The North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame has been honoring and preserving the rich tradition of soccer history in the state since the organization was founded in 1996. This year will mark the 21st class of honorees to be inducted into the organization. Dr. Woody Gibson, Kathy Robinson, Rob Wilcher and the Duke Men’s Soccer Program have all elevated the game in North Carolina to earn their spots in the Hall of Fame. The event will take place at the North Raleigh Hilton on Jan. 27 with a reception at 6:15 p.m. and a dinner at 7:15 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
The group’s lasting impact will now be enshrined in the storied history that the NC Soccer Hall of Fame has worked to preserve for more than two decades. The four inductees have elevated soccer in the state at nearly every organizational level, ranging from capturing national titles to building the framework for successful youth soccer organizations.
The Duke men’s soccer team will be become the sixth team to join the NC Soccer Hall of Fame’s National Champions Hall of Honor. Duke claimed the 1986 NCAA Championship with a 1-0 victory over Akron. The program’s long list of accomplishments includes 26 NCAA Championship appearances since 1959 and three berths to the national title match.
Individually, Dr. Woody Gibson has been inducted after his extensive role in developing High Point’s men’s soccer team and overall athletics program. Gibson’s list of roles at High Point runs far and deep from coaching multiple varsity teams to serving as the school’s Athletic Director from 1998-2008. Notably, Gibson coached the men’s soccer team from 1978-1997 and complied a 211-138-27 record while winning seven conference championships along the way.
His teams were nationally ranked nine times in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Top 20 polls. Additionally, Woody served on numerous NAIA and National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) boards and committees. He was also one of the founding coaches of the North Carolina Olympic Development program.
Rob Wilcher is set to join the Hall of Fame after a standout 28-year high school coaching career at Freedom and T.C. Roberson. An eight-time NC Coach of the Year and three-time state champion, Wilcher accumulated a combined record of 1026W-198L-54D.
He is also a founder of the High School State Games and served on the NC Soccer Coaches Association Board. Wilcher played soccer at Appalachian State University and was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
Kathy Robinson has over 30 years of continuous service to North Carolina youth soccer on local, state, regional, and national levels. Robinson has worn many hats during her involvement with soccer, including Executive Director of the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association (NCYSA), serving as a board member of the NC Soccer Hall of Fame and being a corporate officer for the NC Soccer Referees Association.
The class joins a growing list of soccer pioneers that include North Carolina Football Club President and General Manager Curt Johnson, U.S. National Team stars Tab Ramos and Mia Hamm, legendary UNC Women’s Soccer Head Coach Anson Dorrance and 2008 MLS Cup winner William Hesmer.
The North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame was established in 1996 to recognize and honor those persons, either a player, coach, referee or administrator, that have made significant contributions to the game of soccer in the State of North Carolina. To be eligible, inductees would have spent several years in North Carolina directly involved in and promoting the game. Those with primarily regional or national accomplishments have accomplishments that draw attention to furthering the game in the State by virtue of their prior relationship to North Carolina. The National Champions Hall of Honor recognizes North Carolina soccer teams and programs that have won a national championship at the highest levels of competition in youth, amateur adult, college and professional soccer.
The North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame has been honoring and preserving the rich tradition of soccer history in the state since the organization was founded in 1996. This year will mark the 21st class of honorees to be inducted into the organization. Dr. Woody Gibson, Kathy Robinson, Rob Wilcher and the Duke Men’s Soccer Program have all elevated the game in North Carolina to earn their spots in the Hall of Fame. The event will take place at the North Raleigh Hilton on Jan. 27 with a reception at 6:15 p.m. and a dinner at 7:15 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
The group’s lasting impact will now be enshrined in the storied history that the NC Soccer Hall of Fame has worked to preserve for more than two decades. The four inductees have elevated soccer in the state at nearly every organizational level, ranging from capturing national titles to building the framework for successful youth soccer organizations.
The Duke men’s soccer team will be become the sixth team to join the NC Soccer Hall of Fame’s National Champions Hall of Honor. Duke claimed the 1986 NCAA Championship with a 1-0 victory over Akron. The program’s long list of accomplishments includes 26 NCAA Championship appearances since 1959 and three berths to the national title match.
Individually, Dr. Woody Gibson has been inducted after his extensive role in developing High Point’s men’s soccer team and overall athletics program. Gibson’s list of roles at High Point runs far and deep from coaching multiple varsity teams to serving as the school’s Athletic Director from 1998-2008. Notably, Gibson coached the men’s soccer team from 1978-1997 and complied a 211-138-27 record while winning seven conference championships along the way.
His teams were nationally ranked nine times in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Top 20 polls. Additionally, Woody served on numerous NAIA and National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) boards and committees. He was also one of the founding coaches of the North Carolina Olympic Development program.
Rob Wilcher is set to join the Hall of Fame after a standout 28-year high school coaching career at Freedom and T.C. Roberson. An eight-time NC Coach of the Year and three-time state champion, Wilcher accumulated a combined record of 1026W-198L-54D.
He is also a founder of the High School State Games and served on the NC Soccer Coaches Association Board. Wilcher played soccer at Appalachian State University and was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
Kathy Robinson has over 30 years of continuous service to North Carolina youth soccer on local, state, regional, and national levels. Robinson has worn many hats during her involvement with soccer, including Executive Director of the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association (NCYSA), serving as a board member of the NC Soccer Hall of Fame and being a corporate officer for the NC Soccer Referees Association.
The class joins a growing list of soccer pioneers that include North Carolina Football Club President and General Manager Curt Johnson, U.S. National Team stars Tab Ramos and Mia Hamm, legendary UNC Women’s Soccer Head Coach Anson Dorrance and 2008 MLS Cup winner William Hesmer.
The North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame was established in 1996 to recognize and honor those persons, either a player, coach, referee or administrator, that have made significant contributions to the game of soccer in the State of North Carolina. To be eligible, inductees would have spent several years in North Carolina directly involved in and promoting the game. Those with primarily regional or national accomplishments have accomplishments that draw attention to furthering the game in the State by virtue of their prior relationship to North Carolina. The National Champions Hall of Honor recognizes North Carolina soccer teams and programs that have won a national championship at the highest levels of competition in youth, amateur adult, college and professional soccer.
