Mount Olive’s second hall of fame class was officially
recognized Saturday, November 17, during the 2007 Mount Olive
College Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in the Lois K.
Murphy Regional Center on the campus of Mount Olive College. This
year’s class includes former coaches/athletics directors
Jimmy Adams and Larry Dean, baseball alum Charles Davis and
women’s basketball alum Sarah Leonard Richardson.
Jimmy Adams
Presenter: Jimmy Williams
Student-Athlete Presenter: Brad Alford (Men's Golf)
Jimmy Adams served as athletics director, head men’s
basketball coach and head men’s golf coach at Mount Olive
during the 1970’s. Adams helped guide the Trojan golf team to
regional and national prominence as Mount Olive finished 11th in
the nation at the 1975 NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson,
Kan. Adams coached Mount Olive’s first-ever All-American,
golfer Andy Jackson. The Trojans also claimed a pair of Cavalier
Tarheel Conference Men’s Golf Championships and a regional
runner-up finish. During Adams’ tenure as athletics director,
Mount Olive added women’s tennis as a varsity sport. Adams
was also instrumental in the eventual addition of women’s
basketball and softball. Adams remains active with the college,
serving as one of the organizers of the annual Michael Martin
Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament, which helps raise funds for
Mount Olive College scholarships.
"I know I didn't earn this honor on my own," said Adams. "I want
to thank my family, my friends, my players and my mentor, Jimmy
Williams."
Charles Davis ‘84
Presenter: Dr. Randy Bledsoe
Student-Athlete Presenter: Jackson
Massey (Baseball)
Charles Davis was a relief pitcher for the MOC baseball team and a
member of the 1983 Trojan squad that reached the district finals
and came within one game of advancing to the national tournament.
As a freshman, Davis recorded three saves with 35 strikeouts in 31
1/3 innings pithced. He is in his 18th year as head baseball coach
at Charles B. Aycock High School, which posted a 31-4 record in
2007 and won the state 3-A championship, defeating Southeast
Guilford 10-2 in the title game. Davis is a two-time Goldsboro
News-Argus High School Baseball Coach of the Year winner. Davis
coached a number of future Trojan baseball players, including
All-American Steve Parrish and All-Conference players Phillip
Pennington and Allen Thomas.
"Coach (Larry) Dean was our only coach, so he let me coach first
base when I wasn't playing," said Davis. "That got me thinking
about a career in coaching. In the end, it isn't te wins you
remember but the relationships with your teammates that stand
out."
Larry Dean
Presenter: Dianne Riley
Student-Athlete Presenter: Adrian Daniels (Men's
Soccer)
Larry Dean served as Director of Athletics in the mid-80’s
during Mount Olive’s transition from a two-year to a
four-year college. He became head baseball coach when the sport was
reinstated at Mount Olive in 1980 and led the Trojans to two
conference championships and a top 20 national ranking. Dean also
served as head men’s tennis coach and was the Trojans’
first-ever head women’s basketball coach. Dean coached three
members of the MOC Athletics Hall of Fame: this year’s
inductees Charles Davis and Sarah Leonard Richardson, and last
year’s inductee Kenney Moore. Dean also served as an
instructor when Mount Olive College introduced its recreation
curriculum.
"When (Mount Olive) reinstated baseball, that was one of the
best times of my life," said Dean. "Ray Scarborough told me to get
the players and he'd do the rest. The 1983 team may not have been
the most talented, but everybody worked together and we came within
one out of winning the district."
Sarah Leonard Richardson ‘79
Presenter: Desirae Riddick
Student-Athlete Presenter: Brittney Robich (Women's
Basketball)
Sarah Leonard Richardson attended Mount Olive from 1977-79 and was
a member of the Trojans’ first-ever women’s basketball
team. She averaged 26.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game as a
freshman and earned All-America honors. In her sophomore year,
Richardson averaged 20.5 points and 13.7 rebounds per contest,
earning All-State honors. Her 42 points against Chowan during her
freshman year stood as a school record for nearly 20 years and is
still the second-highest single-game performance in Trojan
women’s basketball history. Richardson played for fellow Hall
of Fame inductee Larry Dean.
"I fell in love with Mount Olive right away," said Richardson.
"Coach Dean wanted me to do well on the court, but also in life. He
taught us to rise above the crowd, to play with no fear and most of
all, to play with heart. He taught me lessons I use in coaching
today."
This year’s Hall of Fame class brings the total number of
inductees to nine. Kenney Moore (baseball), Larry Nance
(coach/athletics director), Clarence Rose (men’s golf), Ray
Scarborough (baseball/friend of the college) and Russell Stephens
(men’s basketball) were honored in last year’s
inaugural induction ceremony.
The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was part of the Mount Olive
College Alumni Weekend.
