Whitfield selected to NC Sports Hall of Fame

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on December 15, 2004 1:56 PM

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RALEIGH -- Goldsboro native George Whitfield is among this year's Class of 2005 inductees for the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Lee Gliarmis of Wilson, who is president of the Hall, made the announcement Tuesday.

"These six individuals have brought honor to our state both locally and nationally," he said. "Honoring broadcasters and coaches, as well as those who played the games, makes our North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame very special."

Whitfield is synonymous with high school baseball in North Carolina. During a 43-year coaching career in Goldsboro and Hamlet, Whitfield's teams won nearly 1,000 games. His winning percentage is .769 in both high school and American Legion play combined.

In Hamlet, Whitfield won eight state titles and was named National Coach of the Year in 1969 and 1974. He also worked as an assistant baseball coach at East Carolina University.

Joining Whitfield are Elvin Bethea, Anson Dorrance, Woody Durham, Peter Fogarassy and Add Penfield.

The six will be enshrined at the 42nd annual induction ceremony in Raleigh on May 19, 2005. The inductees will be introduced at an afternoon news conference at the N.C. Museum of History.

Formal induction will come during an evening banquet at the North Raleigh Hilton. Banquet ticket information is available from the NC Sports Hall of Fame in Raleigh at 919 852-4396 or at the Hallâs website (www.ncshof.org).

The N.C. Sports Hall of Fame, with 227 members, was established in 1963 and is housed in the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. The 4,000 square foot exhibit includes sports memorabilia ranging from a Richard Petty race car to the Homestead Graysâ uniform worn by the late Walter "Buck" Leonard, who played baseball in the Negro National League, to the NBA Championship Ring of Boston Celtics star Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell.

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Sunday from noon until 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.