2024 Inductees

EDWARD “Eddy” CLARK
A native of Avery County, Eddy Clark’s passion for wrestling stretches back to his high school years at Avery High School and then on into his college career at Appalachian State University, where he won a Southern Conference championship.
Clark served as the head wrestling coach at Newton-Conover High School from 1999 until 2023. During his tenure, he led the Red Devils to four NCHSAA dual-team state championships in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2023, as well as three consecutive runner-up finishes from 2007 to 2009.
Including his time at West Rowan High and Mitchell High, Clark had a dual-team record of 868-127.
He coached 17 state individual champions among 79 state placers at the NCHSAA state individual tournament.
His teams won 11 West Region championships.
Clark was selected as the North Carolina 2A state coach of the year five times and was the National Wrestling Coaches Association coach of the year in 2023.

WILLIAM “Bill” CLINE
Honored posthumously, Bill Cline had a stellar career as a baseball umpire from 1967 to 2010.
A native of Iredell County, Bill was a beloved fixture in the community. Best known for his baseball umpiring skills, Cline also officiated football and basketball, and he was the longtime clock operator for Lenoir-Rhyne football, a task which he enjoyed immensely.
Bill earned top assignments from youth baseball through the collegiate level. He umpired for the North Carolina Little League State Championships, officiated five North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) championships, 21 American Legion State Championships, five South Atlantic Conference tournaments, and 15 NC Junior College regionals.
Cline was also a high school football official from 1969 to 2002, which included five state semifinal assignments.

RYAN HILL
A 2008 Hickory High School graduate, Ryan Hill was one of the top high school long-distance runners in North Carolina during his high school career.
He won NCHSAA 3A state championships in boys’ cross country in 2005, 2006, and 2007. In track and field, Ryan won the 3200-meter run in 2006, 2007, and 2008, and the 1600-meter run in 2007.
He attended North Carolina State University, where he received 10 All-American honors in indoor and outdoor track. Ryan currently holds the school record in the mile, 1500 meters, 3000 meters, and 5000 meters.
He was the South Regional Track Athlete of the Year in 2012 and 2013 and the Athletic Coast Conference Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2013.
Hill has won 7 ACC titles, and in 2012 he was a U.S. Olympic Trial qualifier.

FRANK PAIT
An architect in building community college baseball programs, Frank Pait had a career record of 562-346-1 over 19 seasons with three programs.
He left Lenoir-Rhyne as the winningest coach in program history at 291-239-1 with South Atlantic Conference tournament titles in 2000 and 2001.
Pait began the program at Catawba Valley Community College in 2009 and brought immediate success, winning conference championships in 2012, 2013, and 2014. He led the Red Hawks to the NJCAA World Series in 2012, finishing fifth in the nation.
In 2019, Pait started the baseball program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. In his three seasons there as baseball coach, Pait led the team to an overall record of 83-29. In the 2022 season, the Cobras went 49-9, winning the Region 10 championship, the NHCAA Mid-Atlantic Championship, and finishing third at the NJCAA World Series.

DR. JERRY PUNCH
A three-sport athlete at Newton-Conover High School, Dr. Jerry Punch graduated with honors before pursuing his medical degree at Wake Forest University.
He is best known for his work in the field of auto racing, which began at local tracks, including Hickory Motor Speedway, where he worked as the Public Address announcer.
Dr. Punch went on to national recognition as a pit reporter for ABC and ESPN. His 27 Indianapolis 500 live telecasts are the most in that race’s history. He served as lead reporter for ESPN at NASCAR Sprint Cup events and was the host of the Nationwide (Busch) Series telecasts and as a sideline reporter for ESPN football telecasts.
Dr. Punch won an Emmy for the Indy 500 broadcasts, the ACE award for ESPN’s NASCAR SpeedWorld, and the Lindsey Nelson Broadcasting award. In 2023, the NC Motor Sports Association and NASCAR honored Punch with the Jim Hunter Memorial Media Award.

1978 MAIDEN BLUE DEVILS FOOTBALL TEAM.
The 1978 Maiden Blue Devils football team won Catawba County’s first NCHSAA state championship in football with a record of 12-1-1. Led by head coach Tom Brown, who was named the 2A state coach of the year, the team won the 2A title with a 38-14 win over Tabor City. David Ikard led defensively and received all-state honors. Assistant coaches were Kermit Whisnant and Jim Hickman. Coach Tom Brown, Kevin Wilson, and Bruce Ikard, members of the championship team, were previously inducted into the Catawba County Sports Hall of Fame.

1990 Catawba Valley Community College Men’s Golf Team
The Catawba Valley Community College men’s golf program helped the school’s athletics reach national heights for the first time, setting the tone for what its athletic department has become and achieved up to this point.
All five golfers who participated in the 1990 men’s golf national championship held at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ finished in the top 15 of the entire field – earning them All-American status. This is out of a field of 100 golfers across the entire country, which is quite remarkable.
The program would go on to finish national runner-up the following year and third place three years later, creating a men’s golf dynasty at CVCC – all led by head coach Charlie Bock, who coached the program from 1974-94.
The roster included Bryan Norris, Eddie Martin, Jim Murray, Mark Clodfelter, Brad Turner, and Head Coach Charlie Bock (1990 NJCAA DII National Golf Coach of the Year).

2024 Hall of Fame Program