WSSU honors basketball legends

Eight of Winston-Salem State's greatest basketball players and coaches had their jerseys retired Jan. 21 in front of fans, students, and alumni.

The inductees were Clarence "Big House" Gaines, Earl Monroe, Cleo Hill, Teddy Blount, George Foree, Jack DeFares, Brenda Winifield, and Chellia Nelson.

"It is a special honor to have my jersey retired and be recognized for my accomplishments," Blount said.

The festivities started at the Richardson Hospitality Suite in the WSSU Field House, where the inductees and their families were served food and mingled with each other and the CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry was among the attendees.

"These players who are being honored are not just among the greats of WSSU but they are also CIAA legends," Kerry said.

"These guys were Division I talent who were fortunate to have play for our conference and this institution."

"The evening is about acknowledging people and commemorating our heroes," Athletic Director William Hayes said.

"This evening is a way to rejuvenate our school spirit and dust off our monuments from the past."

During the Legends game, Rams fans cheered on former and current athletes and coaches as they played a scrimmage game to entertain the fans who came to see the ceremony.

WSSU head football coach Connell Maynor was one of the players in the legends game.

"It is a great honor to play in this game with other legends of the school," Maynor said.

"I just wanted to come out, have fun and help to promote the school."

At halftime, the honorees were led onto center court where the crowd welcomed them with standing ovations and cheers.

"It is about time that WSSU recognizes and honors our greats," Jamal Durham said.

Durham is 13th on the WSSU scoring list and has played in more games than any player in school history.

Not all of the honorees could be in attendance for the event. Clara Gaines, wife of the late C. E. Gaines, and Audra Foree,  daughter of the late George Foree, had to accept the awards on behalf of their deceased family members.

"I didn't really know how much my father meant to this University until tonight," Foree said.

"He was a Ram to his heart and he stayed active with the university until he couldn't physically do it anymore."   

Clara Gaines' said her role with the team was just making sure that Coach Gaines had a happy home to come back to.

"I always kept the home happy," Gaines said.