THOMASVILLE- Five former Brookwood Warriors will be inducted into the Brookwood Hall of Fame on Thursday, October 26, 2023. A portion of the evening will also be dedicated to recognizing the 1983 State Champion football team, the 1983 State Champion golf team, and the 2003 State Championship baseball team. The program, scheduled to take place in the Beverly Athletic Center on Brookwood’s campus, will start at 6 p.m.

Tickets can still be purchased on Brookwood’s website.

This year’s inductees include Charles Allen ‘76, Drew Balfour ‘09, Julie Bryan Moran ‘80, Steve Miller ‘76, and Rick Singletary ‘78.

Allen ‘76 was a two-sport star at Brookwood School. Whether he was on the football field or the basketball court, Allen was a relentless competitor that made a tremendous impact. In football, Allen played linebacker and tight end. He was a three-year starter on the football team. Charles had a huge impact on Brookwood’s 1974 and 1975 Region Championship Teams. Allen earned outstanding linebacker his senior year. He was described as a coach on the field by Coach Joe Smith. His senior year, Allen was a leader on a defense that had eight shutouts on the season. The 1975 defense is statistically the best in Brookwood’s history. They gave up a mere 38 points on the season.

Allen earned All State honors that year while Brookwood had a perfect 13-0 season capturing the school’s first State Championship in football. He was a three year starter on the basketball team and was known for his aggressiveness. Coach Tom Johnson described him as being “a strong, consistent, smart rebounder.” Allen played a key role in the 1976 Region Championship.

Drew Balfour ‘09 was known for tremendous athletic ability as well as elite work ethic and toughness. These qualities allowed him to be a two-sport star at Brookwood School. In football, he played running back, receiver, and quarterback on offense, while being a four-year starter on defense at cornerback. Balfour finished his career with 1890 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns. He also had 1278 career receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He completed 72% of his passes for 274 yards. His sophomore year, the Warriors lost in the semi-finals by two points to the eventual State Champions. In Balfour’s junior season, the Warriors finished a perfect 13-0 season and won Brookwood’s fourth State Championship in football. Balfour played a key role for a school record-setting offense that averaged 39.8 points per game. Balfour broke his hand in the last regular season game of his senior year and made 18 tackles the next week against Stratford. He was a three-time All Region player, earned All State as a senior and also played in the GISA All Star game. Balfour was a two time All Region catcher in baseball. The Warriors won back to back region championships during his junior and senior seasons. The 2008 team made the semi-finals. Balfour went on to play football at Birmingham Southern College.

Julie Bryan (Moran) ‘80 was a three-sport athlete for the Warriors. At Brookwood, she left her mark on the basketball and tennis courts as well as the track. Bryan was a four-year letterman in basketball and earned All Region three times. As a sophomore, Bryan led Brookwood to the first region title in school history. She scored 231 points as a junior and earned All State. Bryan had 41 rebounds in a game in her senior season, which became the single game record at Brookwood. In the spring, she excelled in the 100-meter dash and the 4×100 relay in track. In tennis, Bryan played number one all four years of high school. She was a two-time region singles champion. She and her younger brother Duke played key roles in Brookwood winning its first Region Championship in tennis.

Bryan’s love of sports led her to a career in broadcasting. Bryan’s sports broadcasting career included major roles with NBC, ESPN, ABC and ET. She worked alongside Julius Erving in her first reporting job with ESPN. Bryan teamed with Brent Musberger as a sideline reporter in both football and basketball. She covered the 1996 Olympics. Arguably, her greatest accomplishment in sports was when she was named the first female host of ABC’s Emmy award- winning Wide World of Sports.

Steve Miller ‘76 played four sports at Brookwood and made a tremendous impact in three. He played varsity basketball early in his career but made lasting impacts in football, baseball, and track. Miller played halfback on the football team. His efforts earned him All Region twice and All State as a senior. On multiple occasions, Miller broke the single game rushing record. The last time was a 226-yard performance in the state semi-finals. As a senior, the Region 1A MVP had 1402 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns while adding another receiving touchdown. Miller was the MVP of the 1975 State Championship football team. This was a team that won Brookwood’s first State Championship in football. The average victory that year was an astounding 39 to 3. In his senior year of baseball, Miller led the team with a .423 batting average earning MVP on a team that would go 10-2. He finished second in the region in the pole vault.

Miller received an appointment to the Air Force Academy where he would play fullback for the rugby team. Miller was captain of the team that would go 3-0 in England and would go on to be national runner up in an extremely competitive game against the University of California. Miller garnered several honors including being selected to play for Eastern Rockies Select Side as well as being selected as an honorary member of the West Coast Military Select Side.

Rick Singletary ‘78 starred in three sports at Brookwood. He led the football team in receptions with 18 catches for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns and was named All Region as a senior. In 1977, Singletary was a starter on Brookwood’s first undefeated, State Championship basketball team. His skills allowed him to earn All Region and team MVP in his senior season where he averaged 14 points, four rebounds, and almost seven assists per game.

Singletary had a five-year impact in Brookwood Varsity golf. In his eighth grade season, Brookwood won the Region Championship. Singletary was a five-time Region Champion and a four-time State Champion as he played key roles in the 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978 State Championships. He was runner-up low medalist as a sophomore. The golf team would break the school record on numerous occasions. In all, Singletary was a part of five team state championships and was named Most Valuable Senior Athlete in 1978.