three-year letterman and two-time captain of the Stillman College Baseball team. After being awarded the Willie Charles Memorial Award for Outstanding Performance in 1982, Walker was a two-time SIAC All-Conference selection in 1983 and 1984 at third base. He was recognized by NCAA News as one of the top NCAA Division III players in the country in 1984 and was among the nation's leaders in doubles with 13. Prior to coming to Stillman, Walker hit .422 with 19 hits and 19 RBIs through 17 games as a freshman at Calhoun Junior College. In addition to several community awards, his other Stillman College honors include receiving the National Alumni Association's Leadership Award in 2014, being recognized as an Outstanding Alumnus in 2017, the Stillman Alumni Outstanding Service Award in 2018 and Stillman College Alumni Hall of Fame inductee in 2025. Over the past 20 years, he has provided more than $200,000 in scholarships or paid internships to students from various colleges, including Stillman College, where he is a member of the Magnolia Legacy Giving Circle at the Gold Level. Walker is the founder and CEO of Construction Works, Inc., located in Lithonia, Georgia.

DR. FRANKIE PEOPLES - MEN'S BASKETBALL

A 1974 graduate of Stillman College, Dr. Frankie Peoples played four years of men's basketball at Stillman for coaches Anderson Jackson and Willie Coward. Peoples currently serves as an assistant professor at Stillman College, teaching many Stillman student-athletes. His career in education includes time as department chair for health and physical education at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, and a stint at Concordia College in Selma, Alabama, where he served not only as an assistant professor, but as chair of the Concordia College Athletics Advisory Committee, athletic director and head men's basketball coach. He has also served as athletic director and head basketball coach at Alabama Lutheran Academy and principal at Brantley Elementary School, both in Selma.

DR. CHARLES ROSS, JR. - MEN'S BASKETBALL

A 1955 graduate of Stillman College, Charles Ross, Jr., was a four-year captain of the initial four-year college men's team for the Tigers from 1951-55 for Coach L.V. Coleman. Born in Bessemer, Alabama, he played basketball and football at Wenona High School before coming to Tuscaloosa. The 6'2 guard was a consistent and top scorer for the Tigers during its early years of men's basketball and also played tennis. He was selected the College's Best All-Around Athlete his senior year. After graduating with a degree in English, he went on to earn a Master's in Social Work from the University of Chicago in 1960. He served as director of the Community Participation and Action Welfare Council on Chicago's West side from 1964-68. He was a two-time candidate for U.S. Congress. He joined the faculty at Ohio State University in 1970 as an associate professor in the College of Social Work and served as the inaugural chairperson of the Black Studies Department. He served at Ohio State for more than 35 years prior to his death in 2013. He was inducted into the Oho Civil Rights Commission Hall of Fame in 2013. He will be inducted posthumously.

MYLES THRASH - MEN'S BASKETBALL

A member of the Stillman College Men's Basketball 1,000 Point Club, Myles Thrash was a four-year player for Stillman during its NCAA Division III era under Coach Larry Robinson. Trash, a 5-foot-10 guard from Mobile, Alabama, scored 1,734 points in 97 games played during his career with Stillman, and sits fourth all-time in Stillman basketball scoring behind Stillman College Athletics Hall of Fame members Jim Toombs, Purvis Presha and Lester Dent. During his senior season in 1998-99, Thrash set Stillman's DIII era single-season scoring record with 625 points, breaking his previous record of 592 points in 1997-98. Thrash went on to play professionally for 10 years with experience in the CBA, Mexico and Venezuela. Thrash has coached high school girls' basketball at Brentwood HIgh School and Battle Ground Academy in Tennessee. He has been named the TSSAA District 3 Coach of the Year multiple times.

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