'E.E. Smith High School was life to me': Alumni honored at inaugural Sports Hall of Fame

There are few moments when people can come together for hours of laughter and celebration in honor of Black excellence.

For the alumni of E.E. Smith High School, these moments are vital in keeping alive memories, and for supporting and uplifting the Fayetteville community.

On Sunday evening, nearly 500 alumni and guests of the high school gathered in the ballroom of the Ramada Plaza to honor 21 athletes and coaches in E.E. Smith's inaugural induction ceremony for the Sports Hall of Fame. All those honored impacted the communities of E.E. Smith, Fayetteville, college sports, and even professional sports.

Each inductee had a long list of accomplishments since graduating from E.E. Smith dating back to the early 1950s. Of the 21 honorees, seven of them were posthumously inducted and represented by family members, three weren't in attendance and the remaining 11 took the stage to receive a plaque and a custom golden jacket and to give acceptance speeches.

In light of the possibility that E.E. Smith will move to a new location, alumni, their friends and family took the night to recapture the past and ensure the many graduates of the school are not forgotten.

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A strong commitment to E.E. Smith

According to the alumni of E.E. Smith, the pride of the Golden Bulls, the school's mascot, runs deep.

Before integration reached the state in the early 1970s, there were three Black high schools for residents in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. E.E. Smith was the only school in the city Black residents could go to, and has sent tens of thousands of graduates out into the world. Many of them stayed in the community, becoming political leaders, activists, educators and coaches.

John Brown, a 1966 graduate of the school and chair of the Sports Hall of Fame banquet committee, said the alumni association sold 485 tickets for the banquet. The event was hosted by the school's alumni association, established in 1977, and its Sports Hall of Fame initiate committee.

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The ceremony tickets went on sale on Eventbrite at the end of January and by early March, they were almost sold out, Brown said. Originally, the alumni association planned to sell about 250-300 tickets. They soon realized they needed more space to host the event.

"We were pleasantly surprised," Brown said. "We didn't put out any flyers, we didn't have any articles about it. This was mostly word of mouth and social media."

The strength of E.E. Smith's national alumni association is not typical for high schools. Since 1977, graduating classes of E.E. Smith reunite in the city every year for Memorial Day weekend to celebrate milestones. Brown has been friends with many of his classmates since the first grade, he said.

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He credits the roots of the school for the reason why E.E. Smith's alumni ties are so strong.

"Many people don't remember Mr. E.E. Miller who was principal of E.E. Smith for about 30 years or so," Brown said. "He and the teachers when we were there instilled in us how good we were and could be. They ingrained that in us. We just felt like there was no school around better than E.E Smith ... we want the younger alumni to feel the same way we do."

Brown said over the span of the last 11 years, his graduating class of 1966 alone has donated $27,000 to E.E. Smith for students in the form of scholarships and other school needs.

"The alumni association makes sure that we nurture those youngsters," he said. "We want them to know that we are committed to their success. We care about them and we share that through support of their events, through helping them go to school. We're committed to them and to E.E. Smith."

More: PHOTOS: E.E. Smith Hall of Fame

'This could be you'

E.E. Smith's girls' and boys' basketball teams were included in the induction ceremony last night along with the girls' track team. The students helped take guests to their tables and escorted inductees to and from the stage.

ShaDonna McPhaul, a member of the Sports Hall of Fame initiate committee for E.E. Smith, said the event was important not only for the alumni to honor their classmates and coaches but also for the current students of the school to see the powerful example of support.

"We have these generational gaps, and I loved that the girls' and boys' basketball teams could see that first-hand and to say, 'hey, this could be you,'" McPhaul said. "When you expose people to different things and when they see it, feel it and touch it, it becomes ingrained in them."

Many of the inductees in their acceptance speeches said they made it a priority to help young people in their careers.

Brian Bullock, a 1983 graduate of E.E. Smith and former NFL player for the Indianapolis Colts, was one of the inductees who spoke about teaching special needs children. He said he was a special education student in middle school.

"I'm standing in the gap for all the special ed kids for people who say you can't do it," Bullock said in his speech. "Special education consists of mostly Black males ... Special ed students can be successful in life with hard work and if they're held accountable academically and behaviorally."

LaTanya "Dee" Hardy was one of the six coaches inducted into the Hall of Fame. As a 1981 three-letter sports graduate of E.E. Smith, she was greeted and applauded by many of her former and current athletes she coached in basketball and volleyball at the school.

"E.E. Smith High School was life to me," Hardy said in her speech.

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Aaron Curry, a 2005 E.E. Smith graduate and former NFL player for the Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders and the New York Giants, donated equipment to the weight room at the school and bought new uniforms for the football team.

Doug Wilkerson, a 1965 graduate and former NFL player and coach, was one of the inspirations for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony idea. Wilkerson died in February, and his daughters accepted his award. His daughter Melanie Wilkerson said the E.E. Smith and Fayetteville community mattered greatly to her father.

"This community has meant so much to us during this year," Wilkerson said. "Sitting here realizing all the things that he taught us, listening to all the speeches tonight, I was thinking no wonder why he made us get up at 6 a.m. every morning ... E.E. Smith is why. This community is why. It's about honor and discipline and integrity."

The milestones and efforts of the athletes and coaches impact the Fayetteville community in more ways than one, McPhaul said.

"So many times we hear about the LeBrons and what they do for their community, but we have people right here in our community who give back, too, but you don't necessarily always hear about it," McPhaul said. "This was super important for us to highlight these athletes not just for their sports accomplishments but for their humanitarian accomplishments."

'Born of need, destined to serve, striving to excel'

Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin, a 1991 graduate of E.E. Smith, and Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Chairman Glenn Adams, a 1977 graduate, were in attendance, and both received honors for their commitments to the city and county.

Colvin donated $1,000 to E.E. Smith High School.

"As a Golden Bull, as a member and product of this community, I say thank you to all of those whose shoulders we stand on who paved the way for us to be in this position," Colvin said. "We thank you for the words of advice, we thank you for the chastising when it was necessary ... we thank you for digging wells as we're benefiting from the water."

Donell Underdue, the principal of the school, said the national alumni association gave him an honorary diploma on Saturday. He will march with the graduating class of E.E. Smith this week.

"Our Sports Hall of Fame inductees were committed to making themselves better students, better athletes, better coaches and quality citizens due to our school's mantra, 'born of need, destined to serve, striving to excel,'" Underdue said. "Their legacies left lessons to teach our young men and women today about teamwork ... most importantly, lessons about what it means to be a Golden Bull."

The Golden Bulls alumni plan to keep the Sports Hall of Fame going each year.

Brown said nominations for the next class of inductees will be open through Aug. 31. The Sports Hall of Fame initiative committee will review nominations and announce the next inductees in late fall.

"It's so important to the Fayetteville community to show our youth no matter where you come from, no matter how much money your parents make or don't make, if you work hard you can make it, too," McPhaul said. "You can't let anybody tell you that you can't."

Investigative Reporter Kristen Johnson can be reached at kjohnson1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Alumni honored at E.E. Smith Sports Hall of Fame induction event