The inaugural Mount Olive College Athletics Hall of Fame Induction
Ceremony took place Saturday at the Lois K. Murphy Regional Center.
The induction was part of the Alumni Weekend and 41st Annual Pickle
Classic festivities.
Kenney Moore, Larry Nance, Clarence Rose, Ray Scarborough, and
Russell Stephens were the first inductees into the Mount Olive
Athletics Hall of Fame. Each inductee selected an individual to
serve as his presenter. In addition, current Trojan
student-athletes were on hand to formally award the Hall of Fame
plaque to each inductee.
Kenney Moore was a member of the Trojan baseball team in 1982
and 1983. Moore was a two-time all-conference shortstop as Mount
Olive won the conference championship and advanced to the title
game of the district tournament. The Trojans came within one win of
earning a berth in the national finals. Moore is the founder of
Andy’s Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburgers, which has grown from
one restaurant in Goldsboro in 1991 to approximately 100 locations
in Eastern North Carolina.
Moore noted that the Trojan squad during his freshman year had
several players who were drafted by Major League teams, but it was
the team the following year that enjoyed the most success.
“It’s truly an honor to be here,” said Moore.
“It’s not always the most talented individuals that
succeed, but a group of people with a common drive and a common
dream.”
Moore was introduced by his baseball coach at Mount Olive, Larry
Dean. Current Trojan shortstop David Cooper presented the plaque to
Moore. Dean noted that one shouldn’t always believe
everything in a scouting report.
“Kenney was always focused, he always had it in his mind
what he wanted to do,” said Dean. “When I was
recruiting Kenney, the scouting report on him was ‘above
average glove, hitting suspect.’ Kenney went on to hit .400
as a freshman and .365 as a sophomore.”
Larry Nance was responsible for starting the Mount Olive College
athletics department in the mid-1960’s. Nance was the
school’s first-ever head coach for baseball, men’s
basketball and men’s golf. Nance also initiated the Mount
Olive Pickle Classic men’s basketball tournament, which
enters its 41st year this November. Nance also served as Dean of
Students and Dean of the Physical Education Department at Mount
Olive. A graduate of Appalachian State University, Nance is also in
the ASU Athletics Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a tennis
player.
Nance joked that he didn’t have a great deal of coaching
experience when he took the job.
“I had to leave a baseball game because my wife took ill
and we were trailing when I left,” said Nance. “When I
got back to the game, we were ahead. I coached the rest of the game
and we lost.”
Mount Olive volleyball student-athlete and chair of the
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Samantha Mitchell presented the
plaque to Nance. Nance was introduced by former MOC President Dr.
W. Burkette Raper, who Nance credited for much of the
college’s current success.
“If not for Dr. Raper’s vision, we would not be here
today,” said Nance. “I’m honored to be here
today. It’s an honor I will cherish the rest of my
life.”
Clarence Rose competed on the Mount Olive men’s golf team
in 1977 and 1978 and helped lead the Trojans to post-season play
both years. In 1977, Mount Olive advanced to the national finals.
The following year, the Trojans won the conference tournament and
advanced to the regional playoff. Rose was a two-time All-American,
first at Mount Olive, then at Clemson University. He was inducted
into the Clemson Athletics Hall of Fame and also named to the
Atlantic Coast Conference 50th Anniversary Team. Rose went on to
play golf at the professional level, amassing more than $2.5
million dollars on the PGA Tour. He won championships at the 1996
Sprint International and the 1997 J.C. Penney Classic.
Rose was introduced by his former high school coach, Ed Ezzell.
Trojan golfer Mick Moberg presented the plaque to Rose. Ezzell
talked about Rose’s poise, even as a high school player.
“Clarence four-putted on a hole and took a six, But he
didn’t lose his cool and the way he walked off the green, you
would have thought he made a three” said Ezzell. “On
the next hole, a long par four, he hit his drive straight down the
middle of the fairway and made a three. That’s when I knew he
had what it takes to be a great golfer.”
Ezzell added, “It was the highlight of my life seeing
Clarence play on the Pro Tour.”
“I have a lot of great memories and I had a lot of great
times at Mount Olive,” said Rose, who established the
Clarence Rose Foundation to help needy children in Wayne County.
“When I was recruited, I asked what can Mount Olive College
do for me. Now, I ask what can I do for Mount Olive
College.”
Ray Scarborough played a major role in Mount Olive College
reinstating its baseball program in the early 1980’s.
Scarborough Field, Mount Olive’s home baseball field, was
dedicated in Scarborough’s name in 1980. Scarborough was
involved with the design and construction of the field, as well as
the recruitment and development of the baseball team. He also
created an endowment for an academic scholarship and for the
maintenance of the field. Scarborough enjoyed a successful Major
League Baseball career, which included selection to the 1950
All-Star Game while playing for the Chicago White Sox and earning a
World Series ring in 1952 with the New York Yankees.
Scarborough’s widow, Edna Scarborough, and their daughter,
Beverly Blackwelder, were presented with the Hall of Fame plaque by
Buddy Pope, a long-time friend of the family. Two-time
all-conference baseball student-athlete Josh Carter presented the
Hall of Fame plaque.
Blackwelder reminisced about a time her father left her tickets
at Fenway Park shortly after he had been traded to the Boston Red
Sox.
“When the man in the ticket booth realized I was Ray
Scarborough’s daughter, he said my dad always beat the Red
Sox,” said Blackwelder. “He told me, ‘If we
can’t beat him, sign him.’”
Russell Stephens was a member of the Mount Olive men’s
basketball team from 1990-94. Stephens was the 1990-91 Carolinas
Intercollegiate Athletic Association Freshman of the Year and
earned all-conference honors in each of his four years at Mount
Olive. He was a two-time all-district selection and earned
All-America Honorable Mention in his senior year. Stephens remains
the Trojans’ all-time career scoring leader with 2,165
points. Stephens has spent his post-collegiate career as a high
school basketball coach.
In an emotional moment, Stephens was presented with his plaque
by senior basketball player Chris Bartley, who played for Stephens
at Jacksonville High School.
Stephens was introduced by his wife Shorlette Stephens.
Shorlette mentioned she met her husband at College Hall, now
Kornegay Arena.
“It was not his great athletic ability I remembered, but
his generous spirit and warm smile,” said Shorlette Stephens.
“A true measure of a man is in his deeds, not his accolades,
and Russell is truly a great man.”
Russell Stephens spoke of his memories of the college and his
fondness of head men’s basketball coach Bill Clingan.
“Sports has always been my thing and it’s an honor
to be on stage with the other inductees,” said Russell
Stephens. ”Playing for Coach Clingan, I always felt like I
was not only part of a team, but part of a family. We even broke
our huddles with ‘1-2-3 Family!’”
The MOC Athletics Hall of Fame Induction will be an annual
event. Contact the Mount Olive College athletics office for
information on submitting nominations for the Hall of Fame.
