Wake Forest Celebrates the Life and Legacy of Alley Hart
2/14/2025 7:53:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Hart was a member of Wake Forest’s 1961 Elite Eight team and inducted into the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame this past year.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest University celebrates the life and impact of men's basketball alum, Alley Hart.
Hart competed for the Demon Deacons from 1959-61 at the guard spot, serving as a team captain on the team's 1961 Elite Eight team. His freshman season saw him average 20.5 points per game before helping the Deacs to their first-ever ACC regular season title as a junior in 1959-60.
A year later, he posted 13.7 points per game on a nightly average as a senior to pace Wake Forest to the 1961 ACC Championship, playing alongside standouts Bill Packer and Len Chappell. Hart ultimately appeared in 75 games throughout his career as a Demon Deacon.
An in-state native of Kinston, N.C., Hart was a three-sport athlete at Grainger High School, competing in basketball, football and baseball. A member of the Class of 1957, some of his early accomplishments include:
Hart joined a group of five to be inducted into the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame on May 19, 2024.
Years after his collegiate career, Hart continued to hone his skills in the National Senior Olympic Games, going on to collect five state senior Olympic gold medals and two national golds.
What They're Saying
Hart competed for the Demon Deacons from 1959-61 at the guard spot, serving as a team captain on the team's 1961 Elite Eight team. His freshman season saw him average 20.5 points per game before helping the Deacs to their first-ever ACC regular season title as a junior in 1959-60.
A year later, he posted 13.7 points per game on a nightly average as a senior to pace Wake Forest to the 1961 ACC Championship, playing alongside standouts Bill Packer and Len Chappell. Hart ultimately appeared in 75 games throughout his career as a Demon Deacon.
An in-state native of Kinston, N.C., Hart was a three-sport athlete at Grainger High School, competing in basketball, football and baseball. A member of the Class of 1957, some of his early accomplishments include:
- Guard on the 1956 Grainger High School state championship boys basketball team
- Participant in the North Carolina East/West All Star Game
- 2009 George Whitfield Hall of Fame
- 2010 Kinston-Lenoir County Sports Hall of Fame
Hart joined a group of five to be inducted into the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame on May 19, 2024.
Years after his collegiate career, Hart continued to hone his skills in the National Senior Olympic Games, going on to collect five state senior Olympic gold medals and two national golds.
What They're Saying
- Coach Steve Forbes:
- "Alley Hart was a loyal Deacon, a great ambassador of Wake Forest University and our basketball program. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and loved ones. He will be missed."
- Vice President & Director of Athletics John Currie:
- "Alley Hart was an integral leader of a series of Wake Forest Basketball teams which helped elevate and bond the University into the mainstream of its relatively new home in Winston-Salem. Winning our first ACC men's basketball championship in 1961 and advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight was a statement that the Demon Deacons could and would contend - and win in the ACC. His passion for competition extended well beyond his collegiate career, and his recent induction into the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame is a testament to his lifelong efforts to help others. I always enjoyed seeing Alley back on campus and will remember him fondly."
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