Athletic Hall of Fame

 

Formally established in 2010, the Stratford Athletic Hall of Fame strives to maintain the rich heritage and tradition of the successful athletic programs of Stratford Academy. It serves as a means of recognizing, preserving and honoring the athletes, coaches, teams and individuals who have made significant contributions to the school’s athletic programs. The Hall of Fame honors the contributions and accomplishments of these individuals and teams who are worthy of recognition and serve as examples for others to emulate.

On September 30, 2022, Stratford Academy inducted its 12th Athletic Hall of Fame class. The honorees are: 1999 and 2000 Football Teams, Sandy Burgess '93 (athlete), Bryan Persons '72 (athlete), and Grant Serafy (coach). 

1999 and 2000 Football Teams (Team)

Coached by Rodney Collins, David Bailey, Mark Farriba, Walt Mays, John Paul Gaddy, Paul Brooks, and Jeff Jennings, these Stratford football teams and players left their mark throughout the Stratford and Middle Georgia athletic history books. The 1999 and 2000 football teams won both the region and state titles in two seasons demonstrating that teamwork, camaraderie, and perseverance are some of the most valuable traits of a successful team. Thirteen school football records were set during these two seasons and players earned local, state, and national honors for their achievements. These included eight All-State players, four All-Middle Georgia players, five All-City players, the Macon Touchdown Club Player of the Year, and the USA Today Georgia Player of the Year. Coach Rodney Collins was named Coach of the Year in 1999 for both the All-Middle Georgia and All-City honors.

Sandy Burgess '93 (Athlete)

Known by his teammates as a selfless player, Sandy Burgess lettered in basketball, golf, and tennis during his five-year career as a varsity Stratford Eagle. In basketball, he played on two region championship teams and one state runner-up team and can be found in the record books for career assists, number of games played, free throws, and three-pointers. As a member of the golf team, he was the state individual title as an eighth grader when the team placed second overall in state. He was named to the all-state and all-region teams throughout high school and the Eagles earned two region titles during his time on the team. While balancing both golf and tennis during the spring sports season, he also made his mark on the courts as a three-time individual doubles state and region champion, member of the state and region championship teams in 1991, 1992, and 1993, and earning outstanding doubles player, All-Region, and All-State honors for those three years.

Sandy also was the volunteer football spotter during his time in high school and assisted coaches and announcers in the press box during games. Academically, he received awards for high achievement and today continues supporting Stratford as a parent volunteer for the Board of Trustees, Booster Club, and assistant tennis coach.

Bryan Persons '72 (Athlete)

As a formidable member of the Stratford golf team, Bryan  Persons was a five-year letterman during this time in eighth through 12th grades. He played on four state championship teams and was the state low medalist in 1971 and 1972. Following his time at Stratford, Bryan played for Furman University from 1972 to 1973, when the team won the Southern Conference Championship. He has earned titles as the Macon City Amateur Champion (1984), Peach Blossom Invitational Winner (1982 and in 1986 with brother, Peter Persons '81, as partner), and four-time Idle Hour Club champion and senior club champion.  

Bryan's leadership to the game of golf has not been limited to his time on the course. He served as a Georgia State Golf Association director from 1987-1995, a senior director from 1996-2012, a senior director emeritus from 2012 until today, and on the executive committee from 1989-1991. He was a board trustee for the Georgia State Golf Foundation from 1994-1999 and on the board of directors for the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame from 1991-2009, serving as chairman from 2007-2009 and a member of the nominating committee from 2010 to the present.

Grant Serafy (Coach)

One of the winningest Stratford coaches of all time, Grant Serafy coached Stratford girls and boys soccer teams over a 16- year period. His boys soccer teams earned seven state championships, three state runner-up titles, and won or tied over 77% of the matches. Serafy has the most wins by a coach in program history with a Stratford career record of 228-71-14. Nineteen boys' players during this time went on to play at the collegiate level.  In the 10 seasons he coached the Stratford girls soccer teams, they won nine state championships and finished with four undefeated seasons. With an overall record of 172-16-4, these teams won or tied over 91% of their matches. Thirteen players, who played during this time, went on to play in college.

Serafy also coached tennis from 1988-1994. Those boys' teams earned a combined 11 team, singles, and doubles state titles, 12 region titles and the girls' tennis program won a total of 10 team, singles, and doubles state titles and 11 region titles. Following his time at Stratford, he served as the Head Women's Coach at Mercer University from 2004-2011, turning around the program to earn regional NCAA recognition and two NCAA tournaments appearances. Serafy was named the GISA Coach of the Year in 2007 and 2008 and was inducted into the Macon Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.