Tracy McCall-Gholston’s story began when she was 16 years old. During her senior year of high school at Butler High was where she was about to begin her five-year transformation that will be memorable for years to come.

McCall-Gholston became a basketball player. On Sept. 13, she was inducted into the Madison County Sports Hall of Fame as the Class of 2020. 

“Really it’s an overwhelming feeling and I just feel very grateful and very humbled to be, uh, nominated amongst so many worthy people,” McCall-Gholston said.

McCall-Gholston started her basketball career during 1986-87 it continued for the next four years even moving 70 miles westward to Florence. She and her siblings Keysha and Marcus were military brats. Even through all the moving, McCall-Gholston maintained her athletic career.

“It really wasn’t very difficult. I felt like if I had a lot of things to juggle, I had to be very strict and time conscious. So it helped to be very busy,” McCall-Gholston said.

After high school, McCall-Gholston played basketball for The University of North Alabama. In 1990 and 1991 she was selected for the All-Gulf-Conference and helped the Lady Lions move their way to the NCAA Division II nationals tournament. 

McCall-Gholston was UNA’s leading scorer with 1,420 points during her senior season. She broke the single-game individual free throw record during her freshman campaign making 19 of 19 shots.

“I didn’t even realize what happened until the game ended,” McCall-Gholston said.

Although there were small opportunities for McCall-Gholston to continue playing basketball after college, she chose to continue her education. She became a teacher. Collaborative Education Teacher and Student Coordinator at Sparkman High School. 

Even though McCall-Gholston didn’t continue her basketball career she will always have The Madison County Hall of Fame and The University of North Alabama as a reminder of all the goals she accomplished.

“If you set goals for yourself, the only limits that you have are the ones that you place on yourself,” McCall-Gholston said, “Continue to work hard and realize that faith, hope and love will help you persevere through anything,” McCall-Gholston said.