Michael Ballenger, Sr.,  was Born on July 7, 1947, in Charlotte, NC, he was married to the former Brenda Steadman, and from that union, two children. He started Boxing at 6 years of age, fighting in the National Guard Armory in Gaffney, SC. Mike won the 1963 and 1964 Novice Bantam Weight Charlotte Golden and the Novice WelterWeight Charlotte Golden Gloves in 1965. Between 1965 and 1968 while serving abroad the USS Enterprise he was the middleweight Champion of the All Navy Tournament at Alameda, California.  Mike became a professional fighter when he finished his service in 1969, winning 2 bouts and losing 1. On June 12, 1970 he defeated John Link of Lincolnton, NC.  He had a total of 45 fights, with 40 wins and 5 losses. Mike passed away on April 29, 2010.

Sandman was born in Cleveland County, NC. on April 25, 1953. He attended Burns High School, Fallston, NC and attended Cleveland Community College.  He is a Vocational Instructor and Licensed General Contractor.  Sandman had 17 amateur bouts, 14 wins, 3 losses. He had a total of 70 professional fights winning 47, losing 21, and 2 draws. He fought as a heavy weight against World Champions such as:  Greg Page, Las Vegas;  John Tate, Knoxville, TN;  Tony Tubbs, Atlantic City, NJ; Alfonzo Ratliff, Chicago, IL;  Lorenzo Zannon in Milan, Italy;  Sandman trained with the following Champs:  Joe Frazier;  Michael Spinks;  Marvis Frazier;  Jimmy Young;  Bone Crusher Smith;  He won the NC Heavyweight Championship in 1979, but lost his title in 1983 by split decision. "Looking Back, I still reminisce about the bouts I forgot and have many fond memories." Sandman is very involved in his church. He attends Corinth Baptist Church in Vale, NC. and volunteers as a Teacher, Handyman, Missionary and Cook.

Randy Mitchem, born on April 29, 1954, in Gastonia, NC.  He attended Lincolnton High School, Gaston Community College and UNCC.  In his amateur boxing career, Mitchem accumulated 173 amateur bouts, with 148 as wins, 23 losses, and two draws.  He was also honored with being the "Best Boxer" in the Golden Gloves Regional Tournament. As a professional boxer, Mitchem had a record of 28-12.  He fought four World Championships that includes Johnny Bumpus, Simon Brown, Terry Marsh and Billy Costella.  He trained his son Brando to runner up in the 1986 Olympics. Boxing was Randy's life from 11 years old until the present day with a total of 213 amateur and professional fights.

Buck Earnhardt (Alexander Walton) enlisted in United States Navy on March 9, 1944. On August 31, 1944,  he is listed on board the USS Clyde. Then on April 1, 1946 he is listed amond the crew of the USS Unicoi as a Seaman 1st Class. Buck began his boxing career during his service in the Navy.  During this period of time, the newspapers focused on the War both in Europe and Pacific. Sports paged in the Spartanburg newspapers were usually one-page and devoted mostly to baseball. An article titled "Carl Chastain Heads Armory Fight Card Here  Boxes Buck Earnhardt in 19 Rounder"  which appeared in the Spartanburg Herald Journal, state: "Buck Earnhardt has 40 triumphs, 21 setbacks and a pair of draws. He has floored 28 foes."  Former boxers from this era estimate that Buck probably had about 100 professional fights.   By 1957, Buck had been boxing for over 10 years.  Buck coached with Henry "Pappy" Gault for the city of Spartanburg Boxing Team in the mid 1960's.  In 1963, Buck coached the Salvation Army Boys' Club Bantam League Football team to the city championship with an 8-0 record.  In 1964, Buck's Little League Baseball team the "Luncheon Optimist", posted a perfect 22-0 record to win the city championship. Several players from these teams went on to play college ball, with one player from this championship baseball team going on to play professional baseball.  Buck influenced a lot of young men's lives in the Spartan Mills community in and out of the rung. He retired from Southern Railway in 1990 after 40 years of service.  He passed in Spartanburg on September 29, 1994.

Al E. Simpson, resides in Charlotte, North Carolina.   He retired from the military in 1999, having served 24 years. Al was head coach of the Ft. Bragg Boxing Team at the time of his retirement. He has had many coaching positions, from the Regional to the National Level.  This is a condense list of his major accomplishment as there are too numerous to list.   Boxing Coach; President of the North Carolina Boxing Association;  Regional Coordinator for 5 states;  Army Boxing Coach;  Sportsman of the Tear Award (Charlotte, NC);  Coach the Junior Olympics. Silver Gloves he received the 1st Gold Medal;  World Cadet Championship in Azerbijan; and Employee of the Year Award (Parks and Recreation).  
 

BILL JERRY 2012 Carolinas Boxing Contributor of the Year