Western North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame

Established in 1978, the Western North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame recognizes and honors the best of the best in mountain athletics.The induction ceremony is annually conducted by the Mountain Amateur Athletic Club. A committee accepts nominations to the hall and makes the final decisions on inductees. The banquet was discontinued from 2011-2013 and there were no Hall of Fame induction ceremonies during that time.   

Qualifications for Nomination

  1.  A native of Western North Carolina who has been outstanding in this or any other region, bringing recognition to themselves or WNC.

  2. A non-native of Western North Carolina who has been outstanding through their long standing contributions to sports in this region.

  3. All candidates must be inactive in their primary field of participation. This rule may be suspended at the discretion of the board. Candidates who have completed their scholastic or professional careers and are participating in senior or alternate sports careers are eligible for consideration.

  4. A candidate upon reaching federal retirement age (65) becomes eligible without regard to the level of current activity within their sport. Thus, an active candidate having attained that age would not need an exception, as required in paragraph three of the qualifications for nomination of the by-laws, to qualify.

WNC Sports Hall of Fame Induction

The 2025 Hall of Fame Induction was held Sunday, October 12 at the Omni Grove Park Inn.

This year’s class includes golfer Brenda Corrie-Kuehn, former Tuscola volleyball coach and gymnastics standout Susan Hartsell, former Hayesville girls’ basketball coach Darryl McClure, and former Asheville High football coach Danny Wilkins. The Lifetime Achievement Award winner is Asheville trailblazer Matthew Bacoate, Jr.