Throughout the course of the 2008-2009 academic year, we will seek to recognize some of the great names of the past to highlight the heritage of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association in honor of the Association’s 95th anniversary. In this edition we are pleased to recognize Dr. Craig Phillips of Middleburg.

One of the best friends which high school athletics has ever had in North Carolina is Dr. Craig Phillips.

A graduate of Chapel Hill High and UNC, Phillips taught and coached at Gray High in Winston-Salem. He had a stint as an elementary school principal and the served as superintendent of the Winston-Salem City Schools. From there he became superintendent of the state’s largest system, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, from 1962-67. Eventually he was persuaded to run for and then was elected as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Phillips served five four-year terms in that high office, making numerous important innovations in education in the state, and then retired. After several years, though, he came back to help Vance County as its superintendent for three years.

A former high school basketball official, Phillips received international recognition for his involvement in education. Craig was inducted into the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1998.