Hall of Fame Inductees Honored
The Mountain Amateur Athletic Club held its annual Hall of Fame ceremony September 24 at the Omni Grove Park Inn.
This year’s class included former Smoky Mountain and UNC basketball standout Cetera DeGraffenried, golf legend Greg Parker, former Asheville HS and UNC basketball player Buzz Peterson, and former head boys’ basketball and baseball coach at Hendersonville HS Jim Pardue. Coach Pardue was inducted posthumously abd was represented by his widow Rosie.
Current North Henderson volleyball coach Sue Moon was the recipient of the WNC Mountain Athletic Amateur Athletic Club Adams-Ochsenreiter Award for lifetime achievement.
MAAC Inducts 2021 and 2022 WNC Sports Hall of Fame Classes
The Mountain Amateur Athletic Club inducted its 2021 and 2022 WNC Sports Hall of Fame classes on Sunday evening, Sept. 25 at the Omni Grove Park Inn.
This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony and dinner marked the first time the event has been held separately in quite some time. In the past, the event has been held in May in conjunction with the WNC awards banquet that honors the top high school student-athletes in the mountains.
This year’s ceremony was the first one in which the MAAC has been able to induct a Hall of Fame class prior to the pandemic.
The 2021 class consisted of former Owen HS football coach Kenny Ford, former WNBA, and N.C. State basketball star Rhonda Mapp and former McDowell HS girls’ basketball coach Mike Silver.
The 2022 class included former major league pitcher Darren Holmes, former Reynolds and Clemson basketball standout Tara Saunooke Alexander, racing legends Bob and Robert Pressley, and women’s basketball player, coach, and official Judy Stroud.
In addition, long-time WLOS sportscaster Stan Pamfilis was given the WNC Mountain Athletic Club Gene Ochsenreiter Award for Lifetime Achievement.
The 2023 induction will be held September 24.