Janay Boone,  Sports Editor

The North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Sports Hall of Fame inducted its new members on Sept. 4th at the N. C. A&T Alumni Event Center. Five football players, one track and field athlete and one men’s basketball player were honored for their athletic achievements.

This year’s inductees featured James Bowden, Darryl Klugh, Connell Maynor, Troy Pelshak, Barry Turner, Shenan Robinson, and James Sparrow. Chancellor Harold L. Martin, Sr. congratulated the athletes on their achievements. “On behalf of the athletic department at North Carolina A&T State University, we would like to congratulate all seven of these exceptional athletes,” said Chancellor Martin.

James “JB” Bowden played wide receiver for the Aggie Football program from 1991-1995. He was a member of the Aggies 1992 MEAC Championship Team which posted a 9-3 record. Bowden is known for most receiving yards in a single game. By his senior year he recorded 94 receptions, 1,659, and 9 touchdowns. He was an all MEAC selection and a four year letterman.

Darryl “Cap” Klugh was a three year starter and two year letterman for the Aggies in 1999. He was voted an AP NCAA Division I-AA-All-American. Klugh was the defensive back and eventually moved to safety for the Aggies. In 1999, Klugh led the MEAC in interceptions. He was the defensive back of the year and voted first team All-MEAC. Throughout his career, Klugh received numerous awards such as Ebony Scoreboard All-American, N.C. A&T Male Athlete of the Year, and Aggie/Eagle Classic Defensive Player of the Game. He was also nominated for the A&T All-Academic team as a freshman, junior and senior.

Connell “Sweetness” Maynor played quarterback for the Aggies Football program. Under his leadership, the 1991 team posted a 9-1 regular season record and 5-1 conference record. He was a first team All-MEAC selection in 1990 and 1991.  Maynor was offensive player of the year 1990 and 1991. He was the first player to receive that honor on the offensive side for the Aggies. Maynor holds the record for highest pass completion percentage rate for a single game at 81.5% and for a season at 64.3%. For his career he ended with 4,318 total passing yards with 39 touchdown passes and 643 total rushing yards for 8 touchdowns.

Troy Pelshak played four different positions for the Aggies during his career.  He played defensive end, defensive tackle, nose guard and tight end. He was a first team All-MEAC selection in 1998 and a two year letterman. He recorded 7 tackles in one game and was a part of a tandem that led the nation in team sacks. He is the first Nigerian inducted into the N.C. A&T Sports Hall of Fame.

Barry Turner played running back for the Aggies and was a part of the 1992 MEAC Championship team. Between the 1991 and 1992 season, the team combined for an 18-6 win/loss record. He was on the 1993 team, which was ranked 5th nationally.  Throughout his career, he recorded 2,726 yards with an average of 5.7 yards per carries. He is one of only three players in the history of the Aggie football program who had a career of over 4,000 all-purpose yards.

Shenan Robinson specialized in shorts sprints and horizontal jumps for the Aggie track and field program. He was a part of three outdoor championship teams (1994, 1995, 1996), and one indoor championship team (1996). During his senior year, he achieved All-MEAC Honors for the 55 yard dash and was ranked 25th in the nation.

James “Bird” Sparrow is arguably the best player in the history of N.C. A&T Basketball. Sparrow played point guard and broke into the starting line-up as a freshman. He played on all four All-MEAC championship teams. He also was selected to the All-MEAC team and lettered all four years he played. He was the Jet Magazine Player of the Year and Black Sports Magazine player of the year in 1975.