����ֱ��

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 2, 2022

For More Information:
����ֱ��
Public Relations & Marketing
(304) 462-4115

GLENVILLE, WV - The six newest members of the ����ֱ�� Curtis Elam Athletic Hall of Fame have been announced.

The 2022 inductees include: Mike Eberbaugh, Tex Gainer, Brian Hill, Jim Scott, Glenard Vannoy, and Kim West. The individuals will be honored at an induction ceremony on Saturday, October 1 at ����ֱ�� in the Mollohan Campus Community Center.

Eberbaugh, a 1963 graduate, was a star basketball player in the early 1960s and averaged a double-double throughout his career. He came to ����ֱ�� out of Charleston High School, and made an immediate impact on the ����ֱ�� program. He averaged a double-double all four seasons, culminating in his senior season of 1963 when he averaged 22.4 points per game and 12.2 rebounds. He was a First-Team All-Conference performer, closed his career with 1,798 career points (he remains ranked ninth), and had 966 rebounds (remains ranked sixth). He worked in public schools in three states and ended his career working with the West Virginia State Board of Education.

Gainer was a standout on the 1945 Normantown High School team, helping lead the Vikings to the State Basketball title during an era when there was only one class and over 300 high schools in the state. He went on to ����ֱ�� State where he helped lead the Pioneers to the 1951 WVIAC Tournament title and advance to the National Tournament. He was the second leading scorer and top rebounder on that team. He was on a 1951 squad loaded with Hall of Famers such as Bob “Hooks” Hardman, Dick Barrett, Don Merriman, Bob Turner, and Glenard Vannoy. He made the All-Tournament team in ����ֱ��’s 1951 WVIAC Tournament Championship run. After graduating from ����ֱ�� State in 1951, he would go on to be a long-time Gilmer County coach, teacher, administrator, and politician. Gainer passed away in 1990 and is being honored posthumously.

Hill, a 1993 graduate, was an outstanding defensive lineman who broke the ����ֱ�� record for tackles in a single season with 145 in 1988, making First-Team All-Conference. He closed his career with 366 total tackles for his career. He has since enjoyed a long and successful coaching career. He now serves as ����ֱ��’s Defensive Coordinator and also the Chief Diversity Officer for the institution. He played alongside other Pioneer defensive legends such as Todd Layhew, Luther Toney, and Eric Mitchell. 

Scott, a 1977 graduate, was a star on great ����ֱ�� golf teams under Coach Tim Carney in the late 1970s. He was a three-time All-WVIAC performer and helped lead the Pioneers to three consecutive league titles in 1974, 1975, and 1977. He finished first in the 55-player field at the 1975 Conference Tournament and was named WVIAC Player of the Year in 1976. He was part of the group that kick-started Carney’s ����ֱ�� State’s golf dynasty that would produce 12 league titles over a 23-year span.
  
Vannoy was the unofficial State “Player of the Year” in Normantown’s title run of 1945, making Captain of the All-State team. At ����ֱ�� State, Vannoy was a major baseball star in the WVIAC for the Pioneers, and was also a very productive player on great ����ֱ�� basketball teams. After graduating from ����ֱ�� State in 1951, Vannoy enjoyed a professional baseball career in the minor leagues. He also spent over three decades as a teacher and coach in the public schools. Vannoy passed away in 2015 and is being honored posthumously.

West, a 1978 graduate, was part of ����ֱ�� State’s return to Women’s Basketball in 1975, the first team governed under the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. She was a standout scorer on the early teams, averaging 12.9 as a freshman and 15.7 in her sophomore year of 1976, which was over a third of the team’s average. She averaged 12.1 in 1977 and 15.7 again in her senior season of 1978, teaming with stars Kim Short and Debbie Grogg to lead the Lady Pioneers to a 23-14 mark over those two seasons. She was also a volleyball star on the school’s first ever squad and went on to a long career in the public schools. She has been a strong proponent of the growth of female sports in the state and served as one of the state’s most highly regarded officials for several decades.

For tickets to the 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, click here or call (304) 462-6116. Please RSVP by Friday, September 23.

����ֱ��’s Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 2001 through the generosity of the late Curtis Elam.