Marshall Johnson held an extensive newspaper career working for the Lynchburg News and the Manassas Journal. In 1949, he joined the Richmond bureau of the Associated Press, holding a number of positions including sports editor until his retirement career. He…
Frank Loria, Virginia Tech’s first consensus football All-American gained this honor in 1965 and 1966 as a safety man. He, according to his former coach Jerry Claiborne just made things happen and had a knack for football that you find…
Mac McEver, for half a century, was known as “Coach Mac” to the legions of Tech fans across Virginia. Even in his early 70’s Coach Mac was as active as he was nearly fifty years before when he joined the…
Born, raised and educated in Roanoke, Virginia, Bob McLelland worked for the Roanoke Times & World News from 1949 to 1980 filling the shoes of sports writer, sports editor and metro editor. His gifted writing and prize-winning columns earned him…
Rondé Barber, a native of Roanoke, VA, graduated from Cave Spring High School in 1993 before heading to the University of Virginia where he was a three-time All-ACC selection for the Cavaliers. After the 1994 season, Barber was named the…
Vinny Giles, a native of Lynchburg, has placed his name with the elite by winning the amateur championships of America and Britain. Giles began winning in competitive golf at such an early age that he appears to be an old…
William “Pappy” Gooch was a native of Roanoke, Virginia, where he was born in 1895. Gooch played four sports at Jefferson School for Boys in Charlottesville, Virginia. He also attended and played for Fishburne Military Academy in Waynesboro, Virginia. “Pappy”…
A native of Gladys, Virginia, Charles Haley went on to play football at James Madison University and in 1985 became the schools first ever I-AA All-American. At the time of his retirement, Haley was the only player in NFL history…
Gary Clark was born and raised in Pulaski, Virginia. He attended Pulaski County High School and lettered in three sports—football, track, and baseball before heading to James Madison University in Harrisonburg, where he played Division I-AA football. As the Dukes’…
Bill Cochran, a lifetime resident of Roanoke, is this year’s media inductee. Cochran began writing about the outdoors while at William Fleming High School. Following his graduation from Lynchburg College in 1960, his byline appeared more than 300 times in…