Highlights Of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame Museum

NOTE: The museum is currently undergoing a major renovation that will enhance the visitor experience and expand the museum’s ability to serve the public in new and dynamic ways. While the building is closed, it continues to engage the public through programs and digital resources. Construction started summer 2025 and is expected to last 2-3 years!!!

Who knew that Raleigh was home to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame museum? Don’t worry if you didn’t, because it’s somewhat of a hidden gem!

Tucked away on the third floor of the NC Museum of History, this fascinating museum is just 3,000 square feet, so you can be forgiven for not knowing it was here!

The Hall of Fame celebrates excellence and extraordinary achievement in athletics in the State of North Carolina, and commemorates and memorializes exceptional accomplishments in sports for the inspiration and enjoyment of all North Carolinian’s.

If you’re a sports fan and thinking of checking it out, here is a helpful guide to the best exhibits to check out and how to visit!

About the NC Sports Hall of Fame

The NC Sports Hall of Fame is located in downtown Raleigh, across from the fantastic Museum of Natural Sciences,

This Sports Hall of Fame currently has 411 members inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The first class was inducted in 1963 when the Sports Award Committee of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce President, J.M. “Mack” Wasson, businessman Jack Wood, and attorney Lloyd Caudle adopted a constitution and began the legacy.

The first members were Jim Beatty, Wes Ferrell, Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice, Ace Parker and Estelle Lawson Page.

In 1969, the first museum opened in the original Charlotte Coliseum, before it was transferred to the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh in 1982.

It was only meant to exhibit for two years, but after increased popularity, it became a permanent Hall exhibit.

This is a permanent exhibit, and each spring several new members are inducted into the hall of fame with an induction ceremony.

Highlights of the Exhibition

As you wander through the NC Sports Hall of Fame, you can learn of these achievements through exhibits and educational displays.

You can also see memorabilia and artifacts of many of the Hall of Fame members.

The museum is dedicated to all sports such as football, basketball, baseball, athletics, golf, motor racing, Olympics sports and more.

Some of our favorite displays include the Michael Jordan display, the Carolina Hurricanes (Hockey), North Carolina Women in Sports, North Carolinians in Olympic Sports, and NFL History. 

Michael Jordan

Of course, North Carolina is ACC basketball territory and we sure do love our hoops around here, and there is no one bigger in the world of basketball than Michael Jordan. 

Jordan’s display highlights his illustrious career, from his collegiate days at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill to his more than 1,000 regular season games during his NBA career.

The Carolina Hurricanes

The National Hockey League (NHL) first arrived in North Carolina in 1997 when the Hartford Whalers relocated to Raleigh and became the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Current Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour helped lead the team to a Stanley Cup victory in 2006 versus Edmonton.

As Australians who didn’t grow up as hockey fans, naturally, we’ll never forget those crazy times here in Raleigh, and even though I’m still not a huge hockey fan, I’m a sports fan and that was amazing to see! 

Brind’Amour’s uniform is featured in this case. He played 1,484 regular season games during his 20-year NHL career.

North Carolina Women in Sports

While many North Carolina high schools were offering girls’ basketball as early as the 1920s, in 1972, Congress passed educational legislation that included Title IX, which prohibited, in part, discrimination against girls and women in athletics. 

New opportunities allowed women to compete on a wider scale. On display are artifacts from these athletes:

• Andrea Stinson is a three-time all-American at NC State and one of the top 50 female athletes in ACC history. She’s a three-time WNBA all-star and the sixth all-time leading scorer in league history. 
• Charlotte Smith, current women’s basketball head coach at Elon University, is best known for hitting a shot in 1994’s NCAA national championship game, carrying the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill to a win over Louisiana Tech. Her UNC jersey is featured in the display case.
• Chasity Melvin’s career at NC State included scoring more than 2,000 career points and grabbing more than 2,000 rebounds.Her jersey from her tenure with the WNBA’s Washington Mystics is featured.
• Kristi Overton Johnson dominated the women’s slalom in waterskiing for 15 years, accumulating 80 pro victories and capturing more number 1 world rankings than any other female skier in the sport’s history. 
• Karen Shelton earned her 600th victory as head coach at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill on October 15, 2015; Carolina’s new field hockey stadium, opened in 2018, is named in her honor. 
• Caroline Lind was inducted in 2024. Native to Greensboro, NC, she won gold medals in rowing in both 2008 and 2012, and ranked the No. 1 ranked female rower in the world by the International Rowing Federation.
• Sheila Ford Duncan is another 2024 inductee from Clarkton and a basketball legend. She was named NAIA National Player of the Year in 1984, and is the first player in women’s collegiate history to score over 2,000 points (2,442) and grab more than 2,000 rebounds (2,200).
• Shea Ralph is a Raleigh native and 2024 inductee. She led the Huskies to the NCAA Women’s Championship in 2000 and was named the Final Four MVP and held 17 state records by the time she graduated High School.

North Carolinians in Olympic Sports

The first North Carolinian to compete in the Olympic Games was Harry Williamson, a track and field athlete from High Point who attended UNC–Chapel Hill qualified to race in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. 

Since then, many men and women have competed. On display are artifacts from these athletes:

• Carla Overbeck captained the 1996 US Olympic team that won a gold medal in women’s soccer. 
• Stephanie Wheeler played on the gold medal–winning US women’s wheelchair basketball team at the 2007 Paralympic Games.
• Sue Walsh earned the ACC championships swimmer-of-the-year title three times as a standout at UNC before competing on the 1980 US Olympic swim team. 
• Marty Sheets has earned more than 250 medals – primarily in golf, power lifting, swimming, tennis, and skiing—including seven at the Special Olympics World Games. 
• Steve Rerych won more individual ACC titles than any other swimmer in conference history at NC State, then won a pair of gold medals for the US swim team in the 1968 Summer Olympics. 
• George Williams built a nationally known track and field program at Saint Augustine’s University while coaching more than 40 Olympians, including three gold medalists, and serving as assistant coach of the US men’s track and field team in the 1996 US Olympics and as coach of the 2004 Olympic team. 

Football

When you think of college football in North Carolina, ACC schools receive most of the attention, but East Carolina University (UCU) and Appalachian State University (App State) also boast successful football programs. 

Who can ever forget App State pulling off one of the greatest upsets in college sports history by beating the Michigan Wolverines in the Big House in Ann Arbor! 

Who knew that Dwight Clark, famous for “THE CATCH” he caught from Joe Montana playing for San Francisco the 49ers to beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1982 NFC Championship game was born in Kinston, NC and graduated from Garlinger High School in Charlotte.

Some notable athletes who have displays are:

• Jerry Moore guided App State to three consecutive national championships and seven appearances in the national semifinals during his time as head football coach.
• Gerald Austin officiated for 25 years in the NFL, including 18 as a referee—and three Super Bowls.
• Ricky Proehl set school records in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns at Wake Forest University before winning two Super Bowl rings, with the St. Louis Rams and the Indianapolis Colts. His Carolina Panthers uniform appears in the display case.
• Don McCauley led the nation in rushing yards during his 1970 season as running back at UNC–Chapel Hill before playing 11 seasons with the Baltimore Colts. 
• Rich McGeorge completed a successful football career at Elon College before being taken by the Green Bay Packers as a first-round pick in the 1970 NFL draft.
• Pettis Norman, born in Georgia, but grew up in Charlotte, Pettis is a college football hero, who went on to play for the Dallas Cowboys and captain the San Diego Chargers.
• Steve Smith, Sr was born in California but played 13 seasons with the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens.

Other North Carolina Sporting Legends

Kay Yow, was the head coach of the NC State Wolfpack women’s basketball team from 1975 to 2009 with more than 700 career wins.

She also coached the U.S. women’s basketball team to an Olympic gold medal in 1988 despite having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987.

Kay was an amazing coach, leader, and person. And David Thompson, a star in college for North Carolina State, leading the Wolfpack to its first NCAA championship in 1974.

Thompson is one of the six players to score 70 or more points in an NBA game.

Thompson was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.

Roy Williams served as the basketball coach at the University of Kansas from 1988-2003, before moving to his alma mater, UNC-Greensboro, where he has won national championships in 2005, 09, and 2017.

Warm up jacket warn by Coach K at Duke University, who has been the basketball coach since 2008 winning 5 individual national titles.

Jim Nantz, a Charlotte native and inductee in 2024, is a three time Emmy Award winner and five-time National Sportscaster of the Year.

Ron Wellman from Ohio, served as the athletic director at Wake Forest for 28 years (1992-2019) and was inducted in 2024.

Don Skakle, another Ohio Native, who coached tennis at 16 ACC championships.

Bob McKillop who played basketball for Led Davidson College Wildcats. He was the winner of the NABC National Coach of the Year in 2007-08.

Planning Your Visit to NC Sports Hall of Fame

The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (NCSHOF), with 411 members, was established in 1963 and is located at the North Carolina Museum of History.

Admission is FREE, and you can take a self guided tour. It’s not a huge space and you can easily get through it in one hour. 

Opening hours are from Tuesday -Saturday, from 10.00am – 5.00pm, and Sunday from 12.00pm to 5.00pm. Mondays are closed.

Final Thoughts

So if you’re a sports fan like me, have an hour to spare, and happen to be in the downtown area, pop in and take your own self-guided tour of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

See the full list of inductees here. And if you want to know how to nominate someone, go here.

• Website: ncshof.org
• Address: 5 E Edenton St, Raleigh (inside the museum of History)

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