BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - The late Kevin Turner is being inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame along with other former NFL players Carnell Williams, Jeff Herrod and Takeo Spikes.
Former major league closer Todd Jones is also part of the eight-person class announced Wednesday. They’ll be inducted on May 13, 2017.
Turner was an Alabama team captain in 1991 who went on to play eight seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. He died on March 24 after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Williams and Spikes both starred for Auburn.
Spikes played for five NFL teams and was a two-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection. He was the team captain 13 times during his 15-year career.
Williams led Auburn in rushing three times, setting school marks for career rushing attempts (741) and touchdowns (45). He was the fifth overall pick by Tampa Bay in the 2004 NFL draft and was the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He played five seasons with the Buccaneers and one with the St. Louis Rams before retiring.
Jones, a former Jacksonville State standout, played with nine different teams during a 16-season Major League Baseball career and made the American League All-Star team in 2000. He set a Detroit Tigers’ record with 42 saves. His 318 career saves ranks 14th on the all-time list.
The other inductees include former Auburn basketball player Lee DeFore; longtime Alabama defensive coordinator Ken Donahue and former Alabama athletic trainer Jim Goostree, who died in 1999.
DeFore was Auburn’s first 1,000-point scorer, averaging 19.0 points during his career. He led the Southeastern Conference in scoring as a senior in 1965-66 with a 23.7-point average.
Donahue spent 38 seasons as an assistant football coach, including 21 as Alabama’s assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.
Goostree spent 27 years as Alabama’s athletic trainer and was inducted into the National Athletic Trainer’s Association’s Hall of Fame in 1984.
Herrod was Mississippi’s leading tackler in three of his four seasons, setting single-game (28) and season (168) records. He spent 10 seasons with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and one with the Eagles.
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