SALISBURY ROWAN     SPORTS HALL OF FAME

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Class of 2006





Carol Almond

Johnny Branch

Tommy Eaton

Eddie Kesler

 Ed Dupree
Recipient of the Horace Billings Lifetime Achievement Award
 

Carol Almond
Carol Almond went undefeated in doubles as a senior for the Salisbury High School tennis team and captured the WNC/HSAA title. She lost only two singles matches in two years. She also led the Rowan County girls in basketball scoring with 20.9 average for Salisbury High in 1975, scoring 33 vs. Asheboro. She was the first female college player in the state of North Carolina to score 1,000 points in her career. She achieved a career scoring total of 1,158 points, which ranks 11th in school history. In addition, she was the first woman in Appalachian State University history to have her number (#22) retired. Eventually she retired from basketball coaching after tenures at James Madison,  Clinch Valley, Appalachian State and Lees McCrae. 

Johnny Branch

Johnny Brand was an outstanding football player at the University of North Carolina from 1929-31. He was a member of the Carolina team known as the “Team of a Million Backs” in 1929. He was a  5-foot-5, 150-pounder, he was a triple-threat, big-play man for the Tar Heels. Branch had a game-winning punt return of 96 yards – the school record for many years – for a touchdown in 1930 against Maryland. He also ran for two touchdowns and had a 85-yard punt return in 1930.  He signed a contract to play professionally with the Charlotte independent football team in 1932  and was named to the All-Time Tar Heel football team as a halfback in 1969. 
 
 

Tommy Eaton

Tommy Eaton was an All-State high school baseball player at Boyden High School in 1955 and 1956. Eaton pitched the Salisbury American Legion team to the state, regional and sectional championship in 1955 with a record of 15-2. He was also the MVP in both the regional and sectional series. He led Salisbury to third place in the nation in the American Legion World Series in St. Paul, Minnesota. He Compiled a 33-6 career pitching record in three years playing American Legion baseball. Eaton won 27 games and struck out an amazing 350 batters in 1955, playing American Legion and high school baseball. He attended Pfeiffer University and playing centerfield he hit .406 and .417 in two consecutive seasons.

 

Eddie Kesler

Eddie Kesler was a versatile three-sport star at Boyden High School, receiving 11 letters in football, basketball and baseball. Kesler was named to the All-North Carolina Football team in 1958 and ‘59. He also participated in the Shrine Bowl and was named to the Scholastic Magazine All-American team in 1959. He was a three-year starter in football at the University of North Carolina from 1962-64. He scored a touchdown in Tar Heels’ 35-0 Gator Bowl win over Air Force in 1963. In addition, he won the 1964 Jacobs Trophy as the Most Outstanding Blocker in the ACC. He also set the University of North Carolina single-game rushing record with 172 yards against Duke in 1964.
 
 
 
 

Ed Dupree
Recipient of the Horace Billings Lifetime Achievement Award
 Ed Dupree was a Salisbury Post sports writer from 1966-2001. He was a sports editor five years and his sports writing awards spanned five decades. Dupree won the North Carolina Baseball Coaches Media Award in 1995. In addition, Dupree is the former holder of the Rowan County marathon record--he ran 32,000 miles. Dupree established the Faith Flyers Track Club in 1974 and coached the team in state, regional and national meets until 1986. He coached approximately 600 girls and boys in track, cross country, basketball and baseball. Dupree was his daughter’s assistant coach on two Erwin Middle championship basketball teams in the last five years and has also served as a member of the Salisbury-Rowan Sports Hall of Fame committee since its inception in 1999.

Spring and Summer Brochure

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Nominate Teams or Individuals
Nominations of individuals to the Salisbury Rowan Sports Hall of Fame are accepted on a continuous basis. The deadline for submission for the Class of 2008 is August 1, 2008. 

To submit on an individual for committee review for 2008, please do the following:

Please click on the Hall of Fame Application (pages 1-4) links below to print forms and mail to:

Salisbury Parks & Recreation
Sports Hall of Fame
PO Box 4053
Salisbury, NC 28145-4053

-or-

Visit the Parks and Recreation Administrative Offices at the City Office Building, 132 N. Main Street, Downtown Salisbury, to obtain a printed form and return to this same location.

Hall of Fame Application Page 1
Hall of Fame Application Page 2
Hall of Fame Application Page 3
Hall of Fame Application Page 4

Salisbury Parks & Recreation Department                                                                                                                                                                      132 North Main Street, Salisbury, NC 28144