Francis, Bryant among 11 selected to 2013 NC Sports Hall of Fame class

Colleges

Francis, Bryant among 11 selected to 2013 NC Sports Hall of Fame class

Jan 7, 2013

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Former Carolina Hurricanes player and current VP of of Operations Ron Francis and former University of North Carolina running back Kelvin Bryant are among 11 people that have been selected to the 2013 class of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

Joining Francis and Bryant are: Wade Garrett, former UNC basketball coach Bill Guthridge, former MLB All-Star and manager Tommy Helms, Marion Kirby, Rich McGeorge, Hugh Morton, Bob Quincy, Marty Sheets and Mildred Southern.

Francis will become the first ever hockey player inducted into the NC Sports Hall of Fame when the inductees are formalized at a ceremony on May 2.

This year marks the 50th anniversary class for the museum.

Francis scored 549 goals and earned 1,249 assists (1,798) in 23 NHL seasons with Hartford, Pittsburgh, Carolina and Toronto, and ranks fourth in NHL history in points, behind only Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Gordie Howe. The Hurricanes officially retired Francis’ No. 10 jersey on Jan. 28, 2006, and on Nov. 12, 2007, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Bryant rushed for over 4,300 yards and 28 touchdowns during his Tar Heels career, then played three seasons in the USFL before playing nearly five seasons with the Washington Redskins. In 1980, Bryant split carries in the backfield with Amos Lawrence as each running back went over 1,000 yards. The Tarboro native went over 1,000 each of the next two seasons as well.

Guthridge was an assistant coach under Dean Smith at UNC for 30 seasons before assuming head coaching duties in 1997. He posted an 80-28 record as the Tar Heels head coach in three seasons making the NCAA tournament each year, including two Final Four’s. He was named the Naismith College Coach of the Year in 1998.

Helms, a Charlotte native, played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox. A second baseman, Helms won two Gold Gloves, played in two All-Star Games and was named the Rookie of the Year in 1966. He later coached the Reds in 1988 ans 1989.

McGeorge was a tight end for Elon before becoming a first-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 1970. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

Garrett, also a member of the NC Softball Hall of Fame, is well known in fast-pitch softball, Kirby was actively involved in tennis in the state and Sheets holds 250 medals from the Special Olympics.

Kirby is a four-time state championship high school football coach at Page High School.

Morton was a long-time sports photographer and Quincy an award-winning columnist for the Charlotte Observer.

2013 NC Hall of Fame Class
Kelvin Bryant	Football
Ron Francis	Hockey
Wade Garrett	Fast-pitch softball
Bill Guthridge	Basketball
Tommy Helms	Baseball
Marion Kirby	High school football
Rich McGeorge	Football
Hough Morton	Photographer
Bob Quincy	Columnist
Marty Sheets	Special Olympics
Mildred Southern	Tennis