Gaston County sports heroes past and present will be honored during a Sept. 11 event at CaroMont Health Park.
Prior to its matchup against the Charleston Dirty Birds, the Gastonia Baseball Club will host Gaston County Sports Hall of Fame night, recognizing county greats from yesteryear as well as the six people who are part of the organization’s 2025 class.
The group is headlined by Forestview professional golfer Harold Varner III, in addition to Nick Clinard, John Devine, Mike Mahaffey, Joe Shepherd and legendary Cherryville sports writer Ronald “Scoop” Kiser. An on-field ceremony at 6 p.m. will precede first pitch.
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Here are few things to know about 2025 inductees.
Nick Clinard
The renowned golf coach has led Auburn to national prominence, including its first national championship in 2024. Prior to that, the Ashbrook product was a two-time Gaston County junior high golfer of the year at Grier, in addition a Southwestern 4A Player of the Year in 1991. He played a year at SMU and three more at Wake Forest, before playing five years professionally. Clinard has also coached at Central Florida, which he led to the 2009 Conference USA title and the NCAA Southeast regional crown.
John Devine
A 1977 Cherryville High graduate, he was a multi-sport athlete for the Ironmen before playing football at Gardner-Webb. Devine followed that with a lengthy football coaching career, including a 21-year tenure at South Point. He served as the Red Raiders’ coach from 1996-2010, leading them to 137 wins, 10 league championships and NCHSAA titles in 2003 and 2009.
Ronald “Scoop” Kiser
Kiser chronicled Cherryville sporting events for 50 years, his byline on stories frequently seen in The Cherryville Eagle, The Gaston Gazette and Shelby Star, among others. Kiser became the first media member inducted into the North Carolina American Legion Hall of Fame in 1985. He is also part of the Cherryville Sports Hall of Fame.
Mike Mahaffey
A 1972 Hunter Huss graduate, Mahaffey played baseball at Gardner-Webb before taking over as coach at Bessemer City for 29 seasons. The Yellow Jackets won 428 games during his tenure and nine league titles, including six straight from 1984-89. He had 18 playoff teams, including the 1986 NCHSAA 2A runner-up. Mahaffey also served as Bessemer City athletic director (1986-2009) and football assistant, along with serving as an assistant softball coach at South Point.
Joe Shepherd
A 1978 South Point graduate, he lettered in football, basketball and baseball. After playing two years of junior varsity basketball for coach Roy Williams at the University of North Carolina, he took the leap into coaching. He was voted conference coach of the year in football, as well as boys and girls basketball, during his time at Ashbrook and South Point. His teams won 217 games, highlighted by Ashbrook’s 2002 NCHSAA title. He was also a football and boys hoops assistant at South Point, contributing to the Red Raiders’ 2016 state championship.
Harold Varner III
A 2008 Forestview graduate, he made history three years later as the first Black male to win the North Carolina Amateur golf title. The following year at East Carolina, he was also the program’s first Conference USA Player of the Year. Varner turned pro in 2012, earning his PGA Tour card in 2015. He currently plays on the LIV Golf tour. The Gastonia native has four career pro golf titles, along with multiple appearances in each of pro golf’s four major events (The Masters, British Open, PGA Championship and U.S. Open).
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston Sports Hall of Fame 2024 class honored in September
