Scott Myers, Executive Director, Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, at the 8th Annual Great Sports Getaway VIP reception.

Great athletes, a capacity crowd, a spirit of teamwork – no, it wasn’t a football Saturday at Jordan-Hare or Bryant-Denny Stadium.

But it was a special night for Alabama.

On May 15, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame held its 8th Annual Great Sports Getaway VIP reception at the Hall of Fame and Museum in Birmingham.

The stars dazzled under Friday night lights, including a new class of inductees. And while past glory was recalled, the night’s true passion and purpose was to build a strong future for Alabama.

“We had our athletic careers,” said former University of Alabama quarterback Jay Barker, who led the Crimson Tide to the 1992 national championship. “Now it’s time to use the pedestal and the platform we have to try to impact the community and make sure people are taken care of.”

Ennis Whatley, Class of 2015 inductee, stands at his plaque with sons Ennis Jr. and Marcus.

Proceeds from the event, which awards 10 people an all-expenses paid trip for two to a major sporting contest, will support the Hall of Fame and its educational programs. They include the Birmingham Athletic Partnership (BAP), a 501(c)3 organization that aids Birmingham Public Schools’ athletic, cheerleading and band programs; and the Bryant-Jordan Student-Athlete Program, which recognizes Alabama students who have achieved outstanding success on the field and in the classroom.

“The BAP does a fantastic job of partnering with the school system,” said Buck Johnson, a former University of Alabama and NBA basketball player and 2007 inductee. “With my job as athletic director for Birmingham Public Schools, it’s really a chance to give back to a system that gave so much to me.”

It was clear that many of the attendees had given back to the state that once cheered them on.

“The Special Olympics is my project, I’ve been doing that for 25 to 30 years,” said Tom Neville, a 2015 inductee and Montgomery native who played 15 years in the National Football League.

“I work with the literacy program,” said Ennis Whatley, a Birmingham native who played for the Crimson Tide and the NBA. “To learn how to read and write is one thing that is dear to my heart. You do something like that not for show, but to see that light turn on in someone.”

Bryan Kirkland, the first Paralympic athlete inducted to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, is joined by wife Shai.

Bryan Kirkland of Oneonta was the first Paralympic athlete inducted (in 2012). He was a member of the U.S. wheelchair rugby teams that won the gold medal during the Paralympic Games in 2000 and 2008, and the bronze medal in 2004.

“My message to kids is, don’t let something stop you from doing what you want to do,” Kirkland said. “It doesn’t matter if you have a disability or not, just enjoy life. That’s what I did.”

On this night, athletes enjoyed mingling with former teammates and bitter rivals in a spirit of camaraderie forged by their shared Alabama bond.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Class of 2015 inductee Chris Gray, a Homewood High School graduate and Auburn University star who played for three NFL teams. “To come back home to the people who know me – it’s an awesome experience.”

“I played in Israel, the Philippines, all four corners of the earth,” said Whatley. “To be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame is like the icing on the cake for me.”