John “Chip” Grayson - 2014
It’s difficult to quantify John “Chip” Grayson’s contribution to sports in Savannah, but it’s easy to identify him as a community hero whose generosity and leadership were integral to many organizations dedicated to athletics in the city. He served on the Savannah Sports Council for nearly 20 years, acting as the organization’s chairman for three years and chairing nearly a dozen Sports Council committees covering a wide variety of exhibition and competitive events. He was a member of the board of trustees for the Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame for almost a decade and provided innovative vision during a four-year term as president organization was modernized to remain at the heart of sports in Savannah. Grayson volunteered countless hours and gave incalculable support to a diverse variety of teams, organizaitons and people, including sponsoring and coaching teams in a variety of sports at every amateur level and lending his financial and public endorsement to innumerable worthy causes that improved facilities and provided opportunities in the city. Grayson’s mission was consistently to broaden the scope of the city’s vision and expectations by dreaming and creating events and competitions that fit Savannah’s culture and history. His sense of fairness and his memory of Savannah’s greatest athletes and athletic moments made him an ideal steward for the Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame, and his passion for continual improvement made him one of the most influential people in Savannah sports history.