North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame reveals 2026 class

The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame has announced its 2026 induction class. 

The new members, listed alphabetically, are Chip Beck, Heather Bergsma, Louis Breeden, Leonard Hamilton, Tyler Hansbrough, Richard Huntley, John Isner, Norvell Lee, Eddie Pope, Kelvin Sampson and Jerry Winterton.

“This class truly represents the best of the best in North Carolina sports,” Rick Webb, president of the Hall of Fame, said. “It reflects the incredible diversity of excellence across high school, collegiate, professional, and Olympic competition. Through these 11 inductees, we continue our mission to honor the men and women whose achievements and leadership have shaped — and continue to shape — the rich sports legacy of our state.”

Chip Beck: A four-time winner on the PGA TOUR who played on three Ryder Cup teams. The Fayetteville native shot the second 59 in TOUR history during the third round of the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational. His best season was in 1988 when he won twice, earned the Vardon Trophy and finished second to Curtis Strange on the money list. A three-time All-America at Georgia, Beck spent 40 weeks ranked among the top 10 players in the world.

Heather Bergsma: The High Point native started her athletic career as an in-line skater. Within two months of switching to ice, she was on the World Cup circuit. Bergsma competed in three Olympics, earning a bronze medal in team pursuit at the 2018 Winter Games. Bergsma won 88 World Cup speed skating medals, includ­ing 34 gold, and was a four-time world champion in her specialty, the 1,000 meters. She also won the world title in the 1,500 meters in 2017. She held four world records during her career.

Louis Breeden: The Hamlet native was a standout at North Carolina Central where he led the football team in interceptions for three straight seasons. He was drafted by Cincinnati in the seventh round in 1977. He played for the Bengals for 10 years. Breeden was a first-team All-Pro selection in 1982. He had 33 career interceptions – including one pick that he took 102 yards for a touchdown. 

Leonard Hamilton: The Gastonia native is the winningest basketball coach in Florida State history with a record of 460-296. He ranks fifth all-time in victories in the ACC and is one of only four coaches in the league with 200 or more regular season wins. During his 23 seasons at the helm, the Seminoles advanced to the postseason 17 times, including a run of nine straight from 2006-2014. He also was the head coach at Oklahoma State, the University of Miami, and the Washington Wizards. Hamilton is the only person to earn Coach of the Year honors multiple times in both the ACC and Big East. He was a three-time national coach of the year.

Tyler Hansbrough: The power forward is the ACC’s leading scorer with 2,872 points and holds the NCAA career record for made free throws with 982. Hansbrough, who has lived in Chapel Hill since 2009, also owns the ACC record for career 20-point games of 78. In 2008, Hansbrough was the unanimous National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Male Athlete of the Year, ACC Tourna­ment MVP and NCAA East Regional Player of the Year. He is the only player in ACC history to earn first-team All-America and first-team All-ACC honors four times. He played seven seasons in the NBA, mostly with Indiana. Hansbrough was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023. 

Richard Huntley: Huntley rushed for a phenomenal 6,286 yards at Winston-Salem State University, a total that ranks first all-time in the CIAA and 12th in NCAA Division II. The Monroe native scored 57 rushing touchdowns, which is 16 more than any other player in CIAA history. He also holds the league’s career mark in scoring with 368 points. He ranked first nationally in rushing yards per game (188.9) as a senior and earned first team Division II All-America honors. Atlanta picked him in the fourth round of the 1996 draft. He went on to play six years in the NFL.

John Isner: The Greensboro native had a powerful serve that produced an ATP-leading 14,411 career aces and prompted John McEnroe to call him the “best server ever.” He was the top-ranked American tennis player for eight years and ranked among the top 20 in the world for 10 straight seasons. Isner finished his career with 16 titles. He won the longest match in tennis history, beating France’s Nicolas Mahut in 11 hours and 5 minutes in a match played over three days at Wimbledon in 2010. He played in 17 straight U.S. Opens and the 2012 Olympics.

Norvell Lee (being inducted posthumously): A Smithfield native, Lee is best-known for coaching basketball at Goldsboro High School where he compiled a record of 455-133 in 26 seasons. His Goldsboro teams won 19 conference titles and played for the 1983 state 4-A championship, losing to Greensboro Page. Prior to coming to Goldsboro, Lee coached at three segregated high schools, winning seven conference championships and reaching the state title game of the North Carolina High School Athletic Conference in 1968. Lee, who was inducted into the NCSHAA Hall of Fame in 2020, left the high school ranks in 1994 to become the head coach at St. Augustine’s College, leading the Falcons to their first-ever CIAA Tournament championship three years later. Lee died five months after that title run when he suffered a heart attack.

Eddie Pope: Pope is one of the most decorated soccer players in the history of the state. A High Point native, he played soccer and football at Southwest Guilford High School before concentrating on soccer at the University of North Carolina where he was a two-time first-team All-ACC performer in 1994 and 1995 and first team All-America in 1994. In 1996, Pope was the Number two pick overall by DC United in the MLS Draft. He scored the game-winner in overtime as United beat the LA Galaxy for the first MLS Cup title. He was the 1997 MLS Defensive Player of the Year and a five-time MLS All-Star. Pope currently works as the Sporting Director for the MLS Next Carolina Core in his hometown.

Kelvin Sampson: The Pembroke native is currently the head basketball coach at the University of Houston. A year ago, he led the Cougars to a school-re­cord 35 wins, a No. 2 final national ranking and the Big 12 regular-season (19-1) and tournament championships. He has taken the Cougars to five Sweet 16s and two Final Fours. Sampson had 10 straight 20-win seasons at Oklahoma. He is one of 15 coaches to lead four or more schools into the NCAA Tournament and one of just 16 to lead two different colleges to the Final Four. He is the first Native American elected to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

Jerry Winterton: The long-time Cary High School wrestling coach is one of just eight coaches from the state in the National Federation of High Schools Hall of Fame. His teams won 11 state titles and eight dual team championships. The Imps were unbeaten in regular season dual meets in 27 of his 29 years at the helm. Cary’s record during his tenure was 620-16 (.975), includ­ing a 540-3 (.994) mark in regular season match­es. Winterton was the 2007 NHSCA National Coach of the Year and the 2009 NWCA National Coach of the Year. 

The group of 11 will be enshrined during the 62nd annual induction celebration on Friday, May 1, at the Sheraton at Four Seasons Convention Center in Greensboro. Their induction will bring the total number of Hall of Fame members to 433. 

The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame dates back to 1962 when the Sports Award Committee of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce brought the idea to life. Commerce President, J.M. “Mack” Wasson, businessman Jack Wood, and attorney Lloyd Caudle guided the efforts, hosting the first meeting in 1963. The inaugural class of inductees were Jim Beatty, Wes Ferrell, Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice, Ace Parker and Estelle Lawson Page. 

The Hall of Fame takes nominations year round. Nominations are valid for five years. 

• All North Carolina natives should be eligible unless, in the judgment of the Board, they moved from the state (and never returned to live) at too early an age to be reasonably considered.
• Any non-native who has come to the state and maintained an official residence for 10 consecutive years.
• Any non-native whose entire athletic career has been during the time of his/her residence in the state shall be eligible.
• Any athlete in a lifetime sport such as golf, tennis, etc, preferably shall have reached the peak of his/her performance prior to selection or shall have retired from active participation.
• Any administrator, coach, or member of the media shall have reached the age of 62 or shall have retired from the field prior to selection. An exception may be one who has worked or coached in the state for 20 years.

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