Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker
Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, born and raised in Norfolk, VA, started his amateur boxing career at the age of 9. He had 214 amateur fights, winning 201, and 91 of them by knock out. He was the lightweight silver medalist…
Jess Kersey
Jess Kersey, native of Newport News, VA, devoted 36 years as a basketball official in the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association. His officiating career started with the ABA where he worked for 5 years and refereed the…
Joseph “Joe” Weatherly
Joe Herbert Weatherly attended Norview Elementary, James Madison, and Maury High School in Norfolk and at the age of fifteen acquired his first motorcycle. On December 12, 1942, Weatherly, who had been employed by Pepsi Cola in Winston-Salem, N.C. as…
J.R. Wilburn
In an era when Virginia’s finest high school football stars sought college football programs outside of Virginia, J. R. Wilburn was no different from those high school football standouts, choosing to attend the University of South Carolina. Wilburn was recruited…
Charles H. Williams
Charles Holston Williams is credited with being one of the original founders of the present Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). Williams and his colleagues from Shaw, Lincoln, Virginia Union, and Howard University put together the CIAA, which was the Black…
Dr. Jim Jarrett
Dr. Jim Jarrett joined the Old Dominion University staff in 1967 as Associate Professor of Health and Physical Education and took over the Athletic Director position in 1970, where he remained until his retirement in 2010. During his 43-year career…
Hope Spivey
Suffolk native, Hope Spivey, became the NCAA’s all-time national record-holder for most perfect 10’s with 27 under her belt, and showed that she was both talented and innovative throughout her 15-year career in national, international, collegiate, professional, and Olympic competition…
Dwight Stephenson
Dwight Stephenson is a native of North Carolina, but resided in Hampton, Virginia where he graduated from Hampton High School. He was selected as the All-State Group AAA Team at Hampton High in 1975. He also excelled at defensive tackle…