Just about anyone who has played or coached at any level in North Carolina knows George Whitfield, and many have either played baseball on one of his teams, competed against him or been honored by him at his annual hall of fame. George’s legacy includes nine state championships, a dizzying number of statewide and national honors and a web of enduring friendships forged through more than fifty years as a coach, athletic director and advocate for baseball and for individuals who, like him, give their lives away to help young athletes thrive. Orphaned at the age of twelve, George could have been defeated by his troubled childhood but instead has devoted himself to the sport he loves and, more importantly, to the people who know him as “Coach.” As the stories about George and the lives of those he has touched show, there’s no way to measure the impact of a coach driven by love.

Covering All the Bases: George Whitfield’s Extraordinary Life in Baseball

Sports & Outdoors

Bradsher, Bethany

Baseball

Bethany Bradsher

It started when an Eastern North Carolina restaurateur had an idea for a better burger, and within two decades that one small drive-in had become the third largest fast food company in the nation. Driven largely by a group of childhood friends from the city of Rocky Mount, Hardee’s put its own distinctive mark on the industry with an emphasis on quality food and a strong people-first philosophy. Under the innovative leadership of men like Jim Gardner, Leonard Rawls, Jack Laughery and Mayo Boddie and through 55 years of setbacks and triumphs, Hardee’s has endured as a true American institution.

Born in Rocky Mount: The Early Days of Hardee's

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Friends of Hardee's

He set out to become a coach who accumulated wins, a coach who inspired a team all the way to college baseball's Holy Grail -- the College World Series in Omaha. As it turned out, Keith LeClair's dreams were too small. When the diagnosis of a fatal disease threw his coaching career a heartrending curveball, LeClair found himself on a different path. This new journey had less to do with coaching glory than with eternal perspective, and as LeClair's body deteriorated, his faith in God shone brighter than the competitive fire that had landed him his first head coaching job at the age of 25. Through years of debilitating illness, he transformed lives in college athletics and beyond with his extraordinary wisdom, grace, and courage. This is his story.

Coaching Third: The Keith LeClair Story

LeClair, Keith

Religion & Spirituality

Whitecaps Media

As a child, Tony Collins was laser focused on a single goal -- making it to the NFL. With hard work and steely determination, Collins defied the odds and lived that dream -- reaching both the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl as one of the most productive running backs in New England Patriots history. But the road to Collins' dream was littered with temptation, and as he gave in to destructive addictions he reached a sudden dead end in his life as a pro football player. From a deep valley carved by his damaging choices, Collins let the power of hope and redemption pull him up to a new purpose of inspiring others and living every day to the full. The dramatic story of Tony Collins' transformation is a reminder that love and positive thinking have the power to save a life.

Broken Road: Turning My Mess Into a Message

Collins, Tony

Football (American)

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

It's not hyperbole to say that no basketball coach has had the opportunity to influence as many young men as Fletcher Arritt. In forty-two years leading a program with a brand-new group of players every year, Coach Arritt studiously avoided the spotlight but still became a life-altering presence for hundreds of athletes who passed through the gates of Fork Union Military Academy. By steadfastly maintaining the same values and discipline that he brought to the job in 1970, Arritt became both a mentor for big-name basketball coaches and a father figure for boys on the road to manhood.

Body, Mind, Spirit and Basketball: How Fletcher Arritt and Fork Union Military Academy Helped Turn Hundreds of Boys Into Men

Coaching

Fork Union Military Academy

Big Fish Better Boats: The History of Sportfishing and Boatbuilding on the Outer Banks

PERRY, Charles

Hunting & Fishing

Charles Perry

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Books by Bradsher, Bethany