ROSWELL —
Former Valdosta State football great Jessie Tuggle was inducted into the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame in ceremonies held at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center on Saturday.
Tuggle was a member of the seventh class of the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame and joined former Georgia Tech basketball great Mark price and founder of the Peachtree Road Race Dr. Tim Singleton in the Class of 2011.
Tuggle spent 14 seasons as a member of the Atlanta Falcons and made five Pro Bowl appearances while also playing in Super Bowl XXXIII. He recorded 2,065 career tackles, including 21 sacks, during his career while also intercepting six passes, one of which was returned for a touchdown, and tallying 37 pass deflections.
Tuggle forced 10 fumbles during his career while also recovering 10, including an NFL record five fumble recoveries for touchdowns. He recorded 12 straight seasons of 100-plus tackles and started 189 out of the 209 games he appeared in for the Falcons. His 1,293 tackles from 1990 through 1999 were the most in the NFL during that time frame.
The Griffin native starred at Valdosta State from 1983 through 1986 and ended his career with a school record 340 career tackles, a record that stood for 25 years until Larry Dean eclipsed the mark in 2011. He earned All-America honors in 1986 and was a three-time member of the All-Gulf South Conference team, including in 1986 when he was named the Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Tuggle was an inaugural member of the Valdosta State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997 and was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007. His No. 88 is one of three numbers retired by the Valdosta State Football team and he is a member of the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor.
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Former Valdosta State Blazer and Atlanta Falcon Jessie Tuggle poses with his induction plaque to the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame. With Tuggle, left to right, is his aunt and olympic gold medalist Wyomia Tyus, former VSU teammate Chuck Dunmon, VSU athletic director Herb Reinhard and the Falcons’ first ever draft pick, Tommy Nobis. Eric Dortch
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Tuggle inducted into Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame
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