Class of 2006

Ray Durham – Jacksonville High School head football coach from 1978 – 1987 and 2004.  Led the Cardinals to two state 4-A championship games, including a state title in 1982.  Returned to Jacksonville High School as head coach in 2004 and lead a team that was 1-9 in 2003 to a 9-3 finish and the third round of the state 3-A playoffs in 2004.  Inducted into the North Carolina Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2002.

Leander Green – Wishbone quarterback who, despite standing only five-foot-eight, led Jacksonville High School to its first appearance in the state 4-A playoffs in 1974-1975 and went on to become a two-year starter at quarterback at East Carolina University.  As a high school senior, he was named all-state and to the Shrine Bowl team.  At ECU, he was a part-time starter as a sophomore before becoming the full-time starter as a junior and a senior.  As a junior, he led ECU to the Independence Bowl – the school’s first bowl in 13 years.  As a senior in 1979, he was named the team’s outstanding offensive player for the year in helping the Pirates become the NCAA’s top rushing offense, second best total offense and third ranked scoring offense.

Roosevelt Sanders – Sanders enjoyed a prominent career coaching in the amateur boxing ranks, including coaching All-Marine teams as well as US international teams.  He is a member of the USA Boxing Hall of Fame, inducted in 1993.  He was the All-Marine boxing team coach from 1988 – 2000.  He was a coach on the 1976, 1984, and 1992 Olympic teams that won numerous gold medals.  Among his All-Marine boxers while at Camp Lejeune were Olympians Leon Spinks, who went on to beat Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight title in 1978 and Sergio Reyes.  As a fighter himself, Sanders was an All-Marine champion from 1960-1964 and an Armed Forces champion in 1961.