Tex Hamm

Tex Hamm was a two-sport athlete for the Thomasville Bulldogs in basketball and track. One of the pivotal players on the 1968-69 region championship basketball team, he would earn Most Valuable Player for the ‘Dogs as they made it to the Final Four of the 1969 state playoffs. Hamm and fellow Hall of Famer Rick Massey were Bulldog co-captains and leaders of the team.

Films have been made about the important role athletes in our high schools played during the difficult days of integration. Tex Hamm served as a steadying force inside and outside the locker room and on the court, helping to smooth the transition of black and white players competing together for the first time. His positive influence combined with his impressive athletic ability provided an anchor for the respect he would earn from all of his teammates. He was elected as a class officer for his senior class, and has continued to serve as a convener of his classmates for reunion events.

To this day, Hamm is respected by those he played with. In his official nomination to the Hall of Fame, Hamm was described as the “type of talented role model that you would want a young person watching”.

Hamm and his wife of forty-nine years, Becky, reside in Cumming, GA and have three children: Jason, Brett, and Kelly.