RALEIGH — Sanderson High School and the Sanderson Athletic Club are set to induct the first class of the newly established Sanderson Athletics Hall of Fame.

The Sanderson Class of 2011 will be the forty-third class of students to graduate from the school that opened for the 1968-69 school year. Although the Spartans have a rich tradition of excellence in athletics, they haven’t established a Hall of Fame until now.

The Sanderson Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2011 includes eight athletes, one coach, one team, one booster, two families, and one “happening” – the famous “Streak” of 103 consecutive soccer matches without a loss.

The group will be honored in ceremonies that will be conducted on “Hall of Fame Weekend” this fall. The honorees will be introduced at halftime of the home football game versus Millbrook on September 30.  They will also be the guests of honor at the Hall of Fame luncheon on Sunday, October 2 at the Wake County Shrine Club.  The luncheon will be followed by the induction ceremony to be held in the Sanderson auditorium at 4:30 that afternoon.

All of the Hall of Fame Weekend activities will be open to the public.  Tickets for the football game will cost seven dollars each and will be available on the night of the game.  Tickets for the luncheon will be made available for $25 each beginning in August and must be purchased in advance.  There will be no charge for the induction ceremony in the auditorium.

Members of the Sanderson Athletics Hall of Fame Charter Class of 2011

Floyd Allen – SHS Class of 1978…three sport athlete…excelled as a running back and defensive back in football…played in the 1978 North-South Football All-Star Game…also wrestled and ran track…went on to set many football records for rushing and scoring at Virginia Military Institute…inducted into VMI Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

Clark Brisson – SHS Class of 1987…prolific goal scorer on the soccer field…scored 76 goals and 45 assists in three SHS varsity seasons…1986 NC Player of the Year…never lost a game while playing as a Sanderson Spartan…All-American as a junior and a senior…went to Univ. of South Carolina and led to team to four NCAA playoff appearances…third leading scorer in NCAA as a junior…played pro soccer for five different teams.

Jim Brown – Sanderson’s first Athletic Director from 1968 through 1982. The program earned eight All-Sports Trophies during his tenure as AD.  Also Head Football Coach (1968 through 1976, 2 conference championships) and Head Baseball Coach (1969 through 1980, 1 conference championship).

The Cody Family – Ed and Pat Cody moved from Minnesota to Raleigh in 1970 with eight sons and one daughter and the Compton Road neighborhood was never the same! All nine children graduated from Sanderson – Kathleen (Class of 1974), Jim (’75), Dan (’75), Rick (76), Tom (’77), Mike (’79), Bill (’80), Chris (’84), and Eddie (’85).  Ed and Pat were faithful boosters.  Most of the kids played sports.  Mike earned nine varsity letters in his three years at SHS.  The three youngest boys played soccer and won six state championships between them.  Mike has coached football, baseball, and softball at Sanderson at various times over the past 25 years.  The third generation is making its way through SHS now.

David Cooke – SHS Class of 1978…went undefeated his junior year (1976-77) in the 105 pound weight class and become Sanderson’s first wrestling state champion…had two losses as a senior, both to the same opponent, one of which was in the state finals…three time ACC champion at UNC…runner-up in NCAA tournament in 1981…distinguished career in public service as Wake County Manager since 2000.

Rick Donnalley – SHS Class of 1977…football and wrestling star…named ”Metro Football Player of the Year” by Raleigh Sports Club for 1976 season…Sanderson’s Most Outstanding Male Athlete of 1976-77…four year letterman and three year starter at center for UNC Tar Heels…co-captain of 1980 Tar Heels that went 11-1…drafted by Pittsburgh Steelers in third round of 1980 NFL draft…played in NFL for 7 seasons. Graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UNC and got a MBA from George Washington University during NFL off-seasons!

David Fox – SHS Class of 1989…swimmer…swam for three individual NCHSAA 4A State titles, 3 relay titles, and helped Spartans will the 1986 men’s team title…set several state records along the way…in four years at NC State, he won seven individual ACC titles and eight relay titles…”Most Outstanding ACC Male Swimmer” twice…Olympic Gold Medalist in the Games of Atlanta in 1996 as a member of the 4×100 meter free relay.

Liz Bailey Ham – SHS Class of 2001… (Ham is her married name)… Outstanding basketball and soccer player at Sanderson…invited to be a member of both basketball and soccer teams at East-West All-Star game…choose basketball and scored 10 points in the game…Sanderson and N&O Most Outstanding Female Athlete for BOTH her junior and senior years…first team All-Conference in both sports…still leading all-time scorer in Sanderson soccer…played basketball for NC State Wolfpack under legendary Coach Kay Yow.

Dee Kazmierczak – Mother and grandmother of Sanderson athletes began her involvement with the Sanderson Athletic Club in 1974…was the first female president of the boosters club in 1982-83…is still an active member of the club…has a legendary reputation for organizing efforts that support people in her community.

Steve Kenney – SHS Class of 1974…star football player…played in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas and the North Carolina Boys Home All-Star game…had a stellar football career at Clemson…All-ACC as a senior…inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006…signed free agent NFL contract with Philadelphia Eagles in 1978…played for Eagles in Super Bowl XV in 1981.

Pat Teague – SHS Class of 1982…three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track at Sanderson…All-Conference in football all three years…Metro Player-of-the-Year and All-State in football as a senior…All-Conference in basketball as a junior and senior…multi-event athlete in Track & Field…Sanderson’s Most Outstanding Male Athlete as a junior and senior…four-year letterman and All-ACC linebacker for the NC State Wolfpack football team…played in the NFL for one season for the Tampa Bay Bucs.

The Worley Family – Don and Brenda Worley raised three sons, Scott, Brian, and Todd, all of whom attended Sanderson beginning in 1979 and ending in 1985. The boys were key contributors on several state championship soccer teams.  Don held several positions in the Sanderson Athletic Club while the boys were in school and has stayed close to the program ever since.  He has helped maintain the practice field in the summer for years.  Todd has been the head men’s and women’s soccer coach at Sanderson for the past 16 years.  Scott has been instrumental in the improvement of the condition of the turf on the practice field and on the stadium field over the course of the past several years.

The 1978 Volleyball Team – NCHSAA State Champions…final record was 29-0…the Spartans won 20 of 24 regular season best-two-out-of-three matches in two straight games…all five state playoff victories went to three matches…the Spartans lost the first game in 4 out of 5 playoff matches but rallied to win each time…defeated Lee Senior in the finals, 5-15, 15-10, 15-6…coached by Nancy Walker.

“The Streak” of 103 Consecutive Soccer Games without a Loss – Six varsity men’s soccer teams (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987) combined to put together the streak that established a national record for consecutive games without a loss.  The Streak began with a victory over Millbrook on October 15, 1982 and ended when the Spartans lost a home game to Chapel Hill on September 22, 1987.  Seventy-nine different players played on the six teams that contributed to the streak.  The teams were coached by Bob Catapano.

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