2026 Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame class to add 11, honors 2 high schoolers

Paris Kea piled up a lot of achievements at First Horizon Coliseum as a Page basketball star, becoming the only three-time MVP of the AAR Invitational. She added to her achievements at North Carolina, where she was a two-time All-ACC first-team member.

Kea came back to the Greensboro Complex on Thursday as one of 11 elected to the Class of 2026 of the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame.

"It's really a full-circle moment for me," Kea said. "A lot of great things happened for me in the Greensboro Coliseum, and so for the ceremony to be happening in the coliseum, it really means a lot."

Kea is Page's all-time leading scorer as well as a three-time all-state player. As a senior, she averaged 24.2 points and 7.1 rebounds and was a McDonald's All-America nominee. After a year at Vanderbilt, Paris transferred to the University of North Carolina and was a two-time All-ACC first-team pick. She posted a 30-point, 10-assist game against No. 1-ranked Notre Dame. Paris led the Tar Heels in scoring as a junior at 19.4 points and averaged 17.3 points as a senior. She played in the WNBA and overseas in Russia and Israel. Also, she was an assistant coach at Wake Forest and NC Central.

Rosie Arnold seemingly did it all at Southwest Guilford from 1992-1995 and now adds one more title to her stellar multi-sport resume.

"Really, it's such an honor," she said. "I guess that's the biggest word. It's a blessing and an honor to be up here. I'm looking at all these people (on the Hall's wall of inductees) that I've seen over the years and I cannot believe that I am going to be on this. And the folks that are with me here today, the things that they've done, I'm feel very blessed to be up here and part of this."

Arnold was a four-time girls basketball team MVP, and also led Southwest softball, tennis and soccer teams that ranked among the state's elite. The three-time basketball conference MVP and 1995 News & Record co-Guilford County Player of the Year holds the Southwest girls hoops record with 1,709 career points, 714 assists and 407 steals and was a member of the 1995 state finalists. She also starred for four seasons at Georgia Southern and also played one year of women's professional basketball in France.

The hall's 21st class will be inducted at a reception and banquet on Sept. 14 at the coliseum. Tickets are $100 each and tables of 10 are $950. Tables and ticket order forms will be available online at gcshof.org beginning on Monday.

Also, two $1,000 Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame scholarships were presented to Ragsdale's Emily Fisher and Western Guilford's Collin Auer.

The rest of the class:

Volire Tisdale Brown – Volleyball/Basketball

Dudley's volleyball star was a two-time volleyball conference player of the year there, then played at NC State, where she was the All-ACC First Team and the ACC Tournament MVP in 1987, then in 1988, repeated as the tournament MVP and was named ACC Player of the Year. She is in the top 10 in the Wolfpack's record book for digs, kills and sets played, and her 585 kills in 1988 remains a record. She is also a member of the ACC's 50th anniversary volleyball team.

Bill Chambers – Basketball

Grimsley's all-state and all-American played four years at North Carolina, then honed skills as a player and coach in Belgium. He was a two-time Conference Coach of the Year at Dudley in 1984 and 1986. He was NC Wesleyan's coach from 1986-1995, being a three-time Dixie Conference Coach of the Year and becoming the all-time coaching wins leader with 140 (1986-95), with his 1987 Bishops reaching the elite eight. He coached six seasons at Greensboro College and won six conference titles in 12 seasons at Kernodle Middle School (2000-12). He closed his career at Northern Guilford, where he was named conference Coach of the Year in 2017 after guiding the Nighthawks to the NCHSAA 3A semifinals.

Eric Ebron – Football

Smith's starter at tight end and defensive end was selected for the 2010 NC Shrine Bowl team and rated the No. 8 tight end prospect in the nation, before playing three seasons at UNC, compiling 112 receptions for 1,805 yards and eight TDs. He was a finalist for the John Mackey Award and was a second-team All-America as a junior in 2013, then taken in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft (10th overall) by the Detroit Lions. He was selected to the Pro Bowl from the Indianapolis Colts in 2018, when he had 66 receptions, 750 yards and was second in the NFL with 13 touchdowns. He finished his eight-year pro career with 351 receptions, 3,837 receiving yards and 33 touchdowns.

Joe Franks – Coach/Trainer/Contributor

The 1983 Clemson graduate returned to high school alma mater Grimsley for a 30-year run as a Grimsley teacher, coach and athletic trainer. He served as the Whirlies' director of sports medicine for 16 years. He also spent a combined 27 seasons as head coach for boys and girls golf, leading Grimsley to nine conference championships. His 2003 boys squad placed second in the state finals and his girls team was the 2008 state runner-up. Joe worked six seasons (1997-2002) as an assistant football coach and Jamieson Stadium's field named after him. He has served as executive director of the National Organization of Coaches Association Directors since 2022 and as executive secretary of the North Carolina Coaches Association since 2017.

Kevin Gehsmann – Football/Lacrosse/Contributor

Western Guilford's 2015 valedictorian was preferred walk-on football player at Duke, after a high school career that included three years as a starter in football and four years as a standout in lacrosse. Kevin was the Hornets' football MVP in 2013 and earned all-conference and all-county three times. He was voted all-conference in lacrosse four times, all-region three times and was second-team all-state in 2015. A four-year member of the Duke football team, he spent three weeks in Vietnam in the summer of 2017 teaching academics, sports and life skills to middle school students. With two Duke teammates, Kevin founded PROTECT3D, a company that makes custom protective splints, braces, and pads for athletes using 3D printing.

Jonathan McKee – Coach/AD/Contributor (Legend)

The highly-respected basketball, football and baseball coach at Dudley from 1954-80 left a broad legacy. In basketball, he guided Dudley, his alma mater, to a state title in 1961 and state runner-up finish in 1962. He guided Dudley baseball to a 4A state championship in 1965. Jonathan compiled a record of 90-46-3 in football, with a 1966 state runner-up and a 1967 state title. In addition, he coached golf and was athletics director for several years. He played a pivotal role in guiding Dudley through a significant period of school mergers and desegregation, demonstrating both administrative strength and a commitment to equity in education and athletics. He served on the NC Coaches Association Board of Directors from 1978-80, where he was honored as Man of the Year.

Catherine Newman – Tennis

The Page girls tennis standout was four-time Metro 4A tennis player of the year and went undefeated her junior and senior seasons when the Pirates won the state dual meet championships. In 2003, she won the individual state title. Catherine also played midfielder on the soccer team, earning all-state honors twice, and was class valedictorian in 2006. Outside of school, she won the USTA national 16s championship in 2004 and reached No. 1 in the USTA 18s. In college at Vanderbilt, Catherine made the All-SEC first team twice and second team twice, compiling a career record of 106-51. In 2010 she was the SEC's Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year and first Vanderbilt player to receive the National ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship.

Denise Ford Shipman – Basketball/Softball/Volleyball

Her highly decorated high school career in multiple sports culminated with being the Metro Conference Softball Player of the Year for 1985 state champion Grimsley. For Campbell University basketball, she earned Big South all-conference and all-tournament honors three times and was MVP of the 1989 league tournament after leading Campbell to its first women's basketball title at the NCAA Division I level. She finished her career with 1,243 points and 837 rebounds as the Lady Camels went 80-30 while making appearances in three Big South tournament finals. She was tabbed Campbell's Outstanding Female Athlete for 1988-89.

Stacy Weaver – Soccer/Basketball

Weaver was the Greensboro 13-under city tennis singles champion. In basketball at Grimsley, she was twice all-conference, twice team MVP and twice team captain. In soccer, she was a member of two Whirlies' state championship teams, twice all-conference and once all-state. For UNC Charlotte soccer, she was a four-year starter, twice team captain, a Soccer America Player of the Week and led the 49ers to two conference titles and an NCAA appearance. In club soccer with the Greensboro Twisters, she was part of multiple state and regional champions and one national finalist. She also played soccer with the semi-pro Charlotte Speed and professionally with the Charlotte Eagles that won a USL W-League championship in 2001.

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