The Virginia High School League inducted its 23rd Hall of Fame class Monday night in Charlottesville. Two local coaches, John Shotwell and Troy Wells, were among the nine inductees.
Shotwell started at James River in 1961 and had a career that spanned 50 years and included 1,081 victories in three sports.
Shotwell was the golf coach for 37 years, winning 289 matches. His basketball teams won 421 games over 31 years and made four Final Fours. And his softball teams won four state crowns. Shotwell retired in 2011.
"This is, I guess, the best thing that's every happened to me in a long, long time," Shotwell said. "I'm so proud for Botetourt County, James River High School, the student-athletes. It means a whole lot to represent them."
Hidden Valley's Troy Wells, father of WDBJ7 Sports Director Travis Wells, spent 16 years as an assistant at Martinsville where the Bulldogs made 13 Final Four appearances. He then took over as head coach, winning three state titles.
Now the head coach at Hidden Valley, Wells has 250 career wins. The Titans have made the state tournament in three of his four years at the school. Both men were humbled by the achievement.
"To be honored in this manner tonight, I'm just so humbled by the entire situation. Overwhelmed as well," said Wells. "So many great coaches that we heard about their backgrounds and careers tonight. There are some awesome people doing some incredible things with our high school students in this day and age. I feel very, very fortunate to be able to sit here on this stage with this group of people."
