Hooch’s Lemons Inducted Into Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame

Tim Lemons, Chattahoochee High School’s head varsity baseball coach since the school opened in 1991, has been inducted into the 2017 Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame.

Lemons, 54, who played first base for Auburn University, was drafted twice during his college career, first by the New York Mets and later by the Kansas City Royals. Once his playing days were over, he joined the staff at Chattahoochee, where he went on to win the AAAAA Georgia State Championship in 2005. Also in 2005, he was named State Coach of the Year as well as Atlanta Braves 400 Club Coach of the Year. In 2006, Lemons was named Marietta Umpires Association Coach of the Year. With over 400 wins in his career, he has coached 70 players on to college and pro baseball. In addition to his duties at Chattahoochee, Lemons currently works with the East Cobb Astros 16U team.

Harvey Cochran, GADC secretary, said Lemons joins about 50 coaches in the organization’s Hall of Fame, including several who went on to coach in college as well as coach or scout for Major League teams.

“For Tim to be considered for this is quite an honor for him and the school,” said Cochran, who retired after 42 years of coaching high school baseball in Georgia.

Cochran said the GADC, formed in 1964, selected Lemons because he not only met the criteria of having coached at least 20 years and won around 300 games, “But primarily because of his ambassadorship for high school baseball in the state of Georgia.”

In addition to winning a state title, Cochran said Lemons was chosen because he is “such a good person and he does such a great job representing his players, his school and his state.”

Lemons received a plaque during the Jan. 13 ceremony and, according to Cochran, will have his name added to a Hall of Fame board listing all honorees that will be installed in the Georgia Dugout Club Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in Macon.

“I am so proud of Coach Lemons for being honored by the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame,” said Chattahoochee Principal Tim Corrigan. “This is a very nice way for the baseball community to recognize his accomplishments and commitment to baseball in Georgia and all over the Southeast.

“Coach Lemons has been loyal to the Chattahoochee High School community for over 25 years,” Corrigan said. “This is a rarity in the head coaching ranks, and I am proud of what he has done for Chattahoochee High School. Coach Lemons is a humble man who quietly does the work; he doesn’t do it for the pay, fame or awards. He does this work because he loves what he does and loves the sport of baseball.”

As Corrigan said, “He is a Hall of Famer in my book!”

In the photo, Lemons, right, is welcomed into the 2017 GADC Hall of Fame by Shane Amos, GADC president. Photo by Melinda Pease/MPSportsPics.