Highlander Hall of Fame

Lorenzo Timothy Hampton excelled at football in high school and college and became a professional football player. He went to the University of Florida on a football scholarship and was a first-round draft pick in the NFL draft in 1985 when the  Miami Dolphins took him as the 27th overall pick in the first round. Lorenzo runs a charitable foundation entitled Lemon-Aid Makers which runs summer football camps for inner city elementary and middle schools in south Florida where he resides.

Nancy Ramsey Denton helped bring the sport of softball to LWHS in 1986. She served as the head softball coach at LWHS for 29 years. While coaching, her teams won 2 state championships,  12 district championships, 10 regional championships and 6 of her teams made it to the final 4 state championship. While her numbers alone are impressive, it’s the character she brings to the sport and the Lady Highlanders that also set her apart from other coaches.  LWHS’s only named field is the Nancy Denton Softball Complex.

Patrick Lance Borders was a multi-sport high school player who was offered a duel-sport scholarship to Mississippi State University as both a baseball and football player.  Pat was drafted in the sixth round of the MLB Draft to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1982. In 1992 he was the MLB World Series  MVP. Borders is one of only four players to have won both a World Series Championship and an Olympic Gold Medal. Currently he is a Minor League Baseball Manager for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Buford Eugene Long was a multi-sport high school  and college player who went on to play professional football. He attended the University of Florida where he earned varsity letters in football, baseball and track and field. He played defensive back and end in the NFL.  After his professional football career, Long returned to Lake Wales and was a devote supporter of  Lake Wales High School Athletics.

Richard “Dick” Howell played basketball and baseball at LWHS and then went on to play baseball at Polk Junior College. Dick was involved in Lake Wales Little League for 18 years as sponsor, coach, board member and umpire. In 1990 he became involved with the Highlander Booster Club.  He announced roll call for LWHS Graduation ceremonies for thirteen years. Serving as the “Voice of the Highlanders” for all home football games (27 years), boys’ basketball games (24 years), and baseball games (22 years) he has earned the title “Mr. Highlander”.

Marvin Pavy came to Lake Wales in 1984 to teach Math and help coach football.  He worked at LWHS practically his whole career in FL. He has held the following positions; Math Teacher, Dean, Guidance Counselor, Acting Asst. Principal, Registrar, and Athletic Director.  He coached football for 37 years. He also coached Freshman Basketball and Assistant and Head Baseball. As AD, LWHS sports programs have had numerous teams advance in the State Series Tournaments and LWHS was named Large School All Sports Award in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Rodney Shafer was an English and SAT prep teacher for 25 years and also the head football coach for LWHS for 20 years. During that time his teams won 187 games averaging over 9.4 wins a year. His teams won 14 District titles, advanced to the state quarter finals 9 times and state semifinals 5 times. They made it to the state finals twice. Coach Shafer was named the District Coach of the Year and County Coach of the year multiple times, the 4A State Football Coach of the year in 1993, the 3A Coach of the Year in 1994, 1995, and 2001, and the Florida High Football Coach of the Year for all Classes in 1995.  On January 9,2016, Rod was inducted into the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame. 

Wade Davis as drafted in the 3rd round out of LWHS in 2004 by the Tampa Bay Rays. He spent 2004-2009 in the minor leagues. In 2009, he was called to play in the majors with Tampa Bay. He was traded to  the Kansas City  Royals and made two trips to the World Series, winning the second one in 2015. Wade was awarded the Babe Ruth award for post season MVP. Wade went on to play for the Chicago Cubs and the Kansas City Royals. During his career he was selected to 3 All Star teams, 2 pitcher of the year awards, and recorded the lowest ERA over a 2 year span in the history of baseball.

William “Bill” Crews grew up in North Carolina where he excelled in all sports. In 1934, he matriculated into the University of Florida, became active in athletics and became the Captain of the Gator Track Team. After graduation he was hired in 1938 to teach physical education at LWHS where he was a stalwart educator as well as a respected and successful coach for 30 years. His only was to serve our country in World War 11. Coach Crews always made sure the boys of the community could get into the gym to use their time in a positive way, but more importantly he almost single handedly conducted a summer recreation program for the youth of Lake Wales. There were sports, crafts, and all kinds of activities, including swimming. He organized, supervised, taught, and coached, not to mention drove the bus for games.

Hubert Morrow is arguably the best all-around athlete to ever attend and play at Lake Wales High School. He excelled in basketball and football and was offered a scholarship to the University of Florida as a dual sport athlete in basketball and football. He chose to serve his country and entered the US Army. While stationed in Europe he played for the Army baseball, basketball and football teams. Hubert has coached youth baseball and basketball in LW over the years. During his 40s, Hubert began competitive running and participated in many events, usually winning his age bracket. Currently, he enjoys golfing.