Fred Barakat

(1939-2010)

Fred Barakat was a standout in basketball and baseball at Assumption College and was drafted by the NBA’s New York Knicks and baseball’s San Francisco Giants. Basketball was his passion and he played five years in the professional Eastern Basketball League. He joined the coaching ranks and guided Fairfield to a 160-128 record and three NIT appearances in 11 seasons. In 1981, he joined the ACC as an assistant commissioner and director of basketball officials and in 1991 became the director of men’s basketball operations, where his focus was managing the men’s basketball tournament. Upon his retirement in 2007, Barakat served as a consultant for ESPN and UNCG. Barakat is a member of numerous Halls of Fame including Emerson High School (Union City, NJ), Hudson County, New Jersey, Assumption College, Fairfield University and the Northeast Sports Hall of Fame.

Walter “Tee pot” frye

(1916-1991)

Known as “Tee Pot” or just “Tee,” Walter Frye spent more than 30 years as coach and athletics director at Oak Ridge Military Academy, winning a state baseball championship in 1974 and oversaw the transition of the school to a co-educational institution where he added two ladies to his baseball team. In his playing days, Frye was a shortstop known for his exceptional defense. He played 10 seasons in the minor leagues, including seven in the Carolina League, where he still holds the career records for games played at 953; at bats, 3,269 and hits, 487. Frye was called up by the Phillies late in 1942, but was drafted by the U.S. Army and spent three years as a staff sergeant, including time at the Overseas Replacement Depot in Greensboro. In 2000, Sports Illustrated named him as North Carolina’s 50th best athlete of the 20th century and the baseball field at Oak Ridge was named in his honor.

Matt brown

One of only four managing directors in the facility’s 56-year history, Matt Brown’s experience and vision has piloted the Greensboro Coliseum Complex to national prominence as one of the most versatile and acclaimed sports and entertainment facilities in the country. Matt was appointed the managing director of the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in 1994 and during his tenure the Coliseum has hosted 12 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournaments, 16 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournaments, seven NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, two U.S. Figure Skating Championships and two USA Gymnastics national competitions. In 2011, Brown oversaw a period of unprecedented growth for the Coliseum Complex supervising six simultaneous major construction projects including the creation of four new venues highlighted by the grand openings of the ACC Hall of Champions and the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Under Brown’s direction, the Greensboro Coliseum Complex is one of the busiest facilities in the nation, annually hosting more than 1,100 events per year.

Bob Davidson, Sr.

(1929-2019)

An excellent basketball and baseball player at High Point College, Bob Davidson made his coaching mark in the sports of track and field and cross country. After coaching baseball for seven seasons at Ragsdale High, he moved to High Point College. Davidson began coaching men’s track and field at High Point in 1962. Through the years, the Panthers added men’s cross country, women’s cross country and women’s track and field, and Davidson coached them all until he retired in 2001 after 39 years. His teams won 32 total men’s and women’s conference championships (14 in track and field, 18 in cross country) and he earned 21 different coach of the year awards.

Marques Douglas

Few football players have shown more determination than Marques Douglas. After a standout high school career at Dudley and collegiate career at Howard University, Douglas went undrafted by the NFL. He signed with, and was cut by, Baltimore in 1999, played one game with New Orleans in 2000 and rejoined the Ravens in 2001, playing seven games the next two seasons. His hard work paid off in 2003 when the Ravens made him a starter as defensive end. Douglas went on to start 93 out of 123 games, recording 326 tackles, 131 assists, 20½ sacks and scoring a TD on a fumble recovery return of 41 yards. He played 11 seasons spread among the Ravens, Saints, 49ers, Jets and Titans.

Mike Gaski

Mike Gaski made his mark not only on college baseball but also on international baseball. He started the collegiate baseball program at UNCG in 1991 and coached it for 22 seasons, compiling a record of 657-540-1. His teams won three conference championships, made three trips to the NCAA playoffs, and he was named coach of the year four times. Gaski was instrumental in the construction of the UNCG Baseball Stadium. Gaski is currently serving his fourth term as President of USA Baseball. He has worked on the International Baseball Federation’s technical committee overseeing all international competition, was involved in preparation for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and 2008 Olympics in Beijing and still serves in numerous state and local sports organizations.

Hornsby howell

(1927-2017)

Hornsby Howell just kept working his way up through the ranks. He played as a lineman for North Carolina A&T and began his post-graduate career as the Aggies’ football trainer. He was named head coach in 1969 and A&T promptly went 8-1, won the CIAA title and was named Black College national co-champions. Howell coached nine years, with a record of 55-34-4, and his 1975 team won the MEAC title. He ran tough conditioning drills and believed in practicing until his team got things right. Vince Dooley hired Howell as an assistant football coach at Georgia. Howell served as Interim Athletics Director at Savannah State before returning to A&T as an Interim Athletics Director.

Bill slayton

(1931-2023)

There was no tradition and little success at Southeast Guilford in the sports of football and baseball until Bill Slayton arrived in 1964. Under his guidance, the Falcons became competitive and then champions. In football, Southeast won a conference championship in 1968 and reached the state 3-A semifinals in the playoffs. His best work was in baseball, a sport he played at Appalachian. The Falcons not only won a conference title in 1969 but went all the way and won the state 3-A championship. Two other baseball teams won conference titles. Slayton also coached golf at Eastern Guilford. In 2010, the Southeast football stadium was rededicated in his name.

kitty steele

Catherine “Kitty” Steele was a pioneer in women’s sports when they “played for FUN!” A graduate of UNCG, Steele was a Physical Education professor at Guilford College, where she became the first coach of the field hockey, volleyball, basketball and tennis teams. Steele also served as the Men’s Golf Coach at Guilford for one year. Moving to High Point College in 1976, she taught and coached field hockey until 1985 and women’s tennis until 1992. Her tennis teams twice finished fourth in NAIA playoff competition and won 10 Carolinas Conference titles and compiled a record of 251-54. She was named conference coach of the year 12 times and District 26 coach of the year five times. In 2007, High Point University dedicated the Jerry and Kitty Steele Sports Center, housing athletics offices, locker rooms and academic study areas. Steele was named to the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Guilford College Hall of Fame in 2009.

Adrian Wilson

Adrian Wilson kept getting better at each level of football. A standout at High Point Andrews, he played three seasons as a strong safety at NC State, starting 23 games, intercepting six passes and getting in on 254 tackles. Drafted in the third round by the Arizona Cardinals in 2001, Wilson went on to a 12-year career in the NFL in which he picked off 27 passes and recorded 25½ sacks. He registered 721 tackles and 172 assists, returned two interceptions for touchdowns (one for 99 yards) and made eight sacks in 2005 from his spot in the secondary. Wilson was first team All-Pro in 2006 and 2009 and played in five Pro Bowls and one Super Bowl.