VALDOSTA — Thursday night, the Valdosta High Sports Hall of Fame opened its doors to 17 of the best athletes to ever wear the black-and-gold.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, held at the James H. Rainwater Convention Center on Thursday, honored an elite group of Valdosta High athletes.

The accomplishments of the Class of 2007 are staggering. In their playing careers, the 17 athletes combined for 11 All-American honors, 22 All-State selections and countless other honors. Fourteen of the 17 won at least one state championship during their time at Valdosta, and five played on at least one national championship football team. All but two were All-State at least once in their Wildcat careers.

This year’s Hall encompassed multiple decades of Wildcat excellence. There were athletes from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Each one had stories to tell about their playing days. And they all expressed pride in having played for Valdosta High School.

“The commitment to excellence you learned at Valdosta High School stays with you all of your life,” inductee Buck Belue said.

Belue was the first one to be inducted. He was the first player to start all four years at quarterback for Valdosta, and one of the most renowned players in the team’s history, before helping Georgia win the national championship in 1980. He also led the Valdosta baseball team to the state championship his senior year. Belue said becoming a Wildcat was a dream come true.

“I grew up in Valdosta watching Coach Bazemore’s teams win, and dreaming of the day when I’d play for Valdosta,” Belue recalled. “I thought that was as good as it got.”

Like most of the inductees, Belue also reiterated that his success would not have been possible without his teammates and coaches.

“How could you not succeed with an All-Star coaching staff, the best staff in high school football, and all those All-Star players?” Belue asked. “I was a lucky guy to have all that around me.”

The next inductee was another quarterback, John Bond. Bond is considered one of the more colorful players in Wildcat history, but also one of the best. In the 1979 playoffs, Bond’s famous 60-yard run down the Lowndes sideline gave the Wildcats a 24-21 victory.

Bond, who went on to be a four-year starter and an All-American at quarterback for Mississippi State, said it wasn’t easy to play for Valdosta’s football team. He remembered the day at camp in Twin Lakes that he was knocked out by a hard hit. The coaches and other players moved on to running sprints, leaving him laying there. Players were jumping over him while running.

“You learned a lot about toughness at Valdosta,” Bond admitted.

But he was proud to wear the Valdosta uniform.

“The move from Starkville, Miss. to Valdosta was the best move my dad ever made,” Bond said.