CHS Sports Hall of Fame

On Friday, January 10, Castlewood High School inaugurated the CHS Sports Hall of Fame and inducted its first athlete. The first member of the prestigious CHS Hall of Fame was awarded to Calvin Talford.

During his athletic career at CHS, Calvin amassed staggering statistics in four sports. During his senior year alone, Calving had 21 receptions for 450 yards and 7 touchdowns as a member of the Blue Devil football team. He rushed 46 times for 547 yards and 8 touchdowns. During the Fort Chiswell playoff games, Calvin scored 5 touchdowns.

Calvin’s career batting average was 496 and he was in the top ten in the district and region in home runs. In a game against Honaker, he struck out 14 of his opponents. The Philadelphia Phillies organization drafted Calvin following his senior year.

As a track star, Talford set state and school records in the high jump at 7 feet, the long number at 23’ 11 1/4”, and the triple jump at 49’ 8 ¼”. Two of the three state records have yet to be surpassed. He set a school record of 10.9 seconds in the 100 meter dash. With teammates Jeff Cook, Maurice Hayes, and Scott Jesse, he holds the school record of 46 seconds in the 400 meter relay.

As a basketball player, Calvin had a stellar career. He hit 60.4% of his field goals, had 350 offensive rebounds, 571 defensive rebounds, 82 blocked shots, and 102 career dunks. Calvin scored double digits in 73% of 78 games. On January 19, 1988, Calvin scored 59 points in a game against the Chilhowie’s Warriors, outscoring the entire Chilhowie team. Calvin was All-State for four years.

As a result of his achievements Calvin was inducted into the Virginia High School Leagues’ Hall of Fame. He continued his career at East Tennessee State University where his basketball prowess continued as he and the Buccaneers won the Southwest conference tournament during the four years he played there and played in four NCAA tournaments beating #3 Arizona before losing to the Fab Five from Michigan in 1992. Calving has been inducted into the ETSU Hall of Fame. In addition, he won the NCAA National Sam Dunk contest in 1992.

Also, during the CHS Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Calvin’s #22 jersey was retired for his achievements on the basketball court. Few who were present at the now “old” gym will ever forget the dunks and especially those alley oops, courtesy of Maurice Hayes, to Calvin that brought the crowd to its feet. The number 22 will always serve as a reminder of Calvin’s achievements and the joy he brought to our small community. Calvin’s jersey will hang in the foyer of the spacious new gym which many continue to call, “the house that Calvin built.”