The inaugural class for the Johnston County Sports Hall of Fame will be inducted on Saturday, April 28 during ceremonies at South Johnston High School. Members of the class are Bruce Coats, Reginald "Hawk" Ennis, Barry Foote, L. Doug Parnell, Robert "Bob" Poole, Ray Tanner and William Wellons. The Herald newspaper of Johnston County is looking for your memories of any member of the group's exploits in athletics or your thoughts on their selection. These reflections may be used in an upcoming edition of The Herald as we celebrate the accomplishments of this legendary group.
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Induction of Bruce Coats in Johnston Co. Hall of Fame
Mr. Bruce Coats is receiving a well deserved honor since he has devoted so much of his life to high school athletics in Johnston County. Though his major achievements were in baseball at South Johnston and baseball and basketball at Cleveland High, he also made a difference in another sport. He was my cross country coach at South Johnston in 1973 and 1974. We were in the Capital Area 4A Conference in those years with Cary, Sanderson, Broughton, Enloe, Millbrook, Smithfield-Selma, and Garner. It was a competitive league with Cary and Sanderson in the top ten in the state in those years. We finished third in the conference my senior year and Mr. Coats coached Richard Beeker and myself into the State Cross Country Meet where we finished in the top 25 runners. He expected our best effort and wanted us to expect that of ourselves. He is the consummate coach and teacher. I am honored to be one of his former athletes.
Tim Johnson, South Johnston, Class of 1975