Bonham -- The Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame will hold its annual inductee banquet on Saturday, February 5, 2005. The banquet will be held at the Finley-Oates Elementary Cafeteria (just east of Warrior Stadium) in Bonham, Texas beginning at 6:30 p.m. Five individuals will be honored during the annual installation banquet, bringing the total membership to 91.
The special speaker for the banquet will be Jerry Moore, head coach of Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Moore, a 1957 graduate of Bonham High School, has been the Mountaineers' head coach for the past 14 years. He has the most wins of any coach in the Southern Conference with a record of 115-55. Moore has been named Southern Conference Coach of the Year on three occasions and AFFCA Region Coach of the Year twice. After graduating from Bonham High School, he moved on to a successful playing career at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
The five inductees that will be honored on this special evening include: M.B. Nelson, Jim Acree, T.C. (Cotton) Ford, Joe Lynn Dodson and Randy McFarlin.
M.B. Nelson became head coach at Bonham High School in 1955 and turned a losing football program into district champions.
Jim Acree was hired as head football coach at Bonham High School when M.B. Nelson became the high school principal.
T.C. (Cotton) Ford came to Bonham in 1962 and was an outstanding assistant coach under head coach Jack McElhannon. Nolan Ashmore was also an assistant coach at the time and M.B. Nelson was the BISD Superintendent.
Joe Lynn Dodson coached boys and girls basketball for 38 years, mostly at Savoy. During that time, his teams won 32 district championships.
Randy McFarlin, a 1973 graduate of Bonham High School, became head coach at Daingerfield High School in 1998 and took his team to the state finals in his first year. His biggest win came in 2002 when Daingerfield defeated Celina, breaking their national winning streak record.
Tickets for the banquet are $10 for adults and $7 for children 12 or under. Tickets may be purchased at the following locations: Bonham State Bank, American Bank of Texas in Bonham, Fannin Bank in Bonham, First National Bank of Trenton, American Bank of Texas in Leonard, Farmers & Merchants Bank in Ladonia, Farmers & Merchants Bank in Honey Grove, Bonham Chamber of Commerce and Jelly Ford's in Bonham.