GREENSBORO, N.C. – Ten people have been named to the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame with the class of 2012 announced Thursday.
The Hall was created in 2005 and with this eighth class it now has 88 members.
The first five classes included deceased inductees. A Legends Class for posthumous induction was created in 2010. This year the only member of that class will be Rich Brenner, former area sports anchor who was active in charity fundraising and volunteer work.
The class includes two former football standouts, wide receiver Torry Holt (Eastern Guilford, NC State, NFL) and linebacker Dino Hackett (Southern Guilford, Appalachian, NFL). Other former athletes include golfer John Inman (Grimsley, UNC, PGA Tour), basketball player Wayne Robinson (Greensboro Day School, Virginia Tech) and tennis player Julia Ann Holt.
The coaching ranks are represented by three people who made a big impact in soccer – Herk DeGraw at Grimsley, Zack Osborne at Page and Woody Gibson at High Point University.
Also being recognized is Marty Sheets, a graduate of Smith High School in special education. Sheets was a standout competitor in Special Olympics in local, state, national and international competition.
The induction will take place at a banquet on Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum. For ticket information, call (336) 378-4499.
Biographies of the 2012 class follow:
RICH BRENNER
Although most recognized as the sports anchor for 21 years at Fox8 in High Point, for which he received numerous awards, Rich Brenner was a tireless community volunteer and mentor. He often participated in Kyle Petty’s motorcycle Charity Ride Across America to raise money for the Victory Junction Gang. He also worked to raise funds for the War Memorial Foundation and a scholarship fund that bears his name at UNC Greensboro. Rich tutored kindergarteners and taught a broadcasting class at Elon. He was a speaker and emcee at many events, including the first seven years of the banquet for the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame.
HERK DeGRAW
Coaching the boys and girls teams at Grimsley, Herk DeGraw has amassed more than 800 soccer victories. His girls teams have won 444 matches and six state championships (1990, 1993-94, 1996, 2002, and 2004) and have been runners-up six other times. His boys teams, which he coached through 2005, won 391 matches and made the state playoffs 17 times, finishing as runners-up three times. He is a member of the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame and the Greensboro College Athletic Hall of Fame.
WOODY GIBSON
Few people have had as long a career in athletics at one school as Woody Gibson of High Point University. He coached the men’s soccer team from 1978-97, winning six regular season championships and one tournament title. He was the men’s golf coach from 1974-92 and founded the women’s soccer program in 1992 and coached it for three years. In addition he served as HPU’s Athletic Director from 1998-2008. He always taught classes and earned a doctorate in Higher Education in 1995. Currently he’s an associate professor in the School of Business.
DINO HACKETT
Although he played other sports at Southern Guilford High School, football was always Dino Hackett’s best. He went on to Appalachian State and played four years, gaining accolades for his play at linebacker. He was named first team All-America in 1985, when he made more than 200 tackles. Drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs, he played eight seasons in the NFL. He led the Chiefs in tackles five times and made the Pro Bowl in 1988.
JULIA ANN HOLT
Winning tennis titles became a habit for Julia Ann Holt, who won her first one in 1946 and her last in 2006. She stood out in the North Carolina State event, winning the women’s singles championship three times, the doubles title six times and the mixed doubles title five times. In addition she was a member of the N.C. Southern Cup team for 15 years and captain in1987. She’s a member of the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame.
TORRY HOLT
The Gibsonville native starred in football and basketball at Eastern Guilford High School and had a stellar career at NC State. He was the ACC’s Offensive Player of the Year in 1998 when he caught 88 passes for 1,604 yards and 16 TDs. Drafted by the St. Louis Rams, he became a standout NFL receiver from 1999-2009. He caught 920 passes, including 117 in 2003 and 102 in 2005. He scored 74 touchdowns and retired with 13,382 receiving yards, 10th in league history.
JOHN INMAN
John Inman made his mark on golf as a player and a coach. The Grimsley High School graduate went on to North Carolina and was a three-time All-American. He won the ACC title in 1982 and the NCAA championship in 1984, when he was college golf’s player of the year. On the PGA Tour, he won the 1987 Provident Classic and 1993 Buick Southern Open. He became head golf coach at UNC from 1998-2011 and won an ACC title in 2006. He’s currently competing on the Nationwide Tour.
ZACK OSBORNE
The boys and girls soccer programs at Page High School were both started by Zack Osborne. He formed the boys program in 1974 and won 410 matches and four state championships (1977, 79, 80 and 91). The girls program began in 1980 and won three state championships (1986-1988) and was runner-up twice. Zack coached more than 1,000 matches and won more than 800 of them. He is a member of the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame.
WAYNE ROBINSON
A standout basketball player at Greensboro Day School, Wayne Robinson played four seasons at Virginia Tech, three as a starter, and helped the Hokies an 81-35 record, two NCAA appearances and one NIT appearance. He led the team in rebounding three straight years and averaged 15.2 points as a senior. He played one year for the Detroit Pistons in the NBA and many years in Italy and Spain. He now works as a recruitment manager for a steel company and serves as senior pastor of the nondenominational New Millennium Christian Center in Greensboro.
MARTY SHEETS
While some people might regard Down Syndrome as an affliction, Greensboro’s Mary Sheets has never let it get in his way of living life to its fullest. In 1968 he participated in the first International Olympics ever held and won a swimming gold medal. Through the years he competed in various sports and won more than 250 medals in local, state, national and international competition, the last coming in 2007. His lengthy list of accolades include: sitting with President Clinton during the opening ceremonies of the World Games in 1995; being an Olympic Torch bearer when it passed through Greensboro in 1996; and being selected as one of four athletes to be included in a portrait with Special Olympics found Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 2007. Marty has long worked as an advocate to raise awareness of people with disabilities.
Fast Facts:
- Zack Osborne and Herk DeGraw combined for 7 of the first 11 State Championships played in Women’s Soccer. The NCHSAA began hosting the Women’s Soccer State Championships in 1986 and Osborne won the first three.
- Osborne won the first men’s title in 1977 offered by the NCHSAA and 3 of the first 6.
- John Inman was the Individual NCHSAA State Champion in 1980 for Grimlsey and was the National Collegiate Golfer of the Year in 1984.
- Dino Hackett holds the record for Appalachian State record for single game tackles (27 in his last collegiate game versus East Tennessee State) and a season with 200 in 1985. For his accomplishments, Hackett was named to the Appalachian State 75th Anniversary Team. And the Southern Conference 75th Anniversary Team.
- Hackett played in the 1975 East West All-Star Game and Shrine Bowl.
- Wayne Robinson was the first pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round (31st overall pick) in 1980 and was transferred to the Detriot Pistons.
- Wayne Robinson led the Virginia Tech Hokies to their only Metro Conference Championship in 1979 and was selected as an ACC Legend in 2011 representing Virginia Tech.
Other Halls of Fame:
Herk DeGraw:
– North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame -2006
– Greensboro College Athletics Hall of Fame- 2008
– North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association Field of Honor- 2010
Woody Gibson
– NAIA Hall of Fame- 2011
Julia Ann Holt
– North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame- 1980
Zack Osborne
– North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame- 2003
Wayne Robinson
– Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Legend- 2011
I am very pleased to see Zack Osborne inducted.