2020 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class Announced; Induction Ceremony Set for Sept. 17

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- A star-studded group is set for enshrinement into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 17 inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The event will begin at 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased here.

The inductees include All-American and 11x NBA All-Star Chris Paul, NCAA Champion, Olympic Medalist and four-time ACC individual champion Michael Bingham, all-time winningest quarterback Riley Skinner and placekicker Sam Swank, both members of Wake Forest's 2006 ACC Championship football team, and Dianne Dailey who coached the Demon Deacon women's golf team for 30 years and earned four ACC Coach of the Year honors. Also in the class is Drew Taylor who won five ACC individual championships and will become the first member of the swimming and diving teams to earn induction to the Hall of Fame.

The six new inductees bring the total number of members in the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame to 175 and Sept. 17 will mark the 47th Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame induction class.

"These six legendary Demon Deacons embody the Pro Humanitate spirit of Wake Forest University and Athletics is excited to host an event to celebrate their legacies here in Winston-Salem," director of athletics John Currie said. "All six individuals have impacted Wake Forest in immeasurable ways with a myriad competition accolades and accomplishments in their respective sports, and they are leaders within their local communities. I am amazed by the quality of candidates and the level of detail that goes into this highly competitive selection process led by our Faculty Athletics Representative, Dr. Peter Brubaker and our Hall of Fame Committee."

"We are excited to celebrate this year's diverse group and welcome them into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame," said Dr. Peter Brubaker, Wake Forest Faculty Athletics Representative and Chair of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee. "Each of these inductees has made a lasting impact on Wake Forest Athletics and our University community. I would like to thank our entire committee for their hard work during this process and we look forward to welcoming these individuals back to Winston-Salem for a special induction weekend."

Free admittance will be provided to fans who show their ticket to Saturday, Sept. 18 football game against Florida State. Tickets for the football game can be purchased at GoDeacs.com/Tickets.

Each year, the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee meets to select new inductees. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wake Forest Athletics will honor the individuals selected last summer and will unveil its 2021 class and a spring ceremony for those Demon Deacon legends at a later date.

During their Wake Forest careers, this incredible group of Demon Deacons features 18 ACC Championships, six All-America selections, nine First Team All-ACC honorees, and multiple broken school records. It is safe to say this year's Hall of Fame Class is one of most decorated classes in the school's history.

2020 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame Inductees
Michael Bingham

Bingham is one of the top sprinters in Wake Forest track and field history. He was a four-time All-American in the 400 meters and is one of just three track and field athletes to win a national championship for Wake Forest after finishing first in the 400 meters at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Bingham was an eight-time ACC champion, winning four individual titles and as a member of four different relay teams. Individually, Bingham won the ACC title in the decathlon in 2005 and the 200 meters in 2006 at the ACC Outdoor Championship. In 2009, he was the 400m champion at both the ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. He was a member of the 4x400m relay team that won titles at the 2006 ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships and the 2009 ACC Indoor. He also ran on the 2006 outdoor 4x100m relay team. Bingham was the 2009 ACC Performer of the Year at the Indoor championships. He is one of five Wake Forest athletes to have earned a medal at the Summer Olympics. Bingham ran for Great Britain in the 2008 Beijing Games in the 4x400m relay. While the team finished fourth at the time, they were later awarded the bronze medal after the third-place Russian team was disqualified in 2017.

Dianne Dailey

Dailey spent 30 years as Wake Forest's women's golf coach before retiring following the 2018 season. During her tenure, she led the Demon Deacons to 30 team titles and 38 individual titles. She won four ACC Championships and led the Deacons to 15 NCAA Championships appearences while being recognized with four ACC Coach of the Year honors. During her tenure, Dailey coached 27 All-Americans, 39 All-ACC selections, five ACC Players of the Year and four ACC Freshmen of the Year including 2018 NCAA Champion Jennifer Kupcho. Dailey led the Deacons to ACC titles in 1994, 1995, 2009 and 2010 while taking the club to an NCAA regional berth every year from 1993 to 2018. A member of the National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Daily was the LPGA Coach of the Year in 2001 and is a past president of the NGCA. A 1971 graduate of Salem College, Daily played professionally on the LPGA Tour following her graduation before becoming Wake Forest's head coach in 1988. Her 30-year tenure as a head coach is the second-longest in school history behind only Jesse Haddock's 32 seasons.

Chris Paul

On-Court Accomplishments:
- A Winston-Salem native, Paul attended West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, N.C. and was named North Carolina Mr. Basketball at the conclusion of his senior season in 2003.
- During his two seasons (2003-2005) at Wake Forest, the current Phoenix Suns guard led the team to new heights and established himself as one of college basketball's top players. Playing for the late Skip Prosser, the 2005 consensus first-team All-American led the Demon Deacons to a school-record 27 victories and the program's first No. 1 national ranking during his sophomore season. He still ranks in the top 10 in school history in career assists (395), career steals (160), career 3-point percentage (46.9) and career free throw percentage (83.8). In 2013, Wake Forest retired Paul's No. 3 jersey, which now hangs in the rafters of Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
- The No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets, Paul has been the predominant point guard of his generation over the last 15 seasons. The 2005-06 NBA Rookie of the Year has been a 11-time NBA All-Star, earning MVP honors at the 2013 event, and twice helping the United States win an Olympic gold medal. Paul has been named to the All-NBA Team nine times, including four first-team selections, in addition to nine years on the NBA All-Defensive Team. Since 2013, Paul has served as president of the National Basketball Players Association.
Off-Court Accomplishments:
- In 2005, Chris and his family established the CP3 Foundation, a philanthropic partnership with The Winston-Salem Foundation in honor of his late grandfather. The foundation was created to highlight Chris' dedication and love, both to his grandfather's spirit and to the city of Winston- Salem, NC, for nurturing him from his days as a stand-out high school student-athlete to a national star at Wake Forest University.
- In 2010, the foundation officially changed names to The Chris Paul Family Foundation, which launched the Leadership Alliance in 2019, to support marginalized students and community organizations around the country to enhance and support the growth and development of future leaders. The guiding principle behind the alliance is to lead with PRIDE: purpose, respect, integrity, discipline, and excellence-all fundamentals that embody true leadership. Club 61 and the HBCU Course Initiative are two programs that allow the foundation to directly support its leadership platform.
- Celebrating 14 years of service to the community, Chris Paul and his family are extremely proud of their endowment to Wake Forest University, annually awarding two scholarships (one athletic and one academic) to a Forsyth County, North Carolina student with the Nathaniel Jones Scholarship, in memory of Chris' grandfather and mentor.
- He also gave $2.5 million to Wake Forest Basketball in 2018, which is the largest donation ever by a former basketball student-athlete or any alumnus under the age of 35. The new Chris Paul Locker Room for the men's team will be named in his honor.

Riley Skinner

Skinner is the winningest quarterback in Wake Forest history, leading the Demon Deacons to 31 wins as a starter from 2006-2009. Skinner entered the 2006 season as a redshirt freshman but ascended to the starter's role following an injury to Ben Mauk in the 2006 season opener. Skinner led the Deacons to an 11-3 record, the ACC Championship and a berth in the Orange Bowl in January 2007. The ACC Rookie of the Year in 2006, Skinner was a second team All-ACC pick that year and an honorable mention selection in 2008 and 2009. He became the first quarterback in school history to lead the Deacons to three bowl games while setting school records for completion percentage, passing yards, completions, touchdown passes and passing efficiency. Skinner remains the NCAA record holder for completion percentage in a bowl game, having connected on all 11 attempts in the Deacs' 29-19 win over Navy in the 2008 EagleBank Bowl.

Sam Swank

Swank is Wake Forest's all-time leading scorer, having accumulated 337 points during his career from 2005-2008. He was a first team All-American placekicker in 2006 by ESPN, Rivals.com and Sports Illustrated. Swank earned first team All-ACC honors as a placekicker in 2006 and was an honorable mention selection as a punter. In 2006, Swank was the only player in the nation to be a semifinalist for both the Lou Groza and Ray Guy Awards. Swank set the NCAA record with three field goals of at least 50 yards in a 25-23 win at NC State. In 2006, Swank set 11 school records and was the MVP of the ACC Championship Game when his three field goals provided all the scoring in the Deacs' 9-6 win over Georgia Tech. Among his school records are the most field goals made, most PATs made, and most consecutive PATs made. In addition, Swank holds Wake Forest's standards for the longest field goal in school history at 53 yards and the longest punt at 86 yards.

Drew Taylor

Taylor was a member of the 1964-66 swimming and diving teams and is the only Demon Deacon to win an ACC Championship in his sport. Taylor, a diver, won five ACC Championships during his career, taking the ACC one-meter diving titles in 1965 and 1966 while sweeping the three-meter championship in all three seasons from 1964-66. As a senior, Taylor won every diving title in each of Wake Forest's dual meets. Over the course of his career, Taylor won five of the six ACC Championships in which he competed. He becomes the first member of the Wake Forest swimming and diving team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Wake Forest Athletics

2020 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class Announced; Induction Ceremony Set for Sept. 17

Related News

Related Videos