The late Jack Holley won more high school football games as a head coach than any other coach in North Carolina history. He was born in Ashton, NC, and then was an outstanding athlete at New Hanover High School in Wilmington, where he played on state championship teams in several different sports, before going to…
A native of Cary, Herb Young has distinguished himself as an outstanding game official at both the high school and college levels. A three-sport standout at Cary High, Young played football at the University of North Carolina and then began his career in officiating. He was a high school basketball referee for 35 years starting…
Morris Walker has been an athlete, teacher/coach and administrator during his years of involvement with the NCHSAA. The long-time resident of West Jefferson was an outstanding athlete at Lansing High and went on to graduate from Appalachian State in 1960. He coached for a period of 12 years at Ashe Central and Northwest Ashe, winning…
John Swofford has been one of the NCHSAA’s biggest proponents during his career as an athletic administrator. A native of North Wilkesboro, Swofford was a standout athlete at Wilkes Central and played in both the East-West and Shrine Bowl football games. He attended UNC on a prestigious Morehead Scholarship and played football for the Tar…
Wally Shelton was one of the state’s most successful coaches during a career in education that ran from 1931 to 1974. A graduate of Mount Airy High and a lifelong resident of Mount Airy, Shelton returned to his high school alma mater after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill and compiled a brilliant coaching record. His teams…
Walter Rogers touched a variety of bases during his career in education that spanned over forty years and included serving in positions from teacher and coach to superintendent of schools. A graduate of Bethel Hill High School, Rogers went on to graduate from East Carolina in 1941. Rogers began coaching at Hoke County and then…
A native of Roanoke Rapids, Tom Northington was one of the top writers covering high school athletics during a 39-year career in journalism. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Northington was the sports editor of the Sanford Herald for one year and then spent the rest of his career at the Greensboro News,…
Jack Groce was a great athlete at Wilkesboro High who became an all-American football player at Appalachian State before his graduation from there in 1953. His career as a head football coach at Appalachian High and then at Watauga spanned over 20 years and he never had a losing season. His overall record was a…
The late Charles England spent almost 40 years in education, amassing an outstanding record as a football coach. Born in Newton, he was captain of the baseball team and an excellent pitcher in college at Shaw University. He went on to become head football coach at Pattillo High School in Tarboro from 1949 through ’58…
Born in Calhoun, Georgia, Hilda Worthington was an outstanding coach and administrator at Farmville Central High School from the early 1970’s to the late ‘90’s. A graduate of Broughton High School in Raleigh and a 1960 graduate of East Carolina University, Worthington served as athletic director at Farmville Central in Pitt County for close to…
