STATE AWARD WINNERS TO BE HONORED AT 2009 NCHSAA ANNUAL MEETING
CHAPEL HILL — Coaches, administrators and media representatives will be among those receiving awards on May 7 when the North Carolina High School Athletic Association holds its 2009 Annual Meeting.
The event is scheduled for the Dean E, Smith Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the day after the spring meeting of the NCHSAA’s Board of Directors has concluded.
The Association annually presents these statewide awards in several different categories, all based on those “who have done the most for high school athletics” rather than a single accomplishment or having an outstanding won-loss record. All state winners are previous regional award winners, and the regional awards are actually voted on by school administrators and coaches in the respective regions.
The awards are named in memory or in honor of outstanding individuals in each category, three of whom are current members of the NCHSAA Hall of Fame. The state winners for 2009 include:
• Doris Howard Female Coach of the Year: Darlene Joyner of Northwest Guilford graduated from Guilford College after attending Northwest Guilford. A two-sport standout in volleyball and basketball at Guilford, where she is in the Guilford Sports Hall of Fame, she has been a very successful head coach in volleyball, softball, cross country and women’s basketball coach at her high school alma mater. Her teams have earned conference crowns in several different sports and her slow-pitch softball team won a state championship in 1996.
• Harvey Reid Male Coach of the Year: Earl Smith of Wake Forest-Rolesville has been one of the state’s top head football coaches during several stops in 32 years as a head coach, most recently from 2004 through ’08 at Wake Forest-Rolesville, where his team won three straight conference titles. Prior to that he had been at Wilmington New Hanover and Raleigh Millbrook. On 11 occasions he earned conference coach of the Year honors and was selected as a head coach in the North Carolina Coaches Association East-West football game and an assistant in 1995 on the North Carolina Shrine Bowl staff.
• Dave Harris Athletic Director of the Year: Roy Turner of Wilmington’s Ashley High School took over as athletic director at the Wilmington school in 2006 after eight years at Southeast Guilford. Prior to that he served at Greensboro Dudley as both athletic director and head baseball coach. He is a past president of the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association and has also been a high school and collegiate basketball game official.
• Bob Deaton Principal of the Year: Brooks Matthews of Triton is currently a member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors. He has a great background including a stint as an athletic director as well as a principal. A Harnett County native and Campbell University graduate, Brooks has received several principal of the year honors and has been involved with the NCHSAA on a number of different committees.
• Bob McRae Superintendent of the Year: Tony Parker of Johnston County retired from service in North Carolina during a time where Tony was serving as an outstanding member of the NCHSAA Board of Directors. He has formerly been superintendent of Beaufort County schools and the Whiteville city schools, and prior to that served as principal at South View and Lumberton High Schools. Tony was a coach long before he became a noted school administrator. He coached football, basketball, wrestling, track and field and baseball at Massey Hill and Fayetteville Terry Sanford. He is currently superintendent of the Berkeley County schools in South Carolina.
• Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year: Kevin Connolly of WGHP-TV in High Point has done a terrific job covering high school athletics across the state, after beginning his broadcasting career at FOX8 in 1986. He is currently sports anchor and reporter for the station’s news at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. He helped start the popular FOX8 Prep Profile segment which highlights area high school athletes for their accomplishments on the field or court as well as in the classroom.
• Elton Hawley Athletic Trainer of the Year: Lynn Bundy of Edenton Holmes has been very involved in high school athletics from the sports medicine perspective. She served as athletic trainer at Holmes for some 23 years before her retirement in 2008. She has been on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Athletic Trainers Association and also has served as an athletic trainer for the Shrine Bowl.
.
In terms of background of the award’s names, here are some highlights:
Doris Howard of Fayetteville was one of the state’s most successful female coaches during a 41-year career at Hope Mills, Central and Cape Fear High Schools, winning 533 games in basketball, and is in the NCHSAA Hall of Fame.
Harvey Reid, also an NCHSAA Hall of Famer, is the state’s all-time winningest basketball coach with over 800 victories, most of which came at Wilson Fike.
Dave Harris was the athletic director of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools from 1967 to ‘91 after an excellent football coaching career, primarily at Harding. He was a charter member of the NCHSAA Hall of Fame.
Bob Deaton was one of the state’s outstanding high school principals during a long career in education, primarily at Winston-Salem R.J. Reynolds, and was president of the NCHSAA in 1977-78.
Bob McRae is the former superintendent in Randolph County after a long career at Kings Mountain and was president of the NCHSAA in 1997-98. He has served as chair of the Realignment Committee as well as in other NCHSAA capacities.
Tim Stevens is the long time prep sports editor at the Raleigh News and Observer and has been recognized nationally for his work covering high school athletics.
Elton Hawley is a native of Dunn who for many years was the athletic training coordinator for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools. He was the initial inductee into the North Carolina Athletic Trainer Association Hall of Fame.
