Local Sports
Pensacola State College has announced its 2026 Athletics Hall of Fame class: Joseph “J.J.“ Cannon, Bill Hamilton, Chanda Rigby and Jody Skelton. The four will be inducted during a ceremony at the Jean & Paul Amos Performance Studio on the Pensacola campus on Thursday, Sept. 24.
They’ll join 20 previous inductees in a hall of fame the college established in 2019.
“This year’s inductees represent excellence in competition, coaching, administration and community service. Their accomplishments continue to inspire our student-athletes and strengthen the legacy of Pirates athletics.” — PSC President Ed Meadows
The First Pirate Drafted by the Majors
J.J. Cannon started playing Little League at eight years old and went on to star as a center fielder and pitcher at what was then Pensacola Junior College, turning down North Carolina scholarship offers to come home. In 1974, the Houston Astros made him their first-round pick in the Winter Amateur Draft, making him the first PJC Pirate ever drafted by a Major League organization.
- Batted .300 in his rookie season in the Appalachian League
- Made his MLB debut with Houston on Sept. 22, 1977
- Spent a 38-year career as a player, coach and manager after being traded to the Blue Jays organization in 1978
- Named Manager of the Year twice and won two league championships, with the Lexington Legends and the Frederick Keys
Three Decades Building the Program
Bill Hamilton spent more than 30 years at Pensacola State, first as head baseball coach from 1990 to 2010, then as athletic director from 2000 until he retired in 2021.
He led the Pirates to their first state baseball championship in 2004 and a sixth-place finish at the NJCAA Division I World Series, racking up more than 700 career wins and developing nearly 80 professional players, including Major Leaguers Billy Sadler and Adron Chambers.
As athletic director, Hamilton oversaw:
- Renovations to Hartsell Arena
- Upgrades to the baseball complex
- Construction of a new softball stadium
- Creation of the PSC Athletics Hall of Fame itself
He’s already in the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, the Florida College System Activities Association Sports Hall of Fame and the Pensacola Sports Hall of Fame, and he’ll be inducted into the Marianna High School Hall of Fame in October. He remains on the Pensacola Sports board and serves as a trustee at John Melvin Christian University.
From PSC Champion to Troy’s Winningest Coach
Chanda Rigby coached the Pirates women’s basketball team from 2005 to 2012, winning multiple Panhandle Conference titles and reaching two NJCAA Final Fours. Her final PSC squad won 34 consecutive games before falling in the national semifinals.
She’s now entering her 15th season as head coach at Troy University, where she is the all-time winningest coach in program history.
- 13 seasons with 20+ wins
- Three Sun Belt Tournament championships
- A Sun Belt regular-season title
- Four NCAA Tournament appearances
- A WNIT runner-up finish
She earned her Doctor of Education from Nova Southeastern in 2017, focusing her dissertation on helping first-generation students adjust to college life, and founded the Underdog to Champion Foundation to support students overcoming barriers to success.
The Architect of Pensacola Youth Sports
Jody Skelton’s local sports résumé runs deep: he helped lead Pensacola High School to the 1963-1964 Florida Class AA State Championship, played two years at Pensacola Junior College, then became the first scholarship basketball player to sign with the University of West Florida, contributing to UWF’s winning 19-3 inaugural season in 1967-1968.
After five years in the Army National Guard and coaching stints at Escambia High School and Pensacola Junior College, Skelton spent 35 years with the City of Pensacola, as superintendent of athletics from 1972 to 2001, then as leisure services director until his retirement in 2006. He’s widely credited as the architect of the area’s youth athletic programs.
He’s a past president of the Florida Youth Baseball League and Florida Youth Basketball League, and he’s already enshrined in the Pensacola Sports Hall of Fame (1982), the Pensacola High School Hall of Fame (1994) and the UWF Athletics Hall of Fame (2014).
The induction ceremony is set for Sept. 24 at the Jean & Paul Amos Performance Studio. A full list of previous inductees is available at athletics.pensacolastate.edu/hof.