Staff report

SALISBURY — The 19th annual Salisbury Rowan Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held today at the Civic Center.

The event is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. and is open to the public. Admission at the door is $10.

This year’s class is a large one, as nine former greats will be inducted, including the youngest ever — Shayla Fields, who is 32 years old.

In addition to Fields, a former Salisbury High and N.C. State basketball standout, two of Rowan County’s all-time winningest coaches — Mike Gurley and the late Scott Young.

Gurley, still active, is the boys basketball coach at West Rowan. Young, who died in 2017, was the head football coach at West in 1998-2014.

Others include:

Former East Rowan High and major league baseball pitcher Bobby Parnell; Donald Jenkins, a former three-sport star at Salisbury High, who also played college basketball;

Former Dunbar High and college basketball player Lonnie Kluttz Sr., who, like Young, will be inducted posthumously. He died on Feb. 16 of this year;

Former West Rowan baseball pitcher Donald Heglar, who hurled no-hitters in the 1960s, will also be inducted.

Ted Oglesby will inducted as the recipient of the Fred M. Evans Community Service Award.

The Evans award is given in memory of Fred M. Evans, in recognition of someone who has excelled in the area of community service.

As head coach of Rowan County’s five-on-five Special Olympics basketball team, Oglesby has won 10 state championships and finished runner-up several other times.

He has also been a volunteer coach in numerous youth leagues.

Finally, David Freeze, who will enter the Hall of Fame as the recipient of the Horace Billings Lifetime Achievement Award.

Freeze, a local fitness standout who has documented for The Salisbury Post, his well-known cycling journeys around the country and Canada.

The Billings award is presented annually to someone who has excelled in the area of media and or public relations.

The Hall of Fame is under the direction of Steve Clark, recreation coordinator with Salisbury Parks and Rec.

The inductees are chosen each year during the spring by a committee of 14 people who are familiar with the history of Rowan County sports.