Derrick Davis | The Valdosta Daily TimesRonnie Pitcock speaks from the podium on stage of Valdosta High’s Performing Arts Center as he’s inducted into the Wildcats’ Hall of Fame on Dec. 14.

VALDOSTA — For all the glitz and flash of Valdosta High’s annual VESPYs award show, the reverence and history of the proceeding Hall of Fame ceremony makes for a special evening.

On Dec. 14, the Wildcats welcomed a pair of all-time greats into the hallowed halls as members of the 2018 induction class: Ronnie Pitcock and Tom Holt.

“It’s like a dream come true,” Pitcock said. “I played for Valdosta, and then I got to come back and coach for Valdosta. That’s a dream come true.

“I got to come back and coach with some of my teammates. It was just unbelievable.”

Pitcock played baseball and basketball at Valdosta in addition to his place on the football team. He was presented by former teammate Joe Cleary, who described Pitcock as, “the guy you wanted on your team at the end of a game.”

When Pitcock took the podium, he told a story about seeing his wife of 44 years, a former cheerleader, for the first time during a Lowndes-Valdosta basketball game that perfectly encapsulated his relationship with both schools.

Pitcock competed in the first rivalry game between the Wildcats and Vikings in 1968, and he went on to earn all-state and all-region honors as Valdosta won the state championship under head coach Wright Bazemore at the conclusion of the season.

After college, Pitcock went on to work under legendary coaches Joe Wilson and Nick Hyder, as he coached 14 and 15 years at Lowndes and Valdosta, respectively.

“Nick Hyder and Coach Bazemore have got their name on the stadium down there,” Pitcock said, referring to the Wildcats’ home field at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. “That speaks real highly of them. It doesn’t get no better than that.”

“I can tell you this much, it’s more than you can ever imagine,” Holt said. “The people who played with me were just as good as I was. It’s just unbelievable.”

Holt also played under Bazemore, winning a state championship in 1969 and earning a spot on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s all-state team before going on to play at the University of Georgia.

He agreed with Pitcock on the coaching acumen at Valdosta High.

“We had the best of the best, the cream of the crop,” Holt said. “I don’t care where you shop, this is the best you can get.”

Presenter Jerry Don Baker said Holt was the only player Bazemore ever had to ask to let up in practice.

During his speech, Holt exclaimed, “If only Bazemore could see me now.”

“It’s the best honor you can have,” Holt added after his hall of fame induction.

“It was just a hallmark moment,” Pitcock said. “You don’t ever really think about that kind of thing, but when they happen, it’s a moment you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

“I’m honored. Real honored.”

Derrick Davis is the sports editor at the Valdosta Daily Times.