RALEIGH— The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame is honored to announce its 2015 induction class, which includes two members already inducted into the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame and others with excellent NCHSAA athletic backgrounds..
The 10 new members, listed alphabetically, are Jeff Bostic, Joe Bostic, John Clougherty, Freddie Combs, Rick Hendrick, Gene Littles, Jerry McGee, Lenox Rawlings, Charlotte Smith, and Andrea Stinson. Cloughtery and McGee are members of the NCHSAA Hall.
They will be enshrined during the 52nd annual induction banquet on the evening of Friday, May 15, at the Raleigh Convention Center. An afternoon news conference will be held on Thursday, May 14, at 4 p.m. at the N.C. Museum of History, located at 5 East Edenton Street in Raleigh.
Ticket information for the banquet is available at ncsportshalloffame.org or by calling 919-845-3455.
“The achievements of this year’s class of inductees enrich North Carolina’s remarkable sports heritage, and they certainly earned the honor of joining the 309 men and women who have been previously enshrined,” said Fredrick Reese, president of the Hall. “This is our 52nd class, and we look forward to celebrating this special time in our state’s sports history."
The N.C. Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1963. The permanent exhibit, North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, is located on the third floor of the N.C. Museum of History and features significant artifacts and memorabilia donated by inductees. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
A brief biography of each 2015 inductee follows:
Jeff Bostic: The Greensboro native joined his older brother, Joe, as a standout offensive lineman at Smith High School. He starred as a center on some of the best teams in Clemson University history. Bypassed in the NFL draft, Jeff Bostic signed as a free agent with the Washington Redskins and went on to enjoy an illustrious 14-year career, all with the Redskins, which included three Super Bowl victories.
Joe Bostic: One year older than Jeff, he led the “Bostic Boys” through high school stardom at Smith and as a two-time All-America guard at Clemson University. He won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy in both 1977 and 1978. Selected in the third round of the 1979 NFL draft, Joe Bostic played 10 seasons in the NFL, all with the Cardinals’ franchise in St. Louis and Arizona.
John Clougherty: A Raleigh resident for more than half his life, Clougherty officiated NCAA Division I men’s college basketball for 30 years. He refereed in 12 Final Fours, including national championship games in 1985, 1988, 1989 and 1996. He now serves as coordinator of men’s basketball officials for multiple conferences, including the ACC.
Freddie Combs: Raised in Hertford, Combs starred on the Perquimans County High School team that captured the 1963 Eastern Division Championship. He excelled in both football and baseball at N.C. State University, being named All-America in football as a senior and leading the Wolfpack to the College World Series in 1968.
Rick Hendrick: Born in Warrenton, he grew Hendrick Motorsports into one of the most successful motor sports companies in the world. He has won a NASCAR record 11 Sprint Cup owner’s championships, and his drivers have won at least one Cup race each season since 1986, the longest active streak in NASCAR. Hendrick was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 1996.
Gene Littles: A NAIA All-America as a senior at High Point College (now University) in 1969, the Washington, D.C., native is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,398 points. Played professionally for six seasons before turning to coaching, where he led N.C. A&T to MEAC championships in 1978 and 1979.
Jerry McGee: A multi-sport high school star in Elizabeth City, McGee played football at Duke University. He coached on the high school and college levels for nearly two decades before going into athletics administration full time in 1981. Since 1991, he’s served as executive director for the N.C. Athletics Directors Association.
Lenox Rawlings: Rawlings grew up in Wilson and earned a degree in journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill before embarking on a 42-year newspaper career, with the last 36 years with the Winston-Salem Journal. He was a three-time N.C. Sportswriter of the Year recipient (1996, 2001, 2012).
Charlotte Smith: An all-state honoree at Shelby High School, she is considered the most decorated player in UNC women’s basketball history. A two-time All-ACC pick, she was a consensus All-America and national Player of the Year in 1995. Currently serves as the head coach at Elon University.
Andrea Stinson: Born in Cornelius, she starred at North Mecklenburg High School and then at N.C. State University, where she was a consensus three-year All-America (1989-91) and ACC Player of the Year in 1990. Stinson is the Wolfpack’s all-time leading scorer with a 22.7 points per game average. She starred for the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting from 1997 to 2004.
