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Courtney Kupets Carter, Theron Sapp and Jeff Wallace Selected for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025
by John Frierson
Three all-time Georgia Bulldog greats — Courtney Kupets Carter, Theron Sapp and Jeff Wallace — have been selected for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Carter, one of the greatest collegiate gymnasts ever, and Sapp, one of four UGA football players to have their numbers retired, were selected for their performances as student-athletes. Wallace, who retired in 2023 with 818 wins and six national championships, received the honor for his legendary career coaching the women’s tennis team.
Carter was a star throughout her gymnastics career, earning a bronze medal on the uneven bars and a team silver medal at the 2004 Olympics before arriving at Georgia. As a senior in 2009, she won the Honda Award as the nation’s top gymnast and the Honda Broderick Cup as the nation’s top female student-athlete.
At her final NCAA championships, in 2009, she cemented her place as the most accomplished collegiate gymnast ever by winning individual NCAA titles in the uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise and the all-around. She ended her career with a record nine individual NCAA titles, including three all-around titles. And she did that in just three NCAA Championships appearances, having missed the 2008 event because of a season-ending injury. Carter also coached the GymDogs from 2017-24.
Sapp is a Georgia football legend for more than just one performance against Georgia Tech, but the fullback from Macon earned the nickname “Drought Breaker” when he scored a short touchdown on fourth down for a 7-0 win in 1957 that snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Yellow Jackets. It was the Bulldogs’ first touchdown against Tech in four years.
The touchdown was one of just six that Sapp scored in his career, to go along with 1,269 career yards rushing, but it went down in Bulldog lore alongside some of the biggest in program history. A little more than a year after Sapp’s drought-ending TD, his No. 40 jersey was retired.
An Oregon native, Wallace began his collegiate playing career at Utah. And it was with the Utes, in 1981, that he visited Athens and Georgia tennis’ Henry Feild Stadium for the first time. He liked it so much that he transferred to UGA. After playing his final two seasons for the Bulldogs, winning the SEC title at No. 6 singles in 1984, Less than two years later, Wallace was named head coach of the women’s program.
In 38 seasons as head coach, Wallace turned the Bulldogs into a national powerhouse and one of the most consistent programs at Georgia. In his first season, the Bulldogs went 20-9 but missed the NCAA tournament, which then had a field of just 16 teams. Georgia never missed another NCAAs, and reached the finals five times, including in his second season.
The Bulldogs captured the first of the program’s two NCAA championships in 1994, the first time Georgia hosted the women’s tournament. They won it again in 2000 and played for the championship three other times. Wallace’s teams also won four ITA National Indoor championships, as well as 20 SEC titles. Wallace, who won 80.4% of his matches as head coach, is the only collegiate women’s tennis coach to be named National Coach of the Year four times.
The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, located in Macon, will hold its 69th annual induction ceremony on Feb. 21, 2025, at the Macon City Auditorium. Carter, Sapp and Wallace are the latest in a long line of former Bulldogs inducted into the Hall, joining the likes of Charley Trippi, Teresa Edwards, Dan Magill, Herschel Walker, and many more.
SOC: Dawgs Tie No. 1 Florida State
A first-half goal from graduate forward Tori Penn and a career-high 14 saves from junior goalkeeper Jordan Brown helped the University of Georgia soccer team tie No. 1 Florida State, 1-1, before 1,684 spectators Thursday evening at the Seminole Soccer Complex.
Fast Facts
- Thursday’s match marked the first time in program history in which Georgia (1-1-2) earned a result against a top-ranked team, following four previous losses in such matchups. The result was only the second tie for Florida State (3-0-1) in their current 26-match unbeaten streak which began at the start of last season. It was also the fourth result against a No. 1 squad for Georgia head coach Keidane McAlpine (three wins, one tie).
- Brown posted a career night against an aggressive Seminole attack which tallied a career-high 14 saves against 36 shots, the most allowed in program history. The Las Vegas native nearly matched the program record set by Nicole Williams against Washington in 1999.
- Despite only finishing with six shots on frame, the Bulldogs were able to net a goal and found themselves with numerous chances to extend the margin. In the 15th minute, Penn took hold a terrific through ball from redshirt sophomore midfielder Summer Denigan for the opening score, her first goal since Tennessee in the 2022 SEC Tournament and her second-consecutive match with a point.
- Graduate forward Margie Detrizio led the Bulldogs with four shots and two on frame, while freshman forward Sophia Brelage also pitched in with a pair of shots on goal. Six Bulldogs played a full 90 minutes in the match, with only three substitutes appearing on the field.
Post-Match Quotes
Georgia Head Coach Keidane McAlpine
On Thursday’s draw against No. 1 Florida State…
“I thought for the most part we showed the fight and resiliency we’ve been missing all year—that we’ve only gotten in spurts. For 90 minutes today, we actually put in a shift, and that’s the kind of fight you’ve got to have in games like this. We should’ve been a little bit more clinical in the moments that we did create, and we need to have a little bit more composure, but this is now a game we can build on with the right intensity, the right energy, effort. Now, we can work on our execution and other things.”
On Jordan Brown’s performance…
“Number one, I hate that we gave up that many shots, but at the same time, that’s exactly what we expect of JB. She is that type of keeper. She is that dynamic. I thought she gave us everything we needed and more and gave us a chance to win a game that, quite frankly, we gave them a lot more opportunities than we needed to.”
Up Next
No. 24 Georgia continues its road trip with a contest against UCF on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. in Orlando on ESPN+. Last season, the Bulldogs shocked the Knights, 2-1, with two goals in the final eight minutes of play, including a Hannah White winner in the 90th minute.
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