Merrifield Enters Whitfield Hall Of Fame

You know when Bernie Capps is not at his usual table at the end of the gym in the doorway watching for injuries during basketball games something important must be up. Tonight it was a former Rocky Mount High athlete and Wake Forest baseball Player entering the George Whitfield Hame of Fame.

Whitfield the legendary coach who won nearly 1000 high school and Legion games as well as coaching in various colleges in North Carolina held his 38th annual enshrinement at Goldsboro High school and one of the 18 inductees was Bill Merrifield former Rocky Mount Gryphon. The Gryphons won the State Baseball Championship in 1980 Merrifield's senior season. He then went on to Wake Forest where he became the ACC player of the year in baseball. Rocky Mount was well represented of those watching a Gryphon enter a Hall Of Fame. Those there included former football coach B W Holt.

I would love to have been there tonight as my former high school football coach Al Vaughn of Ahoskie was also enshrined. Vaughn lead Ahoskie High to two State titles in the 60's and 70's in football and was also the American legion coach in 1963 when Ahoskie played for the State title lead by Jimmy Hunter and the Coombs Brothers Freddie and Francis.

My favorite Al Vaughn story is during the 1963 Legion Finals Hunter was pitching against Siler City and about the 7th inning he walked the leadoff batter. He then proceeded to hit the next batter and loaded the bases by walking the next batter.

Vaughn called time and walked out to the mound and when he came back and sat down on the bench did not say a word. Nine pitches later Hunter now walking to the dugout and Vaughn came off the bench yelling" I told you that you could do it". Vaughn ran over to coach third base and all of the Ahoskie Guys asked Jimmy what did he tell you. Jimmy Hunter said "all he said was I'm tire of you messing around now. I want you to throw nine fastballs and come sit down beside me on the bench" and he did. He struck the next three batters out.

The high light of the entire enshrinement is the baseball clinic held tomorrow when just about every coach that knows anything about baseball will be there. The morning speaker is Fisher DeBerry the former Air Force football coach and Charlie Long of North Carolina Wesleyan will be teaching as well.

18 people go in the Hall and all most everyone would be recognizable to everyone. Rocky Mount stands tall tonight as a home town hero Bill Merrifield is one of those honored.

Not such good news in basketball as Hunt Wins on a tip in with 1.5 seconds to play beat the boys 64-62 Hunt out rebounded the Gryphons 38-24 so it was only fitting that a rebound wins the game. The girls cruise J'Kyra Bown has 26 as the Lady Gryphons go to 2-0 in conference play beating Hunt 72-48