David S. Waller Sr. with his wife Sharon at his side following the official dedication of the David S. Waller Sr. Valdosta Wildcat Museum named in his honor at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium Thursday evening.

David Waller Sr. has put a lot into Valdosta High’s football museum. Now his name has been put on that museum.

On Thursday, the museum at Cleveland Field at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium was renamed the David S. Waller Sr. Valdosta Wildcat Museum in a ceremony.

The honor meant a lot to Waller, who has supported the Wildcats in many different ways for several decades.

“I’m overwhelmed,” he said. “I didn’t ever expect that.”

The David S. Waller Sr. Valdosta Wildcat Museum is filled with things related to Valdosta High football. Many of Valdosta’s state and national championship trophies reside in the museum. So do many photos of past Wildcat teams and players. There are Valdosta jerseys, jackets, shirts and helmets there. The plaques of the members of Valdosta High’s Sports Hall of Fame are also housed in the museum.

Many of the items in the museum came from Waller himself. He said that he is happy to be able to share them with so many people. He also said he is grateful to everyone who has loaned or donated things to be displayed in the museum.

Waller has overseen the museum ever since it opened in 2004 at the rebuilt Cleveland Field at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. He has spent countless hours voluntarily working at the museum and trying to make it a first-class shrine to Wildcat football.

“I wanted it to be the nicest museum in the country for high school (football),” he said.

“All the hard work that he’s done, everyone here knows about it,” said Warren Lee, the chairman of the Valdosta Board of Education, at the ceremony. “So what person other than him could you think of naming this facility (after)?”

“My wife,” Waller responded.

The museum is open to fans before Wildcat home football games, and on special occasions. Waller is also usually willing to open the museum for people interested in seeing it.

During the ceremony, Waller thanked the Valdosta Board of Education for voting to name the museum after him. He also thanked his wife and all of the other people who have played a part in the museum’s development.

He told the people at the ceremony that they were all his friends. He also expressed his gratitude to a number of other people, including Wildcat coaching legends Wright Bazemore (who coached Waller) and Nick Hyder (who Waller says was his best friend).

Waller grew up in Valdosta, and played football for Bazemore. He has been heavily involved in supporting the Wildcats for decades. He was the president of the Valdosta Touchdown Club three times, and has been the Touchdown Club’s treasurer since 1972. He recently said that he had only missed five Wildcat football games since 1947.

In his head, he has a plethora of stories about Wildcat football, the men who played it, the coaches who coached it and the games they played, and he loves telling them.

He also served on the Valdosta Board of Education for 21 years, and was the Board’s chairman for 10 years.

Waller also gave his time and money to other local organizations, especially the Boys and Girls Club of Valdosta. The Boys and Girls Club of Valdosta recently named its new facility after him.

“He has done so much for this community,” Lee said.

Waller was also a successful businessman, having founded Waller Heating and Air in Valdosta.

In addition to Waller and Lee, former Board of Education member Betty Rogers, Valdosta Touchdown Club board member Troy Black Jr. and Valdosta football coach Rance Gillespie also spoke at the ceremony, and all of them praised Waller for his many contributions to the Wildcats and the community.

Waller was presented with a plaque, and there was an official ribbon cutting ceremony.

Waller was joined at the ceremony by his wife of 57 years, Sharon, and many of his family members. The Wallers have three children, five grandchildren and four great grandchildren.