About Inductee

Dr. J. Homer Crim graduated from Cherokee County High School and received a Bachelor's Degree from Birmingham Southern College. He received a Master's degree from Peabody College and an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Athens College. Although he was an outstanding athlete, Dr. Crim's greatest accomplishments were not in his presence on the athletic field. They were in the molding of the lives of his students. His students who were athletes could feel his presence and encouragement on the field. In 1932, Dr. Crim moved to Huntsville after accepting the principal's job at West Huntsville High School. He was still the principal there when West Huntsville became Butler High School in the early 50's. All of his years as a high school principal were spent at that one school. That speaks volumes about what an outstanding job he did as a school administrator. While at West Huntsville and Butler, Dr. Crim was a friend of athletics. He loved all his students and he wanted all his students to succeed, including his athletes. He took great pride in his school and always persevered until his teams had the best uniforms and equipment that was possible. He cared about the safety of his students and made sure they had the best and safest commercial buses to travel to the out-of-town games. He also made sure he hired the best coaches for his athletic teams. Coaches such as Fulton Hamilton, Cotton Rogers and John Meadows were just a few he selected because of their knowledge of the sport, their skills and their integrity. Dr. Crim loved sports and always wanted his athletes to succeed, but to be humble in success and be ladies and gentlemen in their losses. This was a great lesson he instilled in many young men and women who attended West Huntsville and Butler High School while he was their principal. At an award ceremony in 1970, Jimmy Walker said of Dr. Crim, "I think the greatest thing you did for the community was to uplift and raise by the bootstraps the poor and less fortunate people in West Huntsville. You, more than any other person, made these people realize they were first class citizens."