Five inductees announced for MOC Hall of Fame

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on October 13, 2006 2:15 PM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- The first five inductees into have been selected to enter the newly-established Mount Olive College Athletics Hall of Fame, it was announced Wednesday. Named to the inaugural Hall of Fame Class are Kenney Moore, Larry Nance, Clarence Rose, Ray Scarborough and Russell Stephens. The five will be inducted next month during Mount Olive's Alumni Weekend and Pickle Classic festivities.

Four of the five nominees - Moore, Nance, Rose and Scarborough - were involved in Mount Olive College athletics prior to 1985, when the school was still a two-year college. Stephens attended Mount Olive after the school became a four-year college.

"Each of these persons has played a significant role in the evolution of Trojan athletics," said Mount Olive College President Dr. J. William Byrd. "This group of inductees appropriately includes persons who are former student-athletes and MOC staff, as well as volunteer leaders and donors. The current program is greatly indebted to the contributions they have made in laying the foundation for what we have today. I congratulate them for having been selected and thank them for all they have done for our athletics program."

* Kenney Moore was a member of the Trojan baseball team in 1982 and 1983. Moore earned all-conference honors in 1983 as Mount Olive won the conference championship and advanced to the title game of the district tournament. The Trojans came within one win of earning a berth in the national finals. Moore is the founder of Andy's Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburgers, which has grown from one restaurant in Goldsboro in 1991 to approximately 100 locations in Eastern North Carolina.

* Larry Nance was responsible for starting the Mount Olive College athletics department in the mid-1960's. Nance was the school's first-ever head coach for baseball, men's basketball and men's golf. Nance also initiated the Mount Olive Pickle Classic men's basketball tournament, which enters its 41st year this November. Nance also served as Dean of Students and Dean of the Physical Education Department at Mount Olive. A graduate of Appalachian State University, Nance is also in the ASU Athletics Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a tennis player.

* Clarence Rose competed on the Mount Olive men's golf team in 1977 and 1978 and helped lead the Trojans to post-season play both years. In 1977, Mount Olive advanced to the national finals. The following year, the Trojans won the conference tournament and advanced to the regional playoff. After earning his A.A. degree at Mount Olive, Rose transferred to Clemson, where he earned All-America honors. Rose went on to play golf at the professional level, finishing among the PGA Tour's top 100 money winners in his second year. Rose captured his first PGA Tour championship at the 1996 Sprint International and finished 36th in prize winnings that year with $461,899.

* Ray Scarborough played a major role in Mount Olive College reinstating its baseball program in the early 1980s. Scarborough Field, Mount Olive's home baseball field, was dedicated in Scarborough's name in 1980. Scarborough was involved with the design and construction of the field, as well as the recruitment and development of the baseball team. He also created an endowment for an academic scholarship and for the maintenance of the field. Scarborough enjoyed a successful Major League Baseball career, which included selection to the 1950 All-Star Game while playing for the Chicago White Sox and earning a World Series ring in 1952 with the New York Yankees.

* Russell Stephens was a member of the Mount Olive men's basketball team from 1989-94. Stephens was the 1989-90 Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Association Freshman of the Year and earned all-conference honors in each of his four years at Mount Olive. He was a two-time all-district selection and earned All-America Honorable Mention in his senior year. Stephens remains the Trojans' all-time career scoring leader with 2,165 points. Stephens has spent his post-collegiate career as a high school basketball coach.

The Hall of Fame inductees were selected by a committee comprised of current and former Mount Olive staff members, alumni and friends of the college. The induction ceremony will take place Saturday, Nov. 18, at 1 p.m. in the Murphy Regional Center on the campus of Mount Olive College. The ceremony is open to the public and there is no admission charge, but RSVPs are requested. Call the MOC Athletics Office at 919-658-7759.