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By Mark Brock
DCSD Athletics Specialist
DeKalb County is well represented in the 2025 class of the Georgia Football Hall of Fame with four inductees gracing the stage on Saturday, Oct. Oct. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta.
Avondale’s Danny Buggs (1970), Chamblee’s Steve Wallace (1981), Dunwoody’s Harris Barton (1981) and Redan’s Chris Gardocki (1987) join 29 others in the Hall’s fourth class.
Wallace and Barton were both part of the long history of the Chamblee and Dunwoody football rivalry and joined forces as bookend tackles with the San Francisco 49ers where they helped pave the way to three Super Bowl titles (1988, 1989, 1994).
Redan’s Chris Gardocki also won a Super Bowl ring as a punter for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006 (Super Bowl XL). Avondale’s Danny Buggs played in three different professional leagues (NFL, CFL, USFL) winning a Canadian Football League Grey Cup title alongside Warren Moon for the Edmonton Eskimos in 1980.
One other connection with the Hall of Fame class is Fabian Walker of Americus who coached quarterbacks at Chamblee for three years while his son Fabian Walker Jr. was playing for the Bulldogs.
Prior to Saturday’s induction ceremonies the inductees will be honored at the Georgia Football Hall of Fame game at North DeKalb Stadium as the Chamblee Bulldogs host the Dunwoody Wildcats in the annual Gold Spike rivalry game at 8:00 pm. The game and special interviews with some of the 2025 class will be televised on WANF 46 and Peachtree TV.
Danny Buggs – Avondale (1970)
A product of traditional football power Avondale High School in DeKalb County, Buggs was a highly touted wide receiver recruit.
Buggs signed with the legendary Bobby Bowden and the West Virginia Mountaineers where is considered as one of the greatest receivers in school history alongside Reggie Rembert, Jerry Porter, Chris Henry and David Stills. In 1972 Buggs scored 84 points, including punt returns, and averaged a touchdown for every five times he touched the football.
He was named a 1973 Kodak first-team All-America and owns the longest reception from the line of scrimmage in school history at 96 yards in a game against Penn State that same year. He also became the first West Virginia receiver to post back-to-back 100-yard receiving games. He ranks fourth at West Virginia, both receiving yards (1,796) and touchdowns (15) with a school best 20.9 yards per reception in his career.
Buggs was selected in the third round of the 1975 NFL draft by the New York Giants (2 years) and had his best NFL season with the Washington Redskins (Commanders) with 46 receptions for 631 yards and a touchdown in 1979. He ended his NFL career with 110 receptions for 1,572 yards and four touchdowns.
He went on to sign and play four games with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL in 1980 and caught a 55-yard pass in the Grey Cup championship game won in a 48-10 blowout over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Buggs finished his professional career in the USFL playing for the Tampa Bay Bandits (1983) and San Antonio Gunslingers (1984-1985).
Since his retirement Buggs has been a big part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes working in DeKalb County as well as with various colleges.
Steve Wallace – Chamblee (1981)
A three-time Super Bowl champion offensive tackle Steve Wallace graduated from Chamblee High School in DeKalb County during one of the best runs in Bulldog football history.
Wallace signed with Auburn University where he blocked for Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson and player for Hall of Fame coach Pat Dye. He went on to win third-team All-America honors as a senior at Auburn.
The Bulldog graduate, coming in at 6-5, 280 pounds, was drafted by both the NFL San Francisco 49ers (4th round) and the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions in 1986.
He went on to be part of three Super Bowl champion teams with the 49ers in 1988, 1989 and 1994 before retiring in 1997 as a Kansas City Chief. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1992 and an alternate in 1993 and 1994. He also was named the NFL’s Community Player of the Year/Extra Effort Award winner in 1992. He was named to the All-Rookie team in his first season and to four All-Madden teams due to his “tenacious” play recognized by television commentator and former NFL coach John Madden.
While playing with the 49ers he protected Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana’s blind side and revolutionized the left tackle position to the extent of becoming first NFL lineman to earn a lucrative contract. His 49ers coach Bill Walsh talked about Wallace being one of his favorite players. In his 21 years of football from middle school to the professional level Wallace was never on a team to experience a losing season.
Wallace has a non-profit organization in The Steve Wallace Foundation for Everyday Championship which works with educating and rebuilding youth self esteem and character.
Wallace is also a member of the state of Alabama Football Hall of Fame for his time as a player at Auburn.
Harris Barton – Dunwoody (1981)
Another in the history of a long line of DeKalb County linemen, Harris Barton graduated from Dunwoody High School in 1981 being recruited by over 100 colleges including the likes of University of Southern California, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.
Barton decided to go play at the University of North Carolina under head coach Dick Crum with the possibility of playing defensive line. That changed in his first summer at UNC as he moved to center and went on to become a four-year starter first at center and midway into his sophomore year moving to left tackle for the rest of his college career.
He went on to earn several All-America awards including the NCAA’s All-American Scholar/Athlete Team and Academic All-Atlanta Coast Conference on his way to a BA in finance in 1987 while earning the ACC’s Outstanding Offensive Lineman award.
In 1986, Barton was drafted in the first round (22nd pick) of the NFL Draft by the San Franciso 49ers where he joined his Chamblee rival Steve Wallace on the offensive line. He was the first offensive lineman chosen in the first round by the 49ers since Forrest Blue in 1968.
He was the NFL’s Rookie of the Year runner-up in his first season and would go on to play in 138 games over his 10-year career, including 134 starts. He had a streak of 89 consecutive games including three Super Bowls (1988, 1989 and 1994) with the 49ers. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1993 and was a two-time All-Pro selection.
He is a member of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of North California (2006) and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (2011) and the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame (2018). In 2021, Barton got recognized for his college football career with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Barton founded Champion Charities with former 49er and business partner Ronnie Lott after both his parents developed and died of brain cancer. The foundation raises money to fund brain tumor research as the University of California in San Francisco. He also donates his time to a number of organizations including REDF, The First Tee amongst others.
Chris Gardocki – Redan (1987)
Chris Gardocki came out of Redan High School in 1987 as one of the most prolific kicker/punters in DeKalb County history and went on to a stellar college and NFL career.
Gardocki is second all-time in DeKalb County in career kicking points with 196 with the most 50-yard field goals on record with four including tied for first with a long of 59. He also had a 58-yard kick in 1987 and two 52-yard efforts in 1986.
He finished first in kick scoring twice in DeKalb 74 points (38-40 PATs, 12-17 FGs) in 1985 and with 73 points (34-34 PATs; 13-23 FGs) in 1987. He finished tied for fifth in punting average in one season with 35 punts for a 48.8 yard average in 1985.
He signed with Clemson University and after three years declared for the NFL draft in 1991 and was the 78th pick overall (3rdround) by the Chicago Bears. During his Clemson career he was a two-time First Team All-ACC (1989, 1990), a second-team All-American (1990) and third-team All-American (1989).
His NFL career spanned 15 seasons with four teams including Chicago (1992-94), Indianapolis (1995-1998), Cleveland (1999-2003) and Pittsburgh (2004-2006). He set a then NFL record for most consecutive punts (1,177 for his career) with no blocks. He was selected for the Pro Bowl in 1996 after averaging a career best 45.7 yards for the Colts.
He was a two-time NFL punting yards leader (1999, 2000), First-team All-Pro (1996) and second-team All-Pro (2000). He capped his career with a Super Bowl title in 2006 with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
2025 Induction Class
Listed in chronological order
E Tom Nash, Washington-Wilkes (1922)
FB Johnny Stumpy Thomason, Tech (1924)
RB Jack The Ripper Roberts, Albany (1927)
E Jack Rudolph, Grady (1954)
RB Jimmy Burson, LaGrange (1958)
WR Frank Pitts, Archer (1958)
QB Kim King, Brown (1962)
QB Walt Frazier, Howard (1962)
QB Paul Gilbert, Athens (1965)
WR Danny Buggs, Avondale (1970)
QB Stan Bounds, Valdosta (1971)
DE Reggie Wilkes, Southwest Atlanta (1973)
LB Chip Banks, Laney (1977)
WR Lindsay Scott, Wayne County (1977)
WR Willie Gault, Griffin (1978)
DL Freddie Gilbert, Griffin (1979)
LB/RB Knox Culpepper, Lovett (1980)
L Harris Barton, Dunwoody (1981)
L Steve Wallace, Chamblee (1981)
WR Sterling Sharpe, Glennville (1982)
P Chris Gardocki, Redan (1987)
LB/DL Coleman Rudolph, Valdosta (1988)
RB Robert Toomer, Worth County (1991)
RB/DB Robert Edwards, Washington County (1992)
LB Keith Brooking, East Coweta (1993)
DB Kirby Smart, Bainbridge (1996)
L Curt McGill, Brookwood (1996)
QB Fabian Walker, Americus (1998)
DB Carlos Rogers, Butler (1999)
QB Josh Nesbitt, Greene County (2006)
QB Cam Newton, Westlake (2006)
DB/RB Greg Reid, Lowndes (2008)
RB Isaiah Crowell, Carver-Columbus (2010)
BOLD: DeKalb County Alumni
Photos provided by Mark Brock, Athletics Specialist for DeKalb County School District(DCSD).