The Mountain Amateur Athletic Club committee has announced its 2026 Hall of Fame class, featuring longtime coaches and former standout athletes from Western North Carolina.
The five-person class includes former Reynolds football coach Scott Conner, former Mars Hill football coach Tim Clifton, former Brevard College cross country coach Norm Witek, former Clemson women's basketball player Annette Wise and former UNC Asheville women's basketball player Sheila Ford Duncan. The Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are longtime Western Carolina football and basketball play-by-play announcer Gary Ayers, sportswriter Pete McDaniel and former Western Carolina and Cherokee football coach Kent Briggs. They will be inducted Oct. 4 at the Omni Grove Park Inn.
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Conner led the Rockets for 14 seasons, accumulating a 116-41 overall record, nine conference championships and two state championship game appearances. He also coached the Reynolds girls basketball team, leading them to the regional championship in 1991.

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