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…
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…
Ida Simmons Slack
Ida Simmons Slack is considered one of the greatest women duckpin bowlers of all time. On seven occasions, she was ranked No. 1 bowler in the nation, an honor based on comparison of all bowlers’ scores in sanctioned league play. …
Bruce Smith
Smith, a native of Norfolk, first drew national attention at Virginia Tech when he won the 1985 Outland Trophy, awarded to the outstanding collegiate defensive lineman of the year. He was a consensus All-American that season. Picked first in the…