james atkinson

(1921-2013)

James Atkinson was the longtime coach at William Penn High School in High Point coaching from 1952 to 1968. During his career at William Penn, Atkinson won three NCHSAC district titles, three regional titles and the 1960 NCHSAC State Championship.

marge burns

(1926-2009)

Marge Burns was a top amateur golfer who was born in Orlando but raised in Greensboro. Burns began playing golf as teenager and was a 1946 graduate of UNC Greensboro. Burns dominated mid-South amateur golf for two decades winning six Women’s Carolinas titles, 10 North Carolina state championships, and the Eastern Amateur title. Burns received the Teague Award as top female athlete in the Carolinas five times. Burns became a teaching professional in the 1970s and was named 1976 LPGA Teacher of the Year. Burns is a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and the UNC Greensboro Athletics Hall of Fame.

richard b. “rick” ferrell

(1905-1995)

Rick Ferrell was raised in Greensboro and attended Guilford College where he played baseball and basketball. In 1926, Ferrell signed with the Detroit Tigers and began his baseball career. Ferrell made his major league start as a catcher in 1929 with the St. Louis Browns. Ferrell was purchased by the Boston Red Sox and was selected as the catcher in his first of eight All-Star Games in 1933. After over 1,800 major league games, Ferrell retired from the Washington Senators in 1947. Ferrell coached both the Senators and the Tigers before moving to the front office with the Tigers. Ferrell worked as a scout, General Manager, Vice President, and consultant for the Tigers from 1953 until his death. Ferrell was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984 and is a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

wesley c. “wes” ferrell

(1908-1976)

Wes Ferrell was a standout pitcher and was considered one of the best hitting pitchers in Major League history. Ferrell played in the majors from 1929 to 1941 for five teams where he had a major league record of 193-128, a 4.04 ERA and won 20 or more games six times. Ferrell had a lifetime batting average of .280 with 38 home runs and 208 RBI. Ferrell pitched a no-hitter in 1931 for Cleveland, beating St. Louis 9-0. Ferrell was pitching when Babe Ruth made his farewell appearance at Fenway Park, the Bambino had a single and double against Ferrell but the Yankees lost 6-4. Ferrell was twice selected to the All-Star game in 1933 and 1935. After his major league retirement, Ferrell continued to play minor league ball until 1949. Ferrell was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

louis clyde “sweet lou” hudson

(1944-2014)

A 1962 graduate of Dudley, Lou Hudson was an All-American and first-team All-Big Ten selection in 1965 at Minnesota. “Sweet Lou” averaged 24.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game that year, leading the Gophers to a second-place finish in the Big Ten. Incredibly, that next year Hudson led the Gophers’ charge for the Big Ten title with a cast on his shooting hand, still averaging 19.0 points and 7. 5 rebounds per game. Hudson finished his illustrious career as a Gopher with 1,329 career points, as well as a 20.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game average. Hudson then went on to be selected as the fourth overall pick of the 1966 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks, where he averaged 18.4 points per game as a rookie. Hudson later played for the Lakers in what would prove to be an 11-year NBA career. The six-time All-Star amassed 17,980 career points and finished 12th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Hudson was further honored by having his Minnesota and Atlanta Hawks jersey retired and is a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

calvin “cal” irvin

(1924-2017)

In 18 years as the Aggies Head Coach, Cal Irvin led North Carolina A&T to five CIAA championships. In the 1958-59 season, NC A&T became the first black college to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. The Aggies advanced to the Final Four and finished third in the country. During his tenure, the Aggies never finished below .500. Irvin’s success would carry the Aggies over from the CIAA into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, where he won the school’s first league championship in 1972. Irvin held a 308-105 record as coach of the Aggies. His first CIAA championship came in 1958. Irvin’s teams won CIAA titles in 1959, 1962, 1964, and 1967. Irvin is an author of three books on basketball techniques and a member of the CIAA Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

robert b. “bob” jamieson

(1911-1993)

A 1932 graduate of Guilford College, Coach Bob Jamieson coached at Greensboro (Grimsley) Senior High School for 36 years. As a football coach, Jamieson won or tied for seven state championships and compiled a record of 240-125-15. While amassing a record of 618-271 in basketball, Jamieson’s teams captured three state and 19 conference championships. Jamieson also coached four state championships in golf. Coach Jamieson was instrumental in the founding of the North Carolina Coaches Association in 1949. Jamieson also coached Greensboro teams to 14 Carolina AAU swimming titles. Jamieson is a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame and the National High School Sports Hall of Fame.

robert allen “bob” mcadoo

Bob McAdoo played basketball at Smith High School, attended junior college and then played one year for the University of North Carolina where as a consensus NCAA First-Team All-American led the Tar Heels to the 1972 Final Four. McAdoo was selected as the second overall pick in the 1972 NBA draft by the Buffalo Braves and won the 1973 Rookie of the Year award. During his NBA career, McAdoo was a two-time NBA Champion, 1975 NBA Most Valuable Player, five-time NBA All-Star, and three-time NBA Scoring Champion. After his NBA career, McAdoo played in Europe until 1993 where he was the 1988 Euroleague Final Four MVP. McAdoo is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

john russell

(1910-2004)

In 1963, Russell accepted a job at William Penn High School in High Point as a history teacher and assistant basketball coach. In 1965, Russell returned to William Penn to serve as Dean of Students and Director of Athletics and remained there until the school closed. In 1989, Russell retired from the public school system and accepted a position as Supervisor of Basketball Officials for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. In 1970, Russell became a pioneer for minority basketball officials by becoming the first african-american to officiate for the Atlantic Coast Conference and later served as president of the ACC Officials Association for ten years. Russell was appointed to officiate at the International Jones Cup Basketball Tournament in the Republic of China and represented the U.S. Government by conducting basketball officiating clinics to train military personnel in Frankfurt, Germany, Izmir, Turkey, Athens, Greece and Aviano, Italy. Russell is a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hall of Fame and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame as a basketball official.

charles alvin “charlie” sanders

(1946-2015)

Charlie Sanders played basketball and football at Dudley before becoming a two-sport star at the University of Minnesota. One of top tight ends in football history, Sanders was selected in the third round of the 1968 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions where he played until 1977. Sanders had an unusual combination of size, speed, and agility which enabled him to catch 336 passes in his NFL career for 4,817 yards and 31 touchdowns. Sanders played in the Pro Bowl seven times and was named All-Pro in 1970 and 1971. Sanders was named to the Detroit Lions 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team. Sanders served as a color analyst on the Lions radio broadcasts from 1983-1988, worked with the team as an assistant in charge of wide receivers from 1986-96 before becoming the Assistant Director of Pro Personnel. Sanders is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

anthony j. “tony” simeon

(1910-2004)

Tony Simeon came to High Point College in 1929 on a football scholarship and when he graduated in 1933 he had earned nine varsity letters at the college in football, track and wrestling. Simeon also became a Golden Gloves boxing champion. After a brief stint at Kernersville, Coach Simeon came to High Point High School in 1936 and until 1966 coached at various times football, basketball, baseball, golf, and track. Simeon coached his basketball teams to three state championships, five state runner-ups, nine conference championships and more than 480 wins. Simeon coached North Carolina to a victory in the 1949 Shrine Bowl. Simeon helped to establish the North Carolina Coaches Association and was President in 1951. Simeon was the Athletic Director for High Point City Schools from 1968 to 1976. Simeon is a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.

jerry steele

(1939-2021)

Jerry Steele played basketball at Wake Forest from 1958 to 1961. After completing his master’s degree at the University of North Carolina, Steele took over a struggling basketball program at Guilford College in 1962. Following a 5-20 record his first year, Steele led the Quakers to two conference titles, four district championships and made four appearances in the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City. In 1969-70, Steele guided Guilford to 29 consecutive wins and a 32-5 record while finishing fourth in the nation. In 1970, Steele took a job as assistant coach with the American Basketball Association’s Carolina Cougars and became head coach midway through the season. In 1972, Steele became the head coach at High Point College. In 31 seasons, Steele became the school’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 458-412. His overall collegiate coaching record was 609-486. Steele was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. The Jerry and Kitty Steele Center at High Point University is named in honor of Coach Steele and his wife.

sanda kay yow

(1942-2009)

A native of Gibsonville, Yow led the U.S. women’s basketball team to an Olympic Gold Medal in 1988, directed her Wolfpack club to the 1998 Final Four and in 2002, became just the fifth female coach inducted into the James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. A graduate of Gibsonville High, Yow holds the record for most points in a game with 52.  Yow began her coaching career at the high school level at Allen Jay and Gibsonville High Schools before moving to Elon College in 1971. In 1975, Yow became the first full-time women’s basketball coach at North Carolina State where she guided her squads to 20 NCAA Tournaments, 11 trips to the Sweet 16, and a trip to the Elite Eight and Final Four in 1998. She collected five Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championships, four ACC Tournament titles, amassed 21  20-win seasons and a staggering 29 winning seasons. During her career, Coach Yow amassed a record of 737-344 and was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 and won the Jimmy V ESPY for Perseverance in 2007.