HICKORY, N.C. – The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame announced its 2019 Induction Class on Tuesday morning, and former Lenoir-Rhyne Athletic Director, Neil McGeachy was selected for the prestigious honor.

McGeachy passed away in February of 2018 at the age of 75 and was named as one of the 12 men and women to be inducted into the N.C. Hall of Fame.

"We are thrilled to learn that Neill McGeachy has been selected to be inducted into the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame," said Lenoir-Rhyne athletic director Kim Pate. "Neill dedicated his entire young and professional life to champion sport and had a profound impact on countless individuals, most notably on LRU and the broader Hickory community."

McGeachy was a three-sport athlete for the Bears before graduating in 1965. McGeachy served as the university's athletic director for 14 years starting in 2002. During that span, Lenoir-Rhyne laid claim to 38 South Atlantic Conference regular season titles and 14 conference tournament titles while adding eight new sports to campus: men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, men's and women's swimming, and men's and women's lacrosse. To add to the gaudy list of accomplishments, LR saw 38 student-athletes earn All-American status in 11 different sports in addition to 12 Academic All-Americans, three SAC athletes of the year and one national coach of the year.

The former AD's name will be remembered for years to come as Pate announced the building of the Neill McGeachy Sports Performance Center last August and should be completed approximately one year later, in August of 2019.

McGeachy joins the rest of the 2019 Induction Class that is headlined by NASCAR standout Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and golf professional Davis Love III. Other names included are Ernie Barnes, Willie Bradshaw, Eddie Bridges, Rod Broadway, Gene Corrigan, Steve Gabriel, Dee Kantner, Paul Miller and Thell Overman. They will be officially inducted at the banquet in Raleigh, N.C. on May 3, 2019.