The Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame formally inducted its newest class on Monday, September 14 at the annual reception and banquet.Â
The class is the 21st since the Guilford Sports HOF was founded in 2005 and includes 10 laureates and one Legend, the designation that is reserved for deceased honorees. These inductees represent achievements across all sports as coaches and players during their time at Guilford County schools.
They also announced this years Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame $1,000 scholarships recognizing one male and one female athlete from Guilford County.Â
Emily Fisher of Ragsdale, the team’s volleyball defensive player of the year and class valedictorian, will enroll at NC State to study business analytics.
Collin Auer of Western Guilford, a National Honor Society member and AP Scholar of Distinction, will also attend NC State and plans to major in data science.
THE CLASS OF 2026
Eric Ebron – Football
Smith High School alumnus Eric Ebron earned All-State honors in high school before becoming a two-time All-American at North Carolina.
He was selected 10th overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2014 NFL Draft and earned a Pro Bowl selection as an Indianapolis Colt in 2018, when he recorded 13 touchdowns — second-most in the NFL.
He finished his eight-year career with 351 receptions, 3,837 yards and 33 touchdowns.
Paris Kea – Basketball
Page High School’s all-time leading scorer, Kea earned All-State honors three times and was a McDonald’s All-America nominee.
After transferring to UNC from Vanderbilt, she was twice named to the All-ACC first team and led the Tar Heels in scoring as a junior at 19.4 points per game.
She later played professionally overseas and has coached at Wake Forest and North Carolina Central.
Catherine Newman – Tennis
A four-time Metro 4-A player of the year at Page, Newman won the individual state title in 2003 and went undefeated her junior and senior seasons as the Pirates captured back-to-back state dual meet championships.
At Vanderbilt, she compiled a 106-51 career record, earned two All-SEC first-team selections and became the first Commodore to receive the National ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship.
Rosie Arnold – Basketball/Tennis/Softball/Soccer
Arnold won four consecutive basketball MVP awards at Southwest Guilford and graduated as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,709 points.
She went on to play four seasons at Georgia Southern and later spent one season in professional basketball in France.
Volire Tisdale Brown – Volleyball/Basketball
Tisdale Brown was a two-time conference player of the year in volleyball at Dudley before earning back-to-back ACC Tournament MVP honors at NC State in 1987 and 1988.
Her 585 kills in 1988 remain a Wolfpack single-season record. She was later named to the ACC’s 50th anniversary volleyball team.
Bill Chambers – Basketball
After playing for Dean Smith at UNC, Chambers went on to a coaching career that spanned more than three decades.
He became North Carolina Wesleyan’s all-time wins leader with 140 victories and was a three-time Dixie Conference Coach of the Year.
He closed his career at Northern Guilford, where he was named conference Coach of the Year in 2017.
Joe Franks – Coach/Trainer/Contributor
Franks spent 30 years as a teacher, coach and athletic trainer at his alma mater, Grimsley.
He led the Whirlies’ golf program to nine conference championships and two state runner-up finishes.
The playing field at Jamieson Stadium is named in his honor. He has served as executive director of the National Organization of Coaches Association Directors since 2022.
Kevin Gehsmann – Football/Lacrosse/Contributor
Western Guilford’s 2015 valedictorian walked on at Duke football and earned three all-conference selections in both football and lacrosse during his prep career.
He later co-founded PROTECT3D, a company that uses 3D printing to produce custom protective equipment now used by the U.S. military and in orthopedic clinics.
Denise Ford Shipman – Basketball/Softball/Volleyball
After winning Metro Conference Softball Player of the Year at Grimsley, Shipman starred at Campbell University, earning three Big South all-conference selections and MVP honors in the 1989 tournament as the Lady Camels claimed the program’s first Division I women’s basketball title.
She later served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War.
Stacy Weaver – Soccer/Basketball
A two-sport standout at Grimsley, Weaver helped the Whirlies win two soccer state championships before becoming a four-year starter and two-time team captain at UNC Charlotte.
She later played professionally with the Charlotte Eagles, who won a USL W-League championship in 2001.
