8 selected for Florida Sports Hall of Fame

Image via AP.

Five athletes, two coaches and an athletic trainer make up the 2024 class for the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.

Some of the names are well known to most sports fans like former Florida State and NFL fullback William “Bar None” Floyd and former Orlando Magic star Tracy McGrady. Others may not be as well known while working behind the scenes.

Chris Patrick isn’t a household name but in his 40 years as an athletic trainer at the University of Florida, he supported thousands of athletes while working under four athletic directors and six football coaches. While at UF, Patrick worked with Dr. Robert Cade, the inventor of Gatorade, to refine the flavors and packaging for the sports drink.

His impact is substantial. The SEC established an award in his name given annually to the outstanding athletic trainer in the conference. He was inducted into the National Athletic Trainer’s Association Hall of Fame in 1989, into the University of Florida Hall of Fame in 1994, and into the Florida Athletic Trainer’s Association Hall of Fame the following year.

Linda Gooch joins the class of 2024. After a four-year career as a cheerleader at UCF, Gooch has spent 39 years as a coach of UCF’s cheerleading team and spirit program. Gooch has led UCF to three national championships in cheerleading while finishing in the top 10 in all but two of the past 29 years.

Also in the class of 2024 is University of Florida track and field coach Mike Holloway, who has won 14 National Men’s Outdoor Coach of the Year honors. This year, Holloway led the Gators to a third-straight NCAA Men’s Outdoor championship. He was inducted into the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2016.

Cocoa Beach-born Ashlyn Harris will also be inducted. A star goalkeeper for Satellite High School, Harris went on to represent the United States in two World Cups, 2015 and 2019. She was the 2016 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year. She won three NCAA Women’s Soccer Championships with North Carolina.

Also among the inductees is World Golf Hall of Famer Jan Stephenson, who was born in Australia but has called Florida home for more than two decades. The 16-time LPGA Tour winner won three major championships in her career.

Former Florida Gators defensive lineman Scott Hutchinson will also be inducted. A captain his senior year in Gainesville in 1977, Hutchinson was drafted in the second round by the Buffalo Bills. He also played a season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and finished his playing career with the Orlando Renegades of the USFL where he led the team in sacks.

The induction ceremony will be held on Oct. 16 at the Kia Center in Orlando.