CHAPEL HILL — Coaches, administrators and media representatives will be among those receiving awards on May 3 when the North Carolina High School Athletic Association holds its 2007 Annual Meeting.
The event is scheduled for the Dean E, Smith Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the day after the spring meeting of the NCHSAA’s Board of Directors has concluded.
The Association annually presents these statewide awards in several different categories, all based on those “who have done the most for high school athletics” rather than a single accomplishment or having an outstanding won-loss record. All state winners are previous regional award winners, and the regional awards are actually voted on by school administrators and coaches in the respective regions.
The awards are named in memory or in honor of outstanding individuals in each category, three of whom are current members of the NCHSAA Hall of Fame. The state winners for 2006 include:
• Doris Howard Female Coach of the Year: Kathy Frazier of Ayden-Grifton is one of the state’s veteran female coaches who has worked in a variety of sports in addition to serving as athletic director. A graduate of Atlantic Christian College, she has been athletic director at Ayden-Grifton since 1990 and has coached volleyball at the Pitt County school since 1978. Frazier has also coached softball and basketball there and is also active in the NCHSAA Student Services program, including the Coach-Captain Retreats.
• Harvey Reid Male Coach of the Year: Jim Oddo of Charlotte Catholic is one of North Carolina’s most successful football coaches. Born in Delaware and a graduate of N.C. State University, he has been in coaching since 1959. He coached three years in Florida and then was line coach at East Mecklenburg from 1962 through ’73. Since then he has coached at Charlotte Catholic, where his teams have been 44-3 in the past three seasons. His career record is a stellar 274-126-2.
• Dave Harris Athletic Director of the Year: Bobby Guthrie of the Wake County schools has been the senior administrator for athletics and driver education in the Wake system since 1995. Before that he had enjoyed a successful coaching career at both the high school and college level. His 1977 Scotland baseball team won the state 4-A championship and he coached at UNC-Wilmington for 13 years, including eight as head coach. He has been very active in the city-county athletic directors’ organization and was the 1994 North Carolina Athletic Director of the Year. He has also assisted at a number of NCHSAA state championships.
• Bob Deaton Principal of the Year: Gary Shields of Franklin has worked in the Macon County school system since 1982 after eight years as a teacher and administrator in the Kings Mountain system. A graduate of Gardner-Webb and a Vietnam veteran with two Purple Hearts, Shields has served as principal at Franklin since 1988 after five years as an elementary school principal. Macon County Principal of the Year three different times, Shields has twice been elected to serve on the NCHSAA Realignment Committee.
• Bob McRae Superintendent of the Year: Jack Hoke of the Alexander County schools has a tremendous background in both athletics and school administration. A graduate of Appalachian State, Hoke has been superintendent in Alexander County since 2001. He coached at both Lenoir and West Caldwell High Schools and was principal of Hibriten for four years. His athletic work includes seven years as an assistant football coach, varsity basketball (both men’s and women’s) head coach for four, golf coach for five and women’s tennis for two. Hoke has served on the State Superintendent’s Advisory Council and has been a member of the NCHSAA Realignment Committee and the Association’s Board of Directors.
• Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year: Alan Ford, sports editor of the Shelby Star, has done a terrific job covering high school athletics in his 28 years at the Shelby newspaper. A native of Shelby, he is a journalism graduate of the University of North Carolina and the son of Bill Ford, a former athletic director and coach at Concord. He has also been active in civic affairs, serving twice as president of the Shelby Community Lions Club.
• Elton Hawley Athletic Trainer of the Year: Gail McMurry of Durham Jordan is a certified athletic trainer who has assisted at a number of NCHSAA state championships since 1985, including volleyball, basketball and track and field. She is a National Board certified physical education teacher and serves as the department chairperson for health and physical education at Jordan. McMurry was inducted into the North Carolina Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame in 2005 and has been a member of the NCATA Board of Directors.
In terms of background of the award’s names, here are some highlights:
Doris Howard of Fayetteville was one of the state’s most successful female coaches during a 41-year career at Hope Mills, Central and Cape Fear High Schools, winning 533 games in basketball, and is in the NCHSAA Hall of Fame.
Harvey Reid, also an NCHSAA Hall of Famer, is the state’s all-time winningest basketball coach with over 800 victories, most of which came at Wilson Fike.
Dave Harris was the athletic director of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools from 1967 to ‘91 after an excellent football coaching career, primarily at Harding. He was a charter member of the NCHSAA Hall of Fame.
Bob Deaton was one of the state’s outstanding high school principals during a long career in education, primarily at Winston-Salem R.J. Reynolds, and was president of the NCHSAA in 1977-78.
Bob McRae is the former superintendent in Randolph County after a long career at Kings Mountain and was president of the NCHSAA in 1997-98. He has served as chair of the Realignment Committee as well as in other NCHSAA capacities.
Tim Stevens is the long time prep sports editor at the Raleigh News and Observer and has been recognized nationally for his work covering high school athletics.
Elton Hawley is a native of Dunn who for many years was the athletic training coordinator for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools. He was the initial inductee into the North Carolina Athletic Trainer Association Hall of Fame.
