'Boomer' Bishop honored by Coweta Sports Hall of Fame
By CHRIS GOLTERMANN
cgoltermann@newnan.com
Danny Bishop thought he was simply headed for lunch at Sprayberry's Barbecue Thursday afternoon.
But his driver had a detour in mind first — one cooked up by the Coweta Sports Hall of Fame for the man better known as "Boomer" around town.
Bishop, a fervent sports supporter of Georgia Tech and Atlanta's pro teams, rarely has missed an event involving Newnan High athletics even through a recent bout with lung cancer. And while he's already widely considered as the county's No. 1 sports fan, the Coweta Sports Hall of Fame made it official in its eyes on Thursday.
Among an overflowing room including many of the Hall of Fame's 71 members since its establishment in 2002, it was announced that Bishop, 66, would be honored at next year's banquet on Feb. 9, in addition to the Class of 2013's three new inductees — Ron Beaucham, William Parker and Bob Tillman.
"Each year we recognize a team or a player in addition to inducting people in the Hall of Fame. And this year, we want to recognize someone in our community in Danny "Boomer" Bishop," said Hall of Fame Chairman Otis Jones, who surprised Bishop with a plaque recognizing him as it's No. 1 fan. "We appreciate your attendance and support to all of our local teams."
The plaque read: "Coweta Sports Hall of Fame recognizes Danny "Boomer" Bishop as Coweta County's most loyal and dedicated sports fan."
Bishop, sporting an Atlanta Falcons cap, said he was "honored," at the gesture after initially being approached to come along for a ride to Sprayberry's.
"This is something else," said Bishop. "I was wondering why [he] wanted me to come along to Sprayberry's. I'm honored."
Bishop quipped at the gathering that as a Newnan High player during his final year of high school he once told head football coach Max Bass that he was a tailback.
"He said, 'Get your tail back here'," Bishop said, quickly revealing that he made the story up as a joke.
This fall Bishop also was recognized by Newnan High's football program with his own personalized No. 1 jersey with his name on the back.
"I don't think I've ever been to an athletic event at Newnan where I haven't seen Boomer," remarked Hall of Fame board member Joe Crain Sr. "He's a great fan of Newnan High School and he's a great fan of Georgia Tech."
