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“This year’s class joining the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame is dynamic in many ways. Not only are they part of a milestone group, given that this is the Sixtieth Induction Celebration, but they are also representative of the reach throughout the Charlotte community, the state of North Carolina, the United States, and beyond. We hope you plan to join us in May to welcome this class. You’ll enjoy our new format and you’ll appreciate the reimagined approach to this time-honored tradition.”
Class of 2024 Announcement
The new members of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame are Randolph Childress, Sheila Ford Duncan, Caroline Lind, Bob McKillop, Jim Nantz, Pettis Norman, Shea Ralph, Don Skakle, Steve Smith Sr., Marilyn “Que” Tucker, and Ron Wellman.
The group will be enshrined during the 60th annual Induction Celebration on the evening of Friday, May 10, at the Charlotte Convention Center, starting at 5 p.m. Their induction will bring the total number of inductees to 412.
Randolph Childress: Childress starred at Wake Forest from 1991-1995 and was the ACC’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1995 after earning ACC Tournament MVP honors with a 40-point game against Duke and a 37-point performance against UNC. Childress ranks second in career scoring at Wake with 2,208 points and is tied for fourth in 30-point games.
Sheila Ford Duncan: Duncan was named the 1984 NAIA National Player of the Year after leading UNC Asheville to the national championship. Duncan was the first player in women’s collegiate history to score over 2,000 points (2,442) and grab more than 2,000 rebounds (2,200). She holds 18 UNCA records and earned first-team All-America honors as a senior.
Caroline Lind: Lind rowed in the 7 seat and won gold medals in the Women’s Eight in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. The victory in Beijing was the first for the Americans since 1984 and Lind and her teammates were inducted into the U.S. Rowing Hall of Fame in 2014.
Bob McKillop: McKillop led Davidson College to 23 conference championships (15 regular season and 8 tournament titles), 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, and 634 wins, McKillop’s Wildcats also played in eight NIT Tournaments and the 2011 College Basketball Invitational.
Jim Nantz: The Charlotte native and CBS broadcaster is a three-Emmy Award winner and five-time National Sportscaster of the Year. Nantz anchors the golf telecasts on CBS and is the lead play-by-play announcer for the network’s NFL broadcasts. He also spent 32 years as the lead play-by-play announcer for NCAA basketball coverage on CBS.
Pettis Norman: Norman played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1962-1970 and the San Diego Chargers from 1971-73. He was regarded as one of the league’s top blocking tight ends, starting 122 of his 162 career games and finishing with 183 receptions for 2,492 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was the Chargers co-captain in 1972 and runner-up for the NFL’s Man of the Year.
Shea Ralph: A standout basketball player at Fayetteville’s Terry Sanford High School, Ralph averaged 39.1 points a game as a junior in 1995 and held 17 state records when she graduated in 1996. She played collegiately at UConn where she led the Huskies to the national title in 2000 and was named the Final Four MVP.
Don Skakle: In 22 years under Skakle, the UNC men’s tennis teams won 16 ACC championships outright and tied for two others. His teams posted a 418-55 overall record and had a 132-14 mark in league play. His 1970 and ‘71 teams won five of the ACC’s six singles titles and all three doubles crowns.
Steve Smith Sr.: Smith played 13 seasons with the Carolina Panthers and is the team’s all-time leader in touchdowns (67), receptions (836) and receiving yards (12,197). A five-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro, he led the league in catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns in 2005.
Marilyn “Que” Tucker: As commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, Tucker has overseen tremendous growth in participation for female athletes, as well as increased recognition for female and minority coaches and administrators, and additional competitive opportunities for its 427 members. She is a charter member of the Mars Hill College Athletic Hall of Fame after leading the Mountain Lions in scoring for two seasons.
Ron Wellman: Wellman served as the athletic director at Wake Forest for 28 years (1992-2019). During his tenure, Wake won 22 ACC championships along with five team and seven individual national titles. In his 28 years in Winston-Salem, Wake Forest raised over $400 million in philanthropic support for athletics.
