We had the pleasure of attending the press conference in Raleigh this afternoon for the seven new inductees of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
In his remarks, Coach K joked that when he told his relatives in Chicago that he had been inducted in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, they replied, "Boy, they're really good sports. When will State and Wake Forest induct you into theirs?"
In addition to Coach K, former Duke AD and Big Eight Commissioner Carl James was present and will also be inducted at the annual dinner to be held this evening. The most intriguing remarks were made by Henry Logan, who was a three-time NAIA All-American in basketball at Western Carolina. Logan, who led the nation in scoring in the 1967-68 season with a 36.2ppg average, was the first African-American player at WCU. He noted that when he enrolled at WCU, he couldn't read or write but made it his absolute top priority in life. "Today," he proudly said, "I can read, and I can write, and I can balance a checkbook."
The other inductees are Jerry Richardson (Baltimore Colts, owner of the Carolina Panthers), George Williams (St. Aug's track and field coach with 18 national championships), and two posthumous honorees, Connie Mack Berry (NCSU star athlete in football, basketball, baseball, and track), and Floyd "Pep" Young (Pittsburgh Pirates star second baseman).