Seminole County Sports Hall Of Fame Class Of 2023 Announced

Seminole County, FL (May 11, 2023) — The Seminole County Sports Hall of Fame Committee is pleased to announce its 2023 inductees:

• Rickie Weeks, Jr., Lake Brantley High School and MLB player
• Penny Siqueiros, Lake Brantley High School and FSU softball player, college coach
• Samantha Rodriguez, Special Olympian and marathon runner
• Courtney Miller, Seminole State College softball coach
• Jered Goodwin, Baseball scout, coach, and Oviedo High School player
• Hal King, professional baseball player
• Vic Arnett, Golden Age Games founder

Since 1982, the Hall of Fame has honored outstanding male and female high school, college, and professional athletes, coaches, officials, sports personalities, and sports-related volunteers who reside or at one time resided in Seminole County. In addition to the Athlete and Contributor awards, Legacy Award winners contributed to Seminole County athletics prior to 1999, and Inclusion Award winners are recognized athletes or contributors with intellectual, developmental, or physical special needs.

The induction ceremony will be held in conjunction with Seminole County’s annual high school Night of Champions on Thursday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m. at Hagerty High School. The event is by invitation only.

MALE ATHLETE  – RICKIE WEEKS, JR.

Major League Baseball player Rickie Weeks, Jr. got his start on the baseball team at Lake Brantley High School. Upon graduation, he played for Southern University in Baton Rouge, finishing his college career with a .465 batting average (the highest in NCAA history at the time). He also earned several awards, including the Baseball America College Player of the Year in 2003.

That same year, Weeks was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers, where he initially played for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds before playing full MLB seasons. In 2010, as the starting second baseman for the Brewers, he delivered his 500th hit at home, for which he received a standing ovation. After ten years with the Brewers, he played for one year each with the Seattle Mariners and the Arizona Diamondbacks, before finishing his career with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017.

FEMALE ATHLETE – PENNY SIQUEIROS

Penny Siqueiros graduated from Lake Brantley High School in 1988 with a scholarship to play softball for Florida State University. At FSU, she played mid field and right field, competing in three College World Series and earning awards for Scholar Athlete of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and All-ACC.

After earning a bachelor's and master's degree, Siqueiros coached at FSU before moving on to become the first Head Softball Coach at Emory University in Atlanta. While at Emory, her team competed in four softball World Series and won eleven conference championships. Since 2018, Siqueiros has served as the Director of Athletics and Head Softball Coach at Wesleyan College in Macon, GA. She is currently focusing her efforts on improving athletic facilities, retaining a team of outstanding coaches, and encouraging student athlete participation.  

MALE CONTRIBUTOR – JERED GOODWIN

Before Jered Goodwin was a baseball coach and scout, he played for Oviedo High School and was drafted by the MLB in 2000. Opting to attend college rather than head to the pros, he became a student-athlete at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, then Birmingham-Southern College, where he helped the team win a Big South Conference championship.

Goodwin returned to Seminole County to begin his coaching career, starting at Lake Howell High School, then moving to Lake Mary High School and finally, Hagerty High School, where his team won four district titles. He has developed and mentored hundreds of young baseball players, helping nine former players be drafted to the MLB. Goodwin also co-founded a summer travel team which has seen 46 of 200 drafted players make their MLB debut. Currently, Goodwin is the Senior Director of Scouting Operations at Perfect Game USA. While his work sends him all over the world, he continues to focus on serving the local community. Over the last two years, he coordinated a free baseball clinic for Seminole County youth with the Perfect Game Cares Foundation. The event brought current and former MLB players to play, teach, and interact with youth from various cultural and economic backgrounds.

FEMALE CONTRIBUTOR – COURTNEY MILLER

Courtney Miller has been with the Seminole State College athletics program for 28 years as the head softball coach, leading the Raiders to over 1,200 wins over the course of her career. She brought Seminole State Softball to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) tournament for 18 of the last 19 years, as well as to the FSCAA State Title in 2012 and Mid-Florida Conference (MFC) Title in 2017, earning Coach of the Year awards those same years. 

Originally from Jasper, Missouri, Miller's contributions as a head coach have not only made an impact on her players and team, but on her community. At Seminole State, she is a Professor of Wellness and Health and also serves as an athletic academic advisor for all student-athletes. She also hosts an annual tournament at BOOMBAH Soldiers Creek Park, which has become known as the Courtney Miller Invitational.

INCLUSION AWARD – SAMANTHA RODRIGUEZ

Samantha Rodriguez was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of two. Doctors told her mother, Karina, that Samantha would not be able to run or play sports.  She has since proven them wrong.

Rodriguez grew up attending road races with her mother, an accomplished long-distance runner, and eventually began training alongside her. She started with short distances, then gradually added mileage to compete in 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons, and full marathons. She has won several gold medals at the Special Olympics Florida State Summer Games, as well as the Hometown Hero Award. Rodriguez was the youngest female with autism to finish the New York City Marathon and ran the London Marathon last year, her first international competition. Rodriguez was also selected to be an athlete for Runner 321, a global movement to promote inclusion and opportunities for neurodivergent athletes to participate in major races.

LEGACY AWARD – HAL KING (1944-2019)

Hailing from Oviedo, baseball star Harold "Hal" King began his professional baseball career with the barnstorming Negro League Indianapolis Clowns in 1962. He later played for the California Angels, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, and Cincinnati Reds. His personal best major league season was with the Braves in 1970, appearing in 89 games with a .260 batting average and 11 home runs. King became famous for turning around the Reds' 1973 season with a ninth-inning home run, leading them to eventually overtake the Dodgers and win the division championship. During his playing time with the Reds, the team became known as "The Big Red Machine", which is still today recognized as among the best in baseball history. Additionally, while with the Reds, he was the backup catcher for Hall of Famer Johnny Bench.

Upon leaving the majors, King played for five years in the Mexican League. He eventually returned to Seminole County, serving as the President of the Oviedo High School Booster Club from 1986-87 when his son was a student. He passed away in 2019, and his likeness can be spotted on the new Black History of Oviedo Mural in Boston Hill Park.

LEGACY AWARD – VIC ARNETT (1929-2019)

Vic Arnett was a community leader in Sanford when he came up with the idea of establishing a community athletic competition for those over 55 years old.  With the approval of both the City of Sanford and the Chamber of Commerce, the first competitive senior games in the U.S were held in Sanford in 1975. Called the Golden Age Games, sports included strenuous activities like bicycle or wheelchair races and track & field competitions to more relaxed activities such as shuffleboard or horseshoes.

Meanwhile, a movement for senior games began taking place nationwide. The U.S. National Senior Sports Organization was formed, now known as the National Senior Games or Senior Olympics. The Florida Sports Foundation also began the Florida Senior Games event in 1992. Vic Arnett is credited with promoting the idea through his innovative Golden Age Games event in Sanford.

To learn more about the Seminole County Sports Hall of Fame, visit seminolecountyfl.gov/hof.