Throughout the course of the 2008-2009 academic year, we will seek to recognize some of the great names of the past to highlight the heritage of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association in honor of the Association’s 95th anniversary. In this edition we are pleased to recognize George Whitfield.
The name George Whitfield has become synonymous with excellence in baseball in North Carolina.
A graduate of Kinston’s Grainger High School and East Carolina University, Whitfield has become nationally known for his baseball success and knowledge. He was successful wherever he coached; he served as head baseball coach at Goldsboro from 1959 through ’67 and posted a 103-37 mark, went to Hamlet High where his teams were 91-17 and won the state 3-A championship in 1968, and then coached at the consolidated Richmond County High where he won three state titles and rolled up an amazing 159-19 mark.
Overall, his prep coaching mark was a stellar 360-75, a winning percentage of almost .830, and included 12 conference crowns. As an American Legion baseball coach, his teams were equally brilliant. Whitfield-coached Legion squads posted an overall record of 560-195, won four state championships and made an appearance in the American Legion World Series in 1983. He also served one year as an assistant baseball coach at Mississippi State University.
He formerly served a stint as athletic director at Mount Olive College. Whitfield was named as the national high school baseball coach of the year in 1974. He has received numerous Coach of the Year honors and served on the Board of Directors of the NCHSAA for four years, from 1986 to 1990.
George continues to run one of the top baseball clinics in the nation, attracting nationally known speakers which will celebrate its 37th annual edition in January of 2009. He is a 1993 inductee into the NCHSAA Hall of Fame.
