CHS unveils Dark Horse Ring of Honor

The Clinton athletic department is unveiling a new way of honoring past athletes, as they are now taking submissions for the Dark Horse Ring of Honor.

According to the submission form, “Clinton High School has a strong tradition of athletes and coaches who have made our community an extradordinarily rich environment for sports/athletics.” Names like Leonard Henry, Jerris McPhail, Mikayla Boykin, Amaris Williams, Willie Parker, and numerous other CHS athletes have given credence to that statement.

This isn’t a new idea for Sampson County, though. The Sampson County Sports Hall of Fame is partially responsible for the creation of the Ring of Honor. Or, at least, inspiration. Ring of Honor committee member Dwight Horne, on the creation of it, said “I think seeing the Sampson County Sports Hall of Fame, we had some people from outside the committee and some committee members, pitch the idea.”

“The first thing we did was approve the naming rights for the baseball field,” he continued. “We have that responsibility as well as the Ring of Honor. The committee has brought a formality to all of that — which I think is a good thing.”

The Ring of Honor committee consists of five voting members, with the CHS athletic director serving as the chairperson, in a non-voting member, except in the case of a tie, according to the form. The voting members have staggered tenures, with two members serving two-year terms, two members serving three-year terms, and the high school principal being the last member, with no term limits. A member may abstain from voting for themselves, family members, or a team with which they have personal ties.

Criteria for coaches and athletes differs for eligibility, but they are not concrete. The committee uses accolades and achievements as “considerations” when determining who will be selected. An athlete has to have participated in a minimum of two years of varsity sports to be eligible, and it could have been at either Clinton or Sampson High School, while a coach has to have coached for no less than five years.

Other critieria for athletes includes having graduated at least five years prior to their nomination and exemplified behavior that is a credit to CHS or SHS and the community, during and following their school career. Some of the considerations include state champions/runners up, Gatorade POY/McDonald’s All-American, MVP awards, and playing at the collegiate or professional level.

For coaches, things like coaching a team that won a sectional, regional, or state championship, coaching in an all-star event, or exemplifying a strong winning percentage are some of the things that will build their resume for admittance. The form also notes that “The committee reserves the right to consider whether he/she contributed to society in a positive way following graduation from Clinton High School or Sampson High School as qualification for induction,” when it comes to players, as well as saying “*The Dark Horse Ring of Honor Committee has the authority to revoke an athlete’s, or coach’s, membership because of public dishonor by a majority vote; four out of five votes.”

The form also highlights the bylaws of the committe and the Ring of Honor, saying that “A maximum of five nominations will be installed each year,” with the caveat that the inaugural year, more may be permitted to “get the program started.”

Other bylaws include the application fee of $25, that a majority vote is four out of five members, and that the recipients will be acknowledged during a football, basketball, and soccer game, and the recipient’s plaque and picture will be displayed at CHS.

As far as the committee members, Horne said “most people have a close association” to CHS athletics. He also noted that he has been associated with the Dark Horses since he started teaching at Clinton in 1974.

“It’s an honor to just serve on the committee,” he continued. “It’s like the Sampson County Sports Hall of Fame, but just for Clinton.”

This has been a work-in-progress, he said. “I was elected [to the committee] last spring some time, and we’ve met a couple or three times, getting stiuplations for membership and how the voting for all of that will go.”

The deadline for submissions is Sept. 1 at noon, and no late submissions are accepted. A link to the form can be found on CHS’s website.