Fulghum elected to Hall of Fame

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on August 4, 2004 1:55 PM

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CHAPEL HILL -- Long-time Greene Central High School coach and athletics director James "Rabbot" Fulghum has been selected for induction into the N.C. High School Athletic Associaiton's Hall of Fame.

Fulghum is one of eight selected for the 2004 induction class, according to an announcement from the NCHSAA today.

The new inductees will be honored during special halftime ceremonies at a football game at Kenan Stadium on Saturday, September 25, when North Carolina takes on Louisville. The University of North Carolina has designated the day as the 20th annual NCHSAA Day. The new class will officially be inducted at the special Hall of Fame banquet next spring at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill.

The NCHSAA Hall of Fame is supported by a special grant from GlaxoSmithKline.

Along with Fulghum, the NCHSAA voted to induct Mike Brown of Wilmington, John Clougherty of Raleigh, Ed Peeler of Shelby, Ned Sampson of Pembroke, Dave Smith of Washington, Kathy Stefanou of Raleigh and Carroll Wright of Clyde. This group is the 18th class of inductees to join the prestigious hall. That brings to 92 the number enshrined.

"These individuals joining the Association Hall of Fame this year have certainly had a tremendous impact on high school athletics across North Carolina," says NCHSAA associate executive director Rick Strunk, who coordinates the Hall for the Association. "Their records are certainly impressive, but the character they exemplified and the lives they touched are really representative of what the NCHSAA stands for. Their selection maintains the high standards of excellence established by previous inductees, and we are proud to honor these deserving individuals."

The NCHSAA said that Fulghum "is one of the greatest baseball coaches the state has ever produced."

His lengthy career included stops at North Edgecombe and Greene Central, and he has the remarkable distinction of winning a state championship in five different decades.

Fulghum earned a state basketball title at North Edgecombe in 1963, and then captured five state baseball crowns at Greene Central. His teams won state titles in 1982, '80, '87, '90 and 2000 and he has over 600 career victories at the high school level, in addition to a large number of American Legion baseball victories.

He is a graduate of Rock Ridge High and Atlantic Christian (now Barton) College. He is in the Barton Hall of Fame as well as the American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame plaques are on permanent display in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's Hall of Fame room, located in the Simon F. Terrell Building in Chapel Hill that houses the Association offices.

THE NCHSAA HALL OF FAME

Class of 1987 (Charter Members)

Bob Jamieson, Greensboro; Leon Brogden, Wilmington; Dave Harris, Charlotte

Class of 1988

Tony Simeon, High Point; Wilburn C. Clary, Winston-Salem; L.J. "Hap" Perry, Chapel Hill

Class of 1989

Russell Blunt, Durham; Lee Stone, Asheboro

Class of 1990

Bill Eutsler, Rockingham; Harvey Reid, Wilson; Jay Robinson, Chapel Hill; Simon Terrell, Chapel Hill

Class of 1991

Thell Overman, Wallace; Frank Mock, Kinston (posthumously); Raymond Rhodes, Raleigh (posthumously); Richard "Bud" Phillips, Greenville

Class of 1992

Everette L. "Shu" Carlton, Gastonia; George J. Cushwa, Jr., Thomasville; Norma Harbin, Winston-Salem; James G. "Choppy" Wagner, Washington (posthumously); Modeal Walsh, Robbinsville (posthumously); Everett L. "Shorty" Waters, Jacksonville; Thomas H. "Toby" Webb, Albemarle; John W. "Jack" Young, Ahoskie (posthumously)

Class of 1993

Frank Barger, Hickory (posthumously); Donald Bonner, Lumberton; George Whitfield, Hamlet

Class of 1994

George "Buck" Hardee, Wilmington; Doris Howard, Fayetteville; Bruce Peterson, Asheville; Homer Thompson, Winston-Salem

Class of 1995

Willie Bradshaw, Durham; Robert P. Colvin, Robbinsville; Joe Paul Eblen, Asheville; Augustus B. "Gus" Purcell, Charlotte; George W. Wingfield, Reidsville (posthumously)

Class of 1996

Paul Gay, Sanford; John W. "Honey" Johnson, Elizabeth City (posthumously); Glenn Nixon, Clayton; Robert R. Sawyer, Greensboro

Class of 1997

Dr. Wiley "Army" Armstrong, Rocky Mount (posthumously); Chuck Clements, Gastonia (posthumously); David Lash, Winston-Salem (posthumously); Larry Lindsay, Wake Forest

Class of 1998

Gerald "Pearlie" Allen, Shelby; Norris "Pee Wee" Jones, Asheville; Bill Mayhew, Troutman; Dr. Craig Phillips, Raleigh; Mary Garber, Winston-Salem; Marvin "Red" Hoffman, Wilkesboro; Dr. Andy Miller, Asheville

Class of 1999

Charles "Babe" Howell, Webster; Paul Jones, Kinston; Jerry McGee, Elizabeth City; Jim Mills, Garner; Joe Mills, Raleigh; Donna Norman, High Point; Robert Paroli, Fayetteville

Class of 2000

Marion Kirby, Greensboro; Don Patrick, Newton; Hilda Worthington, Greenville; Charles England, Lexington (posthumously)

Class of 2001

Jack Groce, Boone; Tom Northington, Greensboro; Walter Rogers, Roxboro; Wally Shelton, Mount Airy; John Swofford, Greensboro; Morris Walker, West Jefferson; Herb Young, Cary

Class of 2002

Cliff Brookshire, Brevard; Andrea Cozart, High Point; Bill Friday, Chapel Hill; Herman Hines, Reidsville; Bob Lee, Southern Pines; Ray Oxendine, Pembroke

Class of 2003

Gerald Austin, Greensboro; Pat Harrell, Hertford; Hoy Isaacs, Reidsville (posthumously); Raymond "Buddy" Luper, Lumberton (posthumously); David Maynard, Burlington; Clarence Moore, Asheville (posthumously) Pres Mull, Lexington; Tom Pryor, Edneyville; Stuart Tripp, Ayden

Class of 2004

Mike Brown, Wilmington; John Clougherty, Raleigh; James "Rabbit" Fulghum, Snow Hill; Ed Peeler, Shelby; Ned Sampson, Pembroke; Dave Smith, Washington; Kathy Stefanou, Raleigh; Carroll Wright, Clyde