Davidson County Hall of Fame prepares for new members after hiatus

After a four-year hiatus due to COVID 19 and some re-organization within the board of directors, the Davidson County Sports Hall of Fame has started the nomination and induction process again. Established in 2002, the hall is set to induct its next class on October 21 at the Mary E. Rittling Center on the campus of Davidson-Davie Community College.

Jim Lippard, who founded the hall of fame and still works as a consultant with the board, is glad to revive this honorable event. "I am extremely happy we are cranking this back up again," said Lippard, who coined the idea after being inducted into the North Carolina American Legion Hall of Fame in 2000.

"We had to sit on it for several years mainly for COVID. We have a strong board leading the way now so it's good to be doing this again. There are tons of people that need to be recognized that have achieved lots of sports success in this area."

Nomination forms are available on the website davidsoncountysportshalloffame.com. They were accepted through May 8.

The hall of fame by-laws allow each nomination to remain active for a minimum of five years. Eligible candidates must have completed competition at least five years prior to election. Devoted persons, such as coaches, athletic directors or volunteers, who have sacrificed so much time and effort to maintain sports on a high level of excellence can still be active.

Nominations must have significant ties to Davidson County.

The current board of directors includes Ronnie Beverly, Charles Elmore, Carlton Hurt, Phil Kanoy, Junior McLean, Dale Odom, Danny Palmer, Kim Payne, Matt Ridge and Roxanna Smith.

The inaugural class of 2002 featured 14 members including local legends Allen Brown, Charles England, Perry Tuttle, Wanda Wilson Cline, Don Palmer and Max Lanier.

The last class inducted, which came in 2019, featured Dick Cline, Marcy Newton, Rory Holt and Matt Ridge, among others.

Currently there are 134 members of the Davidson County Sports Hall of Fame and they can be found on the organization's website.

Questions can be directed to DavidsonCountySportsHallOfFame@gmail.com.

At a later date, after the 2023 class has been selected, information will be available with the time of induction ceremony, cost of tickets and where to purchase them.