Alabama Horseshoe Pitchers Association

The AHPA Achievement Award is given to those individuals who have been outstanding in their contributions to the game on a local or statewide level. The Achievement Award was created in 2017.
The selections are made by the AHPA Hall of Fame Committee and a suitable plaque will be given to those individuals being honored at the AHPA State Singles Tournament.

2017

Wayne "Gus" McGehee

Wayne (Gus) McGehee has been largely responsible for the success of the North Alabama Horseshoe Club/League. Having been active in local horseshoe pitching for several years and hosting non-sanctioned tournaments at his home and other venues, he has encouraged non-state association pitchers to become members of the Alabama Horseshoe Pitchers Association (AHPA). He was instrumental in the upgrade of the Lacey Springs coon hunter’s club horseshoe courts resulting in a covered 9 pit facility which was sanctioned and used for state tournaments.

 The clay courts in Huntsville, Al have been used for several years and have hosted at least 3 world tournaments. Prior to 2010 there was a 2 year period when the courts were not used and fell into a significant state of disrepair. Through his leadership, Gus encouraged the parks and recreation board to reopen the courts for sanctioned AHPA tournaments. As a result of his actions, the board sent vehicles to Kentucky to purchase and haul sufficient clay to insure that all 24 courts were full and ready for competition, thus bringing back to life the Brahan Spring Park horseshoe courts.

The courts have been in continuous use ever since with several state championships and numerous weekend tournaments being pitched there. He has also improved the scorekeeping process in North Alabama by personally insuring that proper equipment was purchased for computerized scorekeeping. His considerable actions and efforts were not done in a vacuum. Through his positive approach to the game of horseshoes and his leadership skills and abilities he has had the unwavering support and help of the entire North Alabama horseshoe pitching community.

One of his early non-sanctioned efforts in pitching was the advent of the annual Dennis Martin Classic Horseshoe Tournament which was initially a charity event. One of the charity recipients was the Jerry Lewis Telethon for Muscular Distrophy. The Dennis Martin Classic is still being held annually as it has been for more than 20 years. Many of those pitchers joined the AHPA.

In the meantime, through all of these efforts, his influence and zeal for the sport of horseshoes and the success of the North Alabama horseshoe clubs, one AHPA member of the North Alabama club has constructed 8 covered outdoor sanctioned clay courts. These courts are now an integral part of the tournament rotations in North Alabama and were the site of the 2017 Alabama State Doubles Tournament. These courts are known as Dan’s Courts.

Gus has held state leadership positions during his membership in the AHPA. He was elected as 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President and ultimately President of the AHPA and served in these positions from 2004 until 2012 for a total of 8-plus years. This was in addition to directing all tournaments in the Huntsville area. Gus is directly and critically responsible for the success of the AHPA in North Alabama. His energy, motivation, considerable expertise, personal integrity and positive approach to the game of horseshoes are beyond significant.

His leadership has encouraged many pitchers to become members of the AHPA and has earned their support in keeping the sport alive in North Alabama and in other parts of the state as well.

It is therefore both fitting and proper that Wayne (Gus) McGehee is hereby awarded the first AHPA Achievement Award for his contribution to the sport of horseshoes in the state of Alabama.