LINCOLNTON, N.C. – There was a wide range of ages last night at the Grand Opening ceremonies for the new Lincoln County Sports Hall of Fame. They honored the original founders, they toured the Hall of Fame, talked and renewed acquaintances.
Once located at the Lincoln Campus of Gaston College the now larger collection of sports memorabilia for the hall of famers is housed in an area on the second floor of the Lincoln Cultural Center, 403 East Main Street in Lincolnton.
Hanging on the walls outside the main room for the sports collection are photos of the original founding members of the Lincoln County Sports Hall of Fame, Max Garner, Erma Deen Hoyle and Roby Jetton. Also photos of the 2001 class of the Hall of Fame can be found there.
The Grand Opening last night was only for Hall of Fame inductees and their families, as well as a dinner tonight.
The Hall of Fame will be open now to the public. If you would like to visit the Lincoln County Sports Hall of Fame, check with the Lincoln Cultural Center for hours it will be open by calling (704) 732-9055, (704) 732-9056 or email lincolncultural@bellsouth.net.
Those inducted into the Lincoln County Sports Hall of Fame 2001-2015 are:
2001 – Bob Beal Sr., Norris Childers, Tony Cloninger, Von Ray Harris, Jack Kiser, “Smack” Proctor, Betty G. Ross, Arnold Tarr
2002 – Henry Barkley, Dennis Byrd, Ralph Conner, Joseph Harper, Jerry Sain, John Rex Stuart
2003 – Dr. Necip Ari, Wes Beam, Roby Jetton, Russell “Red” Mincy, Thurman “Jule” Ward
2004 – William S. Barkley, Bob Beal Jr., Darrell Bost, Aaron Lee Boyd, S.G. Gabriel, Lee Kanipe, Bobby Lineberger, Don Powers, “Chunk” Rudisill, Richard Smith
2005 – Bruce Bolick, Ken “Chick” McCurry, Walter “Pooch” Cornwell, Brenda Johnson Hamilton, John “Cotton” Little, Ted W. Goins, Charles D. “Block” Smith
2006 – J. Steven Brackett, Charles Cecil “Brat” Stroup, William “Bill” Goodson, Zenius “Buck” Dellinger, Shirley Gilbert Moore
2007 – Don Cagle, Steve Cherry, Ray Cloninger, Max H. Garner, Steve Herman, Joe Kiser, William “Billum” Wilkinson, Rudolph Young
2008 – Bill Abernethy, Scott Cloninger, Maebelle Aderholdt Earnhardt, Jerry Gates, Terry Gates, Maurice Moore, Butch Ross, Ryan Shelton
2009 – Jay Boggs, Jonathan Brookins, Harold Bynum, Jim Fortenberry Jr., Sonny Taylor, Ben Yount
2010 – Kelly Childers, Marty Eaddy, Johnson “Jeep” Hunter, Craig Kiser, Emmett Michael, Mike Powell, Donnie Vernon
2011 – Mike Cline, Brennan Elliott, Steve Gabriel, Kenneth Herndon, Jim Mundy
2012 – Billy Bridges, Lavell Hall, Paul Haynes, Larry Sherrill, Gene Shuford
2013 – James “Jim” Carter, Jeffery “Bo” Harrill, John Mauney, Michael “Mike” Hollified, James “Jim” Scott, Clyde T. Smith
2014 – Sheila Barker, Johnny Colvard, Mike Harrill, Mark Lackey, Bobby Martin, Wayne Navey
2015 – Billy Baker, Stan Goodson, Butch Richardson, Casey Potts, Michael Littlejohn, Dr. Bill Ward
The 2016 upcoming nominees to be inducted at a banquet June 25 at the James W. Warren Citizens Center in Lincolnton are Jeff Cloninger, Max Houser, Kim Houser Jenkins, Franklin Lowery, Mark Mayo, Fred McCall Jr., Gene Sain, and Wanda Faye Leatherman Tallent.
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Reader Comments
Posted: Saturday, April 30, 2016
Article comment by:
Fred May
Recommend Jonathan May for HOF. TE for WLHS class of 1981. Played at Furman University 81-85. Part of 3 Southern Conference championship teams.
