CHAPEL HILL, NC – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) is pleased to announce the NCHSAA Hall of Fame Classes of 2021 & 2022. The Class of 2021 features four outstanding coaches – Susan “Susie” DeWeese from Asheville, Jonathan McKee of Greensboro who is being inducted posthumously, Charlie Spivey from Sanford, and Bob Vroom of Hubert, NC and Swansboro High. The Class of 2022 highlights four exceptional coaches and several long-time administrators – Danny Anderson from Granite Falls, Harold Robinson of Williamston, Hal Stewart of Garner, and Ruby Sutton from Kinston and Laney High School.
The selection and presentation of the Class of 2021 was delayed due to COVID. Due to the extended delay, the Association will hold a banquet for both the Class of 2021 and the Class of 2022 on August 20, 2022, at the Embassy Suites in Cary.
Susan “Susie” DeWeese – Class of 2021
Asheville, NC – Enka High School
Susan “Susie” DeWeese made her mark as a head volleyball and basketball coach at Enka High School, building a powerhouse programs in the early days of Title IX. DeWeese compiled a record of 491-196 during her tenure from 1975 to 2005 in volleyball and racked up a 217-210 record in women’s basketball from 1980 to 1997. She was selected as the Western North Carolina Coach of the Year in both sports once and was the 1982 AAA Coach of the Year as selected by the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters.
DeWeese also was selected to serve as the head coach for the West All-Star Women’s Basketball Team at the annual East-West All-Star Game in Greensboro in 1984. After her retirement from volleyball, she continued to serve as a volleyball official while working as a part of the WNCOA Training Committee and on the WNCOA’s Greivance Committee. Due to her work with youth and in the community, DeWeese was honored by former Governor Jim Hunt with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award in 1978.
Jonathan McKee (posthumously) – Class of 2021
Greensboro, NC – Dudley High School
The late Jonathan McKee was a central figure in the Greensboro community during the early days of integration. McKee’s role as the football coach and athletic director at Dudley High School from 1954 until 1980 saw him lead the school and its young people through some very tumultuous times with the steadfastness that only a retired U.S. Army Officer like McKee could deliver. McKee was an outstanding football, basketball, and baseball coach who piloted Dudley teams to numerous conference, district, and state titles during his tenure.
McKee’s Panthers were district champions in 1960-1961, winning the NCHSAC (North Carolina High School Athletic Conference) State Championship that year with a record of 22-2. His basketball squad in 1963 won their conference and finished as NCHSAC State Runners up. In baseball, McKee’s teams shone bright also winning the conference and 4A NCHSAC State Championship in 1965 before his football team performed the same feat in 1967. He posted a career record in football of 90-46-3 and was the 1980 Football Coach of the Year. The respected educator and coach served on the North Carolina Coaches Association (NCCA) Board of Directors from 1978 until 1980 and was recognized as the NCCA Man of The Year.
Charles “Charlie” Spivey – Class of 2021
Sanford, NC – Lee County High School
Charles “Charlie” Spivey has been a pillar in his hometown of Sanford and the baseball community for decades. Spivey was the quarterback of Sanford Central’s (now Lee County High School) 1973 3A State Championship football team, but he fell in love with baseball. After playing in his hometown, he eventually went on to play for the University of North Carolina under legendary Tar Heels Coach Walter Rabb.
Spivey crafted a career out of coaching at his alma mater, Lee County High School where his teams won more than 500 games and a pair of State Championships. Spivey’s Yellow Jackets claimed the 4A State Championship in 1996 and 2001. His teams also reached the Regional Finals in 2011 and 2015. He has seen success not only on the high school level, but as an Assistant Coach for USA Baseball in 2008, 2009, and 2011 helping to lead the 16U USA Baseball team to a Gold medal. Spivey was elected to the NC Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2017.
Bob Vroom – Class of 2021
Hubert, NC – Swansboro High School
Bob Vroom is certainly in the conversation for greatest high school soccer coach in the history of North Carolina. Vroom built a powerhouse program in rural Swansboro in Eastern North Carolina, racking up 490 wins in men’s soccer and winning seven state titles. Vroom posted a 490-73-25 mark as a men’s soccer coach at Swansboro and went 90-33-16 during his brief stint as a women’s coach at the school. Vroom’s men’s teams won 21 conference championships and appeared in 14 state championship matches, 12 of those appearances were epic battles against Charlotte Catholic including a stretch where his teams won five of six state titles, all over the Cougars, from 1995-2000. His women’s teams won four conference titles and were state runner-up in 1999.
Vroom is a highly decorated coach, earning induction in the eighth class of the NC Soccer Hall of Fame back in 2005. He was selected as Conerence Coach of the Year 15 times and was a seven-time recipient of the NC Coaches Association Regional “Coach of the Year” Award, winning the statewide award on three occassions. He also was chosen as one of the NCHSAA’s “100 Coaches to Remember” during the Association’s Centennial Celebration. The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) named him the 2001 National Coach of the Year for small public high school men’s soccer and he was the Head Coach of the West team in the inaugural McDonald’s All-American East/West High School Soccer All-Star Game hosted by the NSCAA in 2002. He was also recognized by the NC Soccer Coaches Association Fields of Honor in their inaugural class in 2010 and inducted in the Jacksonville-Onslow Sports Hall of Fame.
Franklin “Danny” Anderson – Class of 2022
Granite Falls, NC – Starmount, Maiden & West Caldwell High Schools
Danny Anderson racked up more than 725 wins in his illustrious career that spans stops at four NCHSAA member schools. Anderson began his career at Madison-Mayodan from 1982-1985 posting a record of 37-32 before heading to Starmount from 1985-1992 where he led the Rams to three regional appearances and a record of 114-58. In 1992, Anderson headed to West Caldwell where he served as the school’s athletic director and basketball coach until 2015 winning 488 games against just 129 losses. After 23 years at West Caldwell, Anderson took on a new challenge at Maiden where he coached from 2015-2019 and posted a record of 46-32. Anderson is now in his 3rd season coaching at South Caldwell High School.
Anderson gained recognition across the state, winning 20 Coach of the Year Awards and seeing 23 of his teams ranked in the top 10 statewide polls. He piloted teams to three state runner-up finishes (1994, 1999, and 2010), 16 conference titles, 12 conference tournament championships, 12 sectional titles, and three regional championships. Remarkably, every team that Anderson coached except two reached the playoffs. Anderson served on the NC Athletic Directors Association Board of Directors from 2000-2004 and as a member of the NCHSAA President’s Advisory Board in 2002. He was Region 7 Coach of the Year in 2011 and has received induction into the Caldwell County Sports Hall of Fame.
Harold Robinson – Class of 2022
Washington, NC – Williamston & Smithfield-Selma High Schools
Harold Robinson was a teacher and coach at a pair of NCHSAA schools from 1973-2003. In addition to duties as the head football coach, Robinson was an outstanding athletic administrator, leading Williamston to 10 Conference Cup Trophies for overall athletic performance. He claimed a pair of state championships as an assistant baseball coach, winning back-to-back seasons in 1974 & 1975. Robinson’s football teams at Williamston compiled a 239-89 record during his time at the helm winning the Eastern Regional Finals 1995, 1999, 2001 and 2002 reaching the State Championship and winning in 1995 and 1999. His teams won seven conference championships under his leadership.
Robinson is highly decorated, winning numerous Coach of the Year Awards from the Associated Press in 1999, Greenville Daily Reflector in 1983, 1996, and 2000, and the Washington Daily News for 1982, 1995, 1998, 1999, and 2002. He served as a coach in the 1989 East/West All-Star Game. He was President of the NC Football Coaches Association in 1994-1995 and also served in that role for the NC Coaches Association. He has served on the NC Coaches Association Board of Directors and on the NC Athletic Directors Association Board of Directors. Notably, Robinson is credited with founding the statewide NC Shrine Bowl Combines and served as the Shrine Bowl head coach for NC in 2002 and as an Assistant in 1996.
Harold “Hal” Stewart – Class of 2022
Raleigh, NC – Garner, Durham, Richmond, Triton, & St. Pauls High Schools
Harold “Hal” Stewart ws an outstanding football coach and administrator from 1967 until 2002 when he retired. Stewart graduated high school from Goldsboro High in 1961 and moved on to Portsmouth, Virginia where he attended Frederick College. His football teams were a force to be dealt with, winning 240 games against just 78 losses while racking up 18 conference championships. His most notable teams, arguably, were at Garner High School, where he spent 17 years winning a football State Championship in 1987 while leading the Trojans to a runner-up finish in 1998. He also won a State Championship at Richmond Senior High in 1978.
Stewart coached nearly everywhere in Eastern North Carolina, with stops in Wayne County, Durham High School, Richmond Senior, St. Pauls, and Triton in addition to his time at Garner, winning Conference Coach of the Year honors 14 times along the way. He is honored with induction in three Halls of Fame, the Goldsboro High School, Garner High School, and George Whitfield Hall of Fame. He has served as a head coach in both the NC Coaches Association’s East/West All-Star Game and the NC-SC Shrine Bowl Game. President Gerald Ford recognized Stewart as a “All-American High School Coach” and he received a Distinguished Citizen Award from the Occoneechee Boy Scouts.
Ruby Sutton – Class of 2022
Kinston, NC – E.A. Laney, DC Virgo, & Williston Senior High Schools
Ruby Sutton is a gem of the teaching and coaching profession in Southeastern North Carolina. Sutton is a native of Kinston but made arguably her largest impacts as a coach at Laney High School in Wilmington. She taught and coached for 53 years at Williston Senior High in New Hanover County, Noble Junior High, DC Virgo, and at Laney. She has coached nearly every sport as well. Sutton coached basketball and track and field at DC Virgo from 1974-1977. While at Laney she coached tennis and volleyball from 1977-2018.
Her tennis teams at Laney won five conference championships with a combined overall record of 346-135. She was named Conference Coach of the Year four times during that span. Volleyball coaching was another bright spot for Sutton, she saw her teams win 531 matches and fall in defeat just 218 times on her way to three Conference Coach of the Year Awards. She has been honored with the NCHSAA’s Homer Thompson Memorial “8 Who Make a Difference” Award, been a Sen-ABSE National and State Honoree and was named the National PE Teacher of the Year in 1996 by Walt Disney. She is a long-standing member of the NC Association of Athletics, Health, & PE, earning that Association’s PE Teacher of the Year Award as well. She was inducted in the Greater Wilmington Area Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019 and the basketball court at Laney’s Jordan Gym is named in her honor.
