“Real Deal” part of ‘big wheel’ as the Dillard family just keeps on turning out the athletes

(Our thanks to Yvette Bynum Wilson, who helped us with the background information for this article/posting.)

At first glance when you see Dudley High School’s Reggie Dillard, you know this kid is big….After watching him play a game of basketball, you know he is the “Real Deal”, as Panther public address announcer Skip McCall likes to label Reggie, and the tag fits…..

The tag fits and there’s a reason Reggie is the the “Real Deal”…..The reason Dillard is the “Real Deal”, is because he is part of a ‘big wheel’, that just keeps on turning out athletes, and we’re not talking about pee wees, we are talking big-timers on the court and on the field, from the Dillard family….

The first time I saw Reggie, he looked like a minature Magic Johnson to me….Big frame and very sturdy build, for a guard that stands 6’3. Reggie can do quite a few things with the ball, when he takes the basketball court and he took it to the hole to the tune of 32 points, when he Panthers took on and defeated the Page Pirates at the Mac Morris Gym, this past Saturday night….How does the dealing get done and where does all that talent come from you might ask???

If I didn’t know, I couldn’t tell you, but with some help, I’ve done some research of my own, and I found out why, when and where, the “Real Deal” got his first meal and how his appetite for athletic success was being developed/nurtured, even before Reggie was rolling on the floor, like a bouncing basketball, as baby boy….

It all goes back to the ‘big wheel’ theory.

The Dillard family and Bynum family(the athletes on Reggie’s mom’s side) have been very accomplished football and basketball players for many years….Reggie’s dad, also 6’3, was the CIAA Football Player of the Year from his day’s at Winston-Salem State University….1986 CIAA Player of the Year and that is huge and it should come as no suprise, as the “Real Deal”(Reggie) comes from the “Big Deal”(his dad) and they are all part of the ‘big wheel’……

That really made me stop and say, “hey we are on to something”, when I got the news that Reggie’s dad was a former college football player of the year….That is some elite company, among some tough and stiff competition….Reggie’s dad Vernard, went on to play semi-professional football in Charlotte, with the Barons….

There are many outstanding athletes among the Dillards and the Bynums…..The ‘big wheel’ just keeps on rolling down the road, or court or field…..As they say, “big wheels keep on turning, carry me home to my kin”…..

I believe kin means connected, possibly kindred and I know it means relatives and Reggie has some relatives……

Reggie’s grandfather on his mom’s side of the family was known as “The Hatchet Man”….You have to love that nickname…Brings memories of guys like Marvin “The Human Eraser” Webster, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, James “The Bird” Sparrow, Eric “The Pencil” Stancil” and Geoff “The Son of a Plumber” Crompton…..

“The Hatchet Man”, Fletcher Bynum Jr., coming out of Jordan Sellars High School in Burlington, N.C. “The Hatchet Man” was a football and basketball star at Jordan Sellars and this man could sell some tickets back in the early 60’s….

“The Hatchet Man”, Fletcher Bynum Jr., led Jordan Sellars to not one, but TWO State Championships…..”The Real Deal” has some work to do, if he is going to catch up with his grandfather, on his mother’s side of the family…..

A CIAA Player of the Year and a two-time high school State Champion…..”The Real Deal” is part of a real, ‘big wheel’ and it keeps on turning as we turn the pages…..

The motto for Vernard Dillard Sr. was “Play Hard” and that he did, for the Kentucky Eagles, while serving in the U.S. Army….Mr. Diilard’s teams were the two-time National Champions and he did his tour of duty along the offensive and defensive lines, as a 170 pound tackle…..This “Real Deal” would make his opponents squeal in pain, as he put his 6-foot frame in position to serve up pain and when all of that 170 pounds came crashing down on you, you knew you had just been tatooed, by the the commander-in-chief, from the “Real Deal Brigade”….You’d be lucky if you could buckle up your chin-strap, after this man hit you and you were really fortunate if you could still find your chin, after he gave you a few pops to the chops……

The Dillards were known for dealing and dishing out a heavy helping of pain and when you are going up against the CIAA Player of the Year, “The Hatchet Man” and one of our nation’s finest from the United States Army and their Kentucky Eagles’ championship football teams, you know the ‘big wheel’ has been turning out some “REAL” athletes…….

Many have said over the years that Bob Dunn’s is where “the dealings done”, but if you check the records closely, you’ll see that the Dillards and the Bynums have been doing a little bit of dealing of their own…….

Reggie “The Real Deal” Dillard still has an incomplete stat sheet, as he still has some dealing to do, but if you look back at the history of the Dillards and the Bynums, you find out that the “Dealing” started long before Reggie was even thinking about taking the lob pass from Kevin “Sam” Hunt and throwing it down, to the delight of the Dudley Panther fans at “Panther Time”, over on Lincoln Street, in Greensboro, N.C………..

Here is a closer look at the spokes on the ‘big wheel”, that helped make the “Real Deal”, a reality……

Reggie’s Father
Vernard Dillard, Jr.
Born: October 10, 1966
Height: 6ft. 3in.
Weight: 230 1bs.
Hometown: Winston Salem, North Carolina
School: North Forsyth High School; Class of 1983
College: Winston Salem State University; Class of 1987

Highlights
Football
Position: Guard/ Offense; Tackle and End/ Defense
CIAA 1986 Player of the Year
1986 2-AA National Champion 2-AA Runner-up
Played Semi-Professional Football in Charlotte, NC with the Charlotte Baron’s
___________________________________________________________________________

Reggie’s Maternal Grandfather
Fletcher Bynum Jr.
a.k.a.(The Hatchet Man)
Born: December 3, 1943
Height: 6ft. 2in.
Weight: 190 lbs.
Hometown: Burlington, North Carolina
School: Jordan Sellars High School; Class of 1962

Highlights:
Basketball:
Position: Power Forward
Points: Average 15 points per game
State Champion 1960; 1962
Motto: Never give up; Fight to win

Football
Position: Full-back/ Offense
Line-backer/ Defense
___________________________________________________________________________

Reggie’s Paternal Grandfather
Vernard Dillard, Sr.
Born: January 1, 1946
Height: 6ft. 1in.
Weight: 170 lbs.
Hometown: Winston Salem, North Carolina
School: Paisley High School; Class of 1964

Highlights
Football
Position: Tackle/ Offense; Tackle/ Defense
Played Semi-Professional Football while serving in Army (Kentucky Eagles) 1964-1965 1965 National Champion
Motto: “Play hard”

Again, our thanks to Yvette Bynum Wilson, Ed.D., who helped us with the background information for this article/posting.)

4 thoughts on ““Real Deal” part of ‘big wheel’ as the Dillard family just keeps on turning out the athletes

  1. This is a wonderful article about a great family. Reggie has come from a great family that has accomplished a lot of wonderful things.The sky is the limit for this young man. Reggie has a younger brother that is going to make a name for himself as well that will keep the family tradition rolling. William (Will) Dillard

  2. The Dillard’s are a wonderful family and Reggie and Will (the two sons) are more than enough to make any parent proud. Continued success to both Reggie and Will!

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