Sunday, January 27, 2013

Two Elon alumni to be inducted to N.C. Sports Hall of Fame

Former football standout Richard McGeorge ’71 and Wade Garrett ’55 will be inducted in May as members of the hall’s 50th class.

Former Elon tight end Richard McGeorge

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Former Elon football tight end Richard McGeorge has been selected as one of 11 members of the 2013 class of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Fellow Elon alum, and former basketball player Wade Garrett, is also a member of the class.

Other members of the class include Kelvin Bryant (University of North Carolina running back), Ron Francis (Carolina Hurricanes), Bill Guthridge (UNC assistant and head men's basketball coach), Tommy Helms (Cincinnati Reds second baseman), Marion Kirby (high school football coach), Hugh Morton (former N.C. Sports Hall of Fame president), Bob Quincy (sports writer), Marty Sheets (won 250 Special Olympics medals) and Mildred Southern (former United States Tennis Association president).

McGeorge, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in July, was the personification of the term “student-athlete." He was named a two-time first-team All-American and an Academic All-American during his collegiate career.

McGeorge, a tight end, rewrote Elon’s receiving records book, ending his career as the school's career record-holder with 224 receptions for 3,486 yards and 31 touchdowns. The conference MVP also set single-season marks with 65 grabs for 1,081 yards, and single-game records with 15 catches, 285 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Chosen with the 16th overall pick of the 1970 NFL Draft, McGeorge enjoyed a nine-year career with the Green Bay Packers, earning the team’s Offensive Player of the Year honors in 1973. He also served as the state chairperson for the muscular dystrophy society of Wisconsin from 1975-78. McGeorge is also a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard.

McGeorge was inducted into the Elon Sports Hall of Fame in 1979 and the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1980.

Garrett was inducted as a fast-pitch softball player. He lettered in basketball at Elon in 1952 and 1954. Garrett was the premier fast-pitch softball pitcher in an era when men’s softball was enjoying its greatest popularity the state. He is a member of the North Carolina Softball Hall of Fame.

Current Elon women's basketball head coach Charlotte Smith was among the 148 nominees for induction in this class.

The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, which inducted its first class in 1963, celebrates excellence and extraordinary achievement in athletics. The Hall of Fame also commemorates and memorializes exceptional accomplishments in sports for the inspiration and enjoyment of all North Carolinians, especially the youth, through popular exhibits and educational displays.

The 11 inductees in the Class of 2013 will bring the total to 300 who have been enshrined in the state’s most prestigious sports fraternity. Notable accomplishments of many of the Hall of Fame members are showcased in a 3,000-square foot museum on the third floor of the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. The museum’s address is 5 East Edenton Street, and it is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.

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by Megan McClure, Staff Last Updated - 1/14/2013

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