The Seminole County Sports Hall of Fame Committee announced its class of 2022: Lee Corso, Brandon Marshall, Hunter Kemper, Christy Tibbits-Bryce, Wendy Bruce-Martin, Abigail Adams, and George Barr. Read all about the inductees below.
Since 1982, the Hall of Fame has honored outstanding male and female high school, college, and professional athletes, coaches, officials, sports personalities, and sports-related volunteers who reside or at one time resided in Seminole County. In addition to the Athlete and Contributor awards, Legacy Award winners contributed to Seminole County athletic endeavors prior to 1999, and Inclusion Award winners are recognized athletes or contributors with intellectual, developmental, or physical special needs.
The induction ceremony will be held in conjunction with Seminole County’s annual high school Night of Champions on Wednesday, May 18th at Hagerty High School. The event is by invitation only, and inductees will not be available for media requests. It will be recorded and later shared online.
MALE CONTRIBUTOR – LEE CORSO
Lee Corso is a sports broadcaster and football analyst for ESPN. He played football and baseball at Miami Jackson High School and turned down a contract to play shortstop with the Brooklyn Dodgers in order to attend Florida State University, where he continued to play both sports. At FSU, he played starting quarterback and defensive back, leading the team in interceptions in 1954, rushing in 1955, and passing in 1956. He was the FSU career interception leader with 14, until Deion Sanders tied his record in the late 1980’s.
Later on, after several assistant coaching stints, Corso became the head coach of three NCAA football teams: the University of Louisville, Indiana University and Northern Illinois University. Over 15 years as a head coach, his overall record was 73-85-6, with his best season being 9-1 at Louisville in 1972. He also had consecutive winning seasons with the Indiana Hoosiers in 1979 and 1980. At the 1979 Holiday Bowl, his Hoosier team beat the previously undefeated Brigham Young Cougars and went on to finish 16th in the UPI Poll. He later coached the US Football League Orlando Renegades for one year in 1985 before the league folded in 1986.
Corso has been an analyst for ESPN’s College Game Day program since 1987. He is smilingly recognized during his ESPN broadcasts with his “Not so fast, my friend” comment that usually precedes an additional or opposing point of view to his fellow broadcasters. He has been a resident of North Seminole County for many years.
MALE ATHLETE (1) – BRANDON MARSHALL
There are two inductees for this year’s Male Athlete category because of a tie in committee voting.
Brandon Marshall attended Lake Howell High School and lettered three years in football, basketball, and track. He was selected for All-State Honors in football and named Seminole County Utility Player of the Year because of his versatility on both sides of the ball. He also won the 2001 Class 3A State Championship in the triple jump. Upon graduation, he played football for the University of Central Florida. In 2005 during his senior year at UCF, he caught 74 passes for 1,195 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was named MVP at the 2005 Hawaii Bowl, catching 11 passes for 210 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Marshall was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Over a 13-year NFL career, Marshall caught 970 passes for 12,351 yards and 83 touchdowns, playing for the Broncos, Dolphins, Bears, Jets, Giants, and Seahawks. He currently holds the NFL record for most receptions in a game (21). He was a six-time Pro Bowl selection. While playing in the 2012 Pro Bowl, he caught 6 passes for 176 yards and 4 touchdowns, earning the MVP. He holds many NFL records, including the most seasons with 100-plus receptions (6). Marshall is an advocate for mental health and is currently a sports television personality.
MALE ATHLETE (2) – HUNTER KEMPER
Hunter Kemper began swimming at age 6 and competing in triathlon at age 10, winning numerous IronKids Triathlon National Championships. He went to Lake Brantley High School and was named an All-American by Inside Triathlon in 1993. While attending Wake Forest University, he was a four-year letterman on the Men’s Cross Country Team and a winner of several USA Triathlon championships.
After graduating, Kemper participated in triathlon at four Summer Olympics. He placed 17th at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 9th at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, 7th at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and 14th at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. At the time, his 7th place finish in Beijing was the highest-ever finish for a Team USA triathlete. Between Olympic events, he was a seven-time USA Triathlon Elite National Champion and ranked number one in the world by World Triathlon. Kemper currently resides with his family in Michigan. He and his wife both support efforts and fundraise for impoverished youth and MS research.
FEMALE CONTRIBUTOR – CHRISTY TIBBITS-BRYCE
Christy Tibbitts-Bryce attended Lake Howell High School, participating in softball and volleyball and earning the Orlando Sentinel 1986 Softball Player of the Year award. While attending UCF, she worked with the baseball office, coordinating team functions and events. Upon graduation in 1991, she began her career at Lyman High School as a teacher and softball and volleyball coach. Her softball team reached the FHSAA Final Four in 1994.
Tibbits-Bryce earned the Seminole Athletic Conference Coach of the Year four years in a row from 1992-1995, and the Orlando Sentinel Coach of the Year award in 1999. She became the first female Athletic Director in Seminole County, serving at Lyman High School from 2002 to 2005, and the newly opened Hagerty High School from 2005 to 2011. At Hagerty, she was promoted to Dean and eventually to Assistant Principal. Because of her impacts on and off the field, Hagerty named the softball facility in her honor: Christy Tibbits-Bryce Field.
FEMALE ATHLETE – WENDY BRUCE-MARTIN
Wendy Bruce-Martin is a retired USA gymnast who trained with Brown’s Gymnastics in Altamonte Springs. She attended Lake Brantley High School and Seminole Community College, and has a degree in psychology from UCF. Bruce-Martin first became a World Champion when she and Li Jing won the International Mixed Pairs Competition in 1989. Overall, she competed in five U.S. National Championships, winning an uneven bars bronze medal in 1992 and finishing fifth in the all-around in both 1989 and 1991. She was sixth in the all-around at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials and at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain she won a team bronze medal. In 2010, she was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Bruce-Martin has worked as a gymnastics coach and fitness professional and was recently named the new Head Coach of Women’s Artistic Gymnastics by the Swiss Gymnastics Federation. She is also an inspirational speaker on women’s and sports topics, including mental toughness training and how to overcome mental blocks in gymnastics.
INCLUSION AWARD – ABIGAIL ADAMS
Abigail Adams began her athleticism as a varsity cheerleader at Lake Brantley High School. She later became the first woman with Down syndrome to complete a sanctioned sprint triathlon (800-meter open water swim, 10.2 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run), finishing 6 to date. Her workouts over a typical week include running 20 miles, swimming 4000 yards, and biking as much as possible. In June, Adams will represent Florida in the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando, competing in the triathlon and long-distance swimming. She has also participated in gymnastics, biking, stand up paddleboarding, and soccer.
In addition to her sports prowess, Adams is also highly involved in community activities, fundraisers, and nonprofit organizations. She is an accomplished public speaker and has collaborated in television and social media with Disney, Universal Studios, Nickelodeon, and the Oprah Winfrey Network.
LEGACY AWARD – GEORGE BARR
George Barr (1892–1974) was a professional baseball umpire and a pioneer in umpiring education. He umpired in the MLB National League from 1931 to 1949. During this time, he umpired 2,757 Major League games, including four World Series and two All-Star Games.
Barr founded the George Barr Umpire School, the first umpire training school, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He eventually moved it to Longwood, Florida, where five future MLB umpires learned their trade. The school was on the grounds of the old Longwood Village Inn from 1952-1957. He pioneered the use of the inside chest protector, and was the first to author a book on umpiring. Barr was also active with Babe Ruth League Baseball, serving as an international director for 14 years and helping start the league in Europe.
