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< Back Tim McKeithan 2022 Rutherford County has a long and rich history of professional baseball players and it all started with Emmett James (Tim) McKeithan. He became Rutherford County's first ever baseball player to reach the professional ranks when he made his debut for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1932. McKeithan was born in Shelby, North Carolina in 1906, but played high school baseball for Cool Springs in Forest City. As a senior in 1928, McKeithan was an ace pitcher for the Tornadoes and led them to the 1928 State Title. After graduating from Cool Springs, McKeithan attended Duke University. The Blue Devils won a Southern Conference title in 1929 with a 13-5 record in his freshman season and McKeithan lettered in his final three seasons in Durham. During his career at Duke, McKeithan was part of three "State Championship" teams that played against other college programs in North Carolina. After finishing his college career at Duke, McKeithan has the distinction of being one of the few players to make the jump straight from college to the Major Leagues, joining the American League's Philadelphia Athletics on July 21, 1932. While there, McKeithan played under legendary manager Connie Mack as a right-handed pitcher. He spent portions of two seasons in Philadelphia, compiling a 1-1 record with a 7.36 ERA and three strikeouts in 25.2 innings. In 1934, Babe Ruth hit one of his 714 career home runs off McKeithan. McKeithan also spent some time in the Minor Leagues, making stops in Montreal, Syracuse and Galveston. He secured a career high eight wins while with Montreal in 1933 and a career best 2.00 ERA while pitching in Galveston during his final season of 1935. McKeithan passed away on August 30, 1969 and was buried at the Concord Baptist Church cemetery in Bostic.

< Back Paul Tim Jones 2024 If there is one name that is synonymous with Track & Field in Rutherford County, it is Paul Tim Jones. The 1959 graduate of Cool Springs High School went on to captain the first-ever Track and Field Team at Western Carolina in 1967 after completing his military service in Vietnam. He began coaching the Catamounts in 1968 as a graduate assistant and took over as the head coach in 1969. Over the next 12 seasons in Cullowhee, Jones coached several All-Americans and was named the NCAA Division II Coach Of The Year in 1974 and 1975. During his high school career, Jones says he dabbled in baseball and basketball, but his true love wasTrack & Field. Jones won a pair of Conference Championships while at Cool Springs, graduating in 1959. After graduation, he went to Western Carolina, but the Catamounts did not have a track team yet. Jones left Western, however, and joined the Marine Corps. From 1965-1967, he served in Vietnam, returning to Western to complete his education when his service had concluded. Jones captained the first-ever Track & Field Team in Western Carolina history in 1967 and he also captained the Cross County team that same season. Jones admits that he was a much better coach than a participant. Jones began his coaching career in 1968 and except for a short time at West Georgia, remained at the head of the Catamount program until 1981. During his coaching tenure, Jones posted an impressive 187-79 record (.703 winning percentage). Under his tutelage, three athletes achieved All-American status while several others earned All- Conference honors. Jones led Western to a Division II Top 20 National Ranking in 1974 and 75, earning National Coach Of The Year honors in both of those seasons. Jones left Western Carolina in 1981 to “Come Back Home” to Rutherford County, but that does not mean he left Track & Field behind. Far from it. Jones helped to strengthen the programs at all the high schools and middle schools in the county. “I wanted to help all the kids in Rutherford County, not just one school,” Jones said. “I was an official for local and District (high school) meets for a long time. When I got older, I could still fire the gun (Starter’s Pistol) until I retired a few years ago.” Along with officiating meets Jones also coached the R-S Middle School Track team to three straight conference championships in the late 1980’s. He was elected to the Western Carolina Hall Of Fame in 2002 and while he says that was a great honor, his inclusion in the Rutherford County Sports Hall Of Fame means more. “I get emotional just thinking about it,” he said. “The Western Carolina Hall Of Fame means a lot, but (being inducted into) the Rutherford County Sports Hall Of Fame is one of the proudest moments of my life, even more than being Coach Of The Year.” Jones currently resides in Rutherfordton and he loves to spend his Summers at McNair Field where he is a member of the Forest City Owls’ Booster Club.

Induction Year Sort by Name Sort by Class Year Angela Hamilton-Jones Basketball Induction Year: 2018 Billy Ray Haynes Jr Football Induction Year: 2023 Carl Bartles Football Induction Year: 2024 Charles "Dean" Huffstickler Boxing Induction Year: 2023 Anthony "Chuck" McSwain Football Induction Year: 2017 Billy Ray Vickers Football Induction Year: 2022 Carolyn Dewberry Bratton Basketball Induction Year: 2019 Chris Michael Basketball Induction Year: 2023 Belus Smawley Basketball Induction Year: 2017 Bobby Reynolds Coach Induction Year: 2022 Chad Flack Baseball Induction Year: 2024 Don Padgett Baseball Induction Year: 2017 1 2 3 4 1 ... 1 2 3 4 ... 4 **No Class of 2020 or 2021 Members due to COVID-19 Pandemic.**