Dalton grad Mayo selected for Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame

Bill Mayo, the boy who graduated from Dalton High School back in 1981, is to be enlisted in the list of the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame, 2024.

It wasn’t until 2022 that Georgia constructed a hall of fame for high school football. Mayo was named as part of the initial class when he was nominated but, he was listed among the 30 legends to be inducted into the football bowl hall of fame in the 2024 class.

Mayo was taken aback by the award and the honor given her by Dalton High School, she had this to say, “I am very honored to be included in the hall of fame and to represent Dalton High School,” Mayo said.

The new inductees of the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame, selected for the Class of 2024, are listed above, and they will be officially enshrined at a banquet on October 26, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

The journey of this great player to the hall of fame can be dated back to his performances while at the Dalton High School under the leadership of his coach Bill Chappell. When in Dalton, Mayo showed remarkable prowess in football to the extent of being selected for the Georgia Class 3A All-State Selection in both the junior and the senior year but was further recognized as the Class 3A Lineman of the Year in the year 1980. On the field, his performance was impeccable but not only him was an outstanding athlete, he was also a straight-A student who later became an Academic All-American.

Mayo was recruited from high school, Mt. San Antonio College, in 1981 through the University of Tennessee where he played under the team’s head coach Johnny Majors. While he was with Volunteers, Mayo established himself as quite a player and would be a four year letterman; first year he received an honorable mention All-SEC, in the following years 1983 and 1984, Mayo was awarded the First Team All SEC, in 1984 Mayo got the SEC Lineman of the year, and the same year Mayo earned the NCAA Consensus All-American. Mayo’s steadiness and performance proved to be valuable for the team since he played most games 46 out of 47 starting.

After retiring from active playing a profession, this man moved to other affiliated activities most notably as a coach to nurture talents. Depending on the type of program pursued, the usual progression can be followed: Mayo started his coaching career as a Graduate Assistant Coach at the University of Tennessee. After his initial coaching experience at Dungoyne, Mayo took up numerous coaching positions upon his return home. He was with the Dalton Parks and Recreation Department for nine years and then assigned at the Dalton Middle School for another nine years, which was his duty to develop the young talents for athletic sport. Among his coaching achievements, one can identify the commitment Mayo had to Dalton High with dedicating 12 years of dedicated work on molding the football program and nurturing student athletes.