Stuart Tripp amassed an unbelievable record as a coach, almost all at his high school alma mater, Ayden. A 1940 graduate of Ayden, Tripp then graduated from East Carolina in 1944 and then helped make Ayden into an athletic powerhouse. He coached football, basketball and baseball there from 1946-62, and then after a one-year stint…
Tom Pryor has won more games as a women’s basketball coach than any other coach in North Carolina history. A 1952 graduate of Edneyville High and then a 1957 graduate of N.C. State, Pryor coached women’s basketball for 43 years, with the great majority of that (1957-93) at Edneyville. He also was a head football…
Presnell Mull was successful at every stop he made during his coaching career. A native of McDowell County and a 1947 graduate of Appalachian State Teachers College, Mull began his career at Lenoir High, coaching football and girls’ basketball. His football teams were a spectacular 37-6-3 there. After a couple years coaching in the college…
The late Clarence Moore was one of North Carolina’s top coaches during his career, which really spanned from 1928 through 1968. A 1928 graduate of Shaw University, Moore first coached for six years at Highland High in Gastonia, where he was that school’s first football coach. He actually had two successful stints as a coach…
David Maynard has enjoyed a great career in athletics, primarily in Burlington and Alamance County. A graduate of Burlington’s Jordan Sellars Senior High, Maynard was a World War II veteran and then graduated from Johnson C. Smith University in 1950. After working as a teacher and coach at two different schools, including one in Virginia,…
The late Buddy Luper was one of the state’s most respected coaches during his outstanding career, coaching football, basketball, track and golf. Luper won nine varsity letters at Rocky Mount Senior as an athlete and then had an excellent football career at Duke. After three years as football coach and athletic director at Hickory, Luper…
The late Hoy Isaacs compiled a brilliant record in several sports, with two years at Statesville High School and then a phenomenal 37-year career at Reidsville. A native of Watauga County and a1943 graduate of Appalachian State Teachers College, Isaacs led his Reidsville basketball teams to 640 victories against just 285 losses. His 1973 squad…
Pat Harrell has had a distinguished career in education, primarily as an outstanding administrator in a number of different school systems. A 1961 graduate of East Carolina University, Harrell was a teacher and coach at the high school level before moving into administration. Among his tenures as a superintendent were from 1976-88 as head of…
Gerald Austin, a native of Asheville, is a retired public school administrator who has served as a teacher, principal and associate superintendent, but he has really made a lasting impact as a game official. Austin was a three-sport athlete at Clyde Erwin High School and later earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Carolina. His…
Kathy Stefanou is the most successful volleyball coach in North Carolina history. A native of Jacksonville and a 1969 graduate of Campbell University, Stefanou came to Millbrook High School in Raleigh in 1970 and has spent her entire career there. She built Millbrook into a state volleyball power and posted a career coaching mark of…
