While his career on the sidelines was short, it was super sweet.

In five seasons as head coach at Elon, his teams won four conference championships, three district crowns and two national titles, plus a runner-up finish.

His 49-11-2 record also is believed to be the highest winning percentage (80.6) among N.C. collegiate football coaches. Tolley’s teams harbored the same will to win that he exhibited as a prep star in Edenton and two-sport standout at East Carolina.

In 24 games decided by nine or fewer points, Elon won an amazing 22. And in national playoffs, his squads went 8-1. For all that he became the only person in  the university’s 120-year history to be named Coach Emeritus.

Hall of Fame journalist Irwin Smallwood described Tolley’s streak “one of the most spectacular stretches” in North Carolina college football coaching history.
Even referees noticed. Long-time official, Dr. Jerry McGee, observed…”I’ve never seen a coach produce better prepared teams. His coaches and players were focused, motivated and classy.”
 
 Imagine what Tolley’s record might have been had he coached longer..
 
 THE ATHLETE
 
 At Edenton High Tolley was an “Ace” among the “Aces,” earning 15 letters and honorable mention All-America honors..
 
 In football he ran rampant, was voted Most Outstanding Player on  the 1960 State championship team and set several North Carolina prep records. “The greatest running back I’ve ever coached,’’ said legendary Bill Billings.
 
 Tolley continued starring at East Carolina, where he excelled in two sports and met his future wife, Joanie Morrison, who became the mother of their sons, Jay  and Justin. A three-year regular in football, Tolley helped the Pirates post a 23-6 mark and broke nine school records, five of which still stand.
 
 Ever competitive, he also ran track, set an ECU triple jump record and helped establish another mark on 440 relay team. A “Student-Athlete” before the NCAA popularized the phrase, Tolley earned the Rawls Memorial Award for academic and athletic excellence his senior year.
 
 THE AUTHOR
 
 Tolley, who has a doctorate degree from UNC-Greensboro, can write. He produced six books that sold in 50 states and 25 countries.
 
 They include “101 Winning Football Drills: From The Legends Of The Game” and “The Complete Book of Football Tackling Drills.”
 
 “Coach Tolley is unquestionably one of the foremost authors of technical and instructional books in the history of football,” said Grant Teaff, Executive Director of the American Football Coaches Association.
 
 COMMUNITY LEADER
 
 Simply put, Tolley’s a leader, on the field and off. And his winning percentage as  mayor is even better than his football record.
 
 Sweeping all four elections, he’s in the midst of a fourth four-year term, the longest mayor’s tenure in the town of Elon’s 117-year history.
 
 For multiple contributions, Tolley received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine and the Olde North State Award, two of the state’s most prestigious honors.
 
 That’s Jerry Tolley — all-star athlete, championship coach, renowned author, community leader, family man… and Hall of Famer.

While Hatchell keeps impressive company in many categories, she is also part of an exclusive club that features just one member. When UNC defeated Louisiana Tech to win the 1994 NCAA Championship, Hatchell became the first and only coach to lead teams to national championships at the AIAW, NAIA and NCAA levels. Those titles – the first two coming at Francis Marion – are the crown jewels in one of the most decorated coaching careers in women’s basketball history.

In preparation for a career in coaching, Hatchell earned a B.S. degree in physical education and health from Carson-Newman in 1974. While at Carson-Newman, in addition to playing basketball and volleyball, Hatchell coached the Talbott School girls’ basketball team to a winning season and a trip to the playoffs. She then spent a year coaching the junior varsity women’s team and earning a master’s degree at the University of Tennessee.

Prior to taking over the Tar Heel program, Hatchell guided Francis Marion to a 272-80 mark over 11 seasons. She coached the 1986 Lady Patriots to a remarkable 36-2 record and a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national championship. Her 1982 team was her first national championship squad, as Francis Marion captured the AIAW small college division crown.

In 1959 Louisburg Junior College vice-president John York did one of the best recruiting jobs in the school’s 220-year history. He hired Russ Frazier, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina, as head baseball coach.
During the next 40 years, Louisburg loyalists could count on at least three things every spring —   April showers, May flowers, and winning baseball teams.
      Frazier spurned opportunities to coach at other schools, never wanting to leave the idyllic campus, a place near his home and his heart.
      While a student at Louisburg, he met Clara Wright, who tutored him in math and became his wife.
      To Frazier, Louisburg College was the place to be. And to the Methodist school he was the coach to build a national program. The result:
1,034 wins; 390 losses; 72.6 winning percentage. 22 conference, 12 regional and 9 district titles. 9 trips to the Junior College World Series.
      That’s a Hall-of-Fame resume. And Frazier has been elected to four Halls — North Carolina, American Baseball Coaches, National Junior College and Louisburg.
      Initially, coaching was a challenge for Frazier, a former infielder at Louisburg, N.C. State — where he earned his undergraduate degree — and in the minor leagues.
      His first Louisburg team included several future preachers, but not enough pitchers, and struggled on an intramural field. But from that diamond in the rough he built a dynasty. Frazier recruited hard, won titles, and sparked the construction of a park appropriately named Frazier Field. “I tried to find good hitters and kids who could run,” said Frazier, citing the staples of his teams.
      One goal eluded him   — a national title. But Frazier, also athletics director 34 years, never had more than than five scholarships.   “I wish we could have had more money,’’ he lamented. “We possibly could have won a national championship.”
      Frazier, who grew up near Bunn, was an “Old Ball” coach with multi-tasking skills.  A typical day included teaching a morning class, preparing the field, coaching his team, then going recruiting.  “I never did dread going to work; [and] I tried to make it fun for the kids,” said Frazier, but he remembers one time when baseball wasn’t fun.
      Playing at Ferrum on a cold, windy day, and with Louisburg losing, Frazier intentionally got ejected early in the game. That allowed him to watch  from the heated team bus, an episode he laughs about now.
      But baseball wasn’t a laughing matter to Frazier, noted Keith Stutts, who played on the 1975 team that placed third in the nation.  “He was all business; you’d better have your game on,” Stutts said. “[But] he would do anything in the world for you. He helped you in life. He did that for everybody.”
      Robin Rose, a second baseman on the ‘75 club, called Frazier a “Father Figure” and noted that his coach’s mantra on giving “100 percent” has helped him in professional life.
      While sending more than 75 players to the pros, including 12 to the big league, Frazier’s mission also was to produce solid citizens as well as solid hitters.   His world was bigger than a ball park. He served as a Deacon and Trustee at Harris Chapel Baptist Church. And he made time for Clara and son, Rusty, a mortgage broker with Wells Fargo.
      Though vacations were often tied to baseball trips, Russ took Clara on a cruise for their 25th wedding anniversary and they flew to Hawaii for ther 50th celebration.
      To relax, Russ, always the outdoorsman, hunted and fished on the 300-acre family farm in Youngsville. At 74, he still roams the land, and enjoys Louisburg games at Frazier Field.
      Some legends never fade away.
by A.J. Carr
May 1, 2007