T.C. Roberson High School
Ring of Gold

"Legends of Roberson Athletics"

The Roberson High School “Ring of Gold” was created to recognize and honor former student athletes, coaches and administrators who have demonstrated excellence while involved in Roberson athletics.  These “Legends of Roberson Athletics” must have displayed outstanding achievement and service to the athletic programs as an athlete, coach or administrator while at Roberson High School as well as in their post-high school years.  In short, the “Legends of Roberson Athletics” must be the best of the best to have participated in the athletic program at T. C. Roberson High School. 

To be eligible for consideration into the “Ring of Gold”, a player must have been graduated a minimum of 10 years.  A coach or other administrator must be at least 5 years removed from Roberson High School.

2017 Ring of Gold Inductees

Liz Smith Howell:  (1995-1999)  Liz played soccer while at Roberson High School.  During her four years on the varsity team, she led her team to an overall record of 88-12-4.  That record also included an undefeated 40-0 record in four years in the Mountain Athletic Conference!  Those teams finished as state AAA Runners-up twice and state AAA Semi-finalists twice.  She scored 68 goals and had 52 assists at Roberson.  Liz was an All-Conference selection for all four years and chosen as the conference Player of the Year her senior year.  She was also named to the All-Region team her last three years and received All-State honors her junior and senior years.  In her senior season, she was also selected to the East-West All Star game and was recognized as a Regional All American.  As a Charlotte Soccer Club member, her team won the state championship in her junior year.  Following graduation from Roberson, Liz attended East Tennessee State University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing degree in 2005.  Liz also played soccer at East Tennessee where she ranks 5th all-time in ETSU history in career games played (69) and career games started (69).  She finished her collegiate career with 10 goals and 14 assists.  Liz married Adam Howell in 2004 and moved to Louisville, KY where she was an ICU nurse for seven years.  Liz currently lives in Louisville where she is a stay home mom, home-schooling her four children Noah, Tovah, Judah and Norah.
Carol Hyde Clark:  (1988–2010)  Coach Carol served as the Media Specialist during her tenure at Roberson High School.  She was the Head Women’s tennis coach from 1990-2009.  She also served as the Assistant Coach for the men’s tennis team from 1994-2010.  As head women’s coach, Coach Clark accumulated an overall record of 299-67.  She coached 5 individual state champions.  Her teams won 11 conference championships and 8 regional championships.  Her teams won the state AAA Dual Team Championships four times – 1990, 1991, 1992 and 2008.  She served as conference and regional tournament director for many years.  She was recognized as the Conference Coach of the Year several times as well as the Citizen-Times and Hendersonville Times-News All-Western North Carolina Coach of the Year.  She received the Women’s Dual Team State Champion Coach award four times.  Together with her husband, Tuffy, the two “Clarks” girls and boys teams won nearly 600 matches!  Since retiring from Roberson, Carol remains an active tennis player.  She captains several USTA adult league teams each season.  In 2015, she played on a 55’s women’s combo team that won the NC state championship.  Carol and her husband, Tuffy, also play as a mixed doubles team in the Senior Mixed Doubles USTA League.  In 2014 and 2016, their team won the NC Senior 65’s Mixed Doubles championships.  She spends a lot of her time with her five children and eight grandchildren.  Her three youngest children, Bryan, Jonathan and Amanda graduated from Roberson and each were outstanding tennis players during their years at Roberson.  Carol and Tuffy continue to live in the Roberson community where they are active in their church’s community outreach programs.  They are both avid outdoorsmen who love camping and hiking.  Carol and Tuffy have been married for 54 years!
George “Tuffy” Clark:  (1994–2010)  Coach Tuffy taught math and social studies at Valley Springs Middle School from 1988 – 2008.  He served as Head Men’s tennis coach at Roberson from 1994–2010.  He also served as the Assistant Coach for the women’s teams during the tenure that Coach Carol Clark was Head Coach.  Coach Clark was also the Head Tennis Coach at Valley Springs Middle School from 1989-2008.  As head men’s coach at Roberson, Coach Clark accumulated an overall record of 283-46.  His Roberson men’s teams won 11 conference championships and 7 regional championships.  He coached 7 individual state champions.  His teams won the state AAA Dual Team championships in 1994 and 2001 and finished as state AAA Runner-ups 4 times.  Coach Tuffy also served as conference tournament director several years.  He was the Roberson Summer Tennis Camp Director for 15 years.  Coach Clark was recognized as the Conference Coach of the Year several years as well as the Asheville Citizen-Times and Hendersonville Times-News All-Western Coach of the Year.  He received the Men’s Dual Team State Champion Coach award twice.  Together with his wife, Carol, the two “Clarks” girls and boys teams won nearly 600 matches!  Coach Tuffy continues to play tennis with his wife, Carol, in the NC Senior 65’s Mixed Doubles USTA championships.  He also is a volunteer coach with the Asheville Tennis Association Junior program.  He spends a lot of his time with his five children and eight grandchildren.  Tuffy and Carol continue to live in the Roberson community where they are active in their church’s community outreach programs.  They are both avid outdoorsmen who love camping and hiking.  Tuffy and Carol have been married for 54 years!
Josh Baker:  (2002–2006, 2010-2014)  Josh played football and ran track while a student at Roberson.  As a coach, Josh coached football and track. In football, Josh was on the varsity team for three years.  He was named to the All-Conference 1st team for each of those three years.  In his senior season, Josh was named the conference Defensive Player of the Year.  Josh was named to the All-State 1st team for his junior and senior seasons.  He was named to the Asheville Citizen-Times and Hendersonville Times-News All WNC teams his junior and senior years.  He was named the All-Area Defensive Player of the Year in his junior and senior seasons.  As a senior, Josh was named team captain and was named as the Roberson Football Team’s Most Valuable Player.  He was also selected by the TCR coaching staff as the Most Outstanding Athlete in a Team sport for the year.  Josh was selected to play in the Shrine Bowl after his senior season.  He held the tackle record at Roberson until 2016 when it was broken by a player that Josh coached!  In track, Josh’s team finished as state AAA Runner-Up.  After graduating from Roberson, Josh went on to play football at Butler Community College in Kansas.  Following his red-shirt season at Butler, Josh returned to WNC to play football at Mars Hill College.  After a stand-out career at Mars Hill, Josh graduated with a degree in Physical Education.  While at Mars Hill, Josh was named to the All-Conference team in his junior and senior seasons.  He was selected as team captain in his senior year.  After graduating from Mars Hill, Josh returned to Roberson as a teacher assistant and football coach for four years.  Following his tenure at Roberson as a teacher and coach, Josh moved to Phoenix, Arizona to marry his wife, Courtney.  In Phoenix, Josh became the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and PE teacher at a sports-centric K-8 grade school.  He serves as a mentor to many athletes and troubled students within the school.  In addition to his teaching duties, he also coaches football, basketball and track, leading his football and track teams to state championships in his first season!  Josh and Courtney live in Mesa, AZ with their 10-month old daughter, Avery.
Mike Houston:  (1996-2006)  Coach Houston taught Science and PE and coached football and basketball during his 10 year career at Roberson.  Coach Houston served as the Head Football coach for the last 5 years of his tenure achieving a 42-18 overall record.  He coached several all-conference players, all-state players and Shrine Bowl players while at Roberson.  His 2004 team at Roberson won the outright conference championship in football for the first time in school history.  That team finished the season as 3-A West Regional Runner-up with a record of 14-1.  After another successful season at Roberson, finishing 9-3, Coach Houston accepted an assistant coaching position at Brevard College, which was beginning a new football program.  After one year at Brevard College, Coach Houston became the Defensive Coordinator at Lenoir Rhyne University.  After 4 years in that role, Coach Houston became the Head Coach at LRU.  Over the next three years, his teams either tied or won the South Atlantic Conference championship, advancing to the NCAA DII playoffs.  His 2013 team played for the NCAA DII National Championship, finishing as Runner-up for that division’s national championship.  Coach Houston was chosen as the SAC Football Coach of the Year all three of those years as Head Coach.  Following his tenure at Lenoir Rhyne, Coach Houston became the Head Football Coach at The Citadel.  His teams broke several school and conference records on offense in his two years as Head Coach.  In his 2nd year at The Citadel, his team tied for the Southern Conference championship and advanced into the NCAA FCS playoffs where they advanced to the 2nd round.  This 2015 Citadel team pulled off a signature win against SEC school, South Carolina, in their last regular season game.  Again, Coach Houston was chosen as his conference’s (Southern Conference) Coach of the Year.  Coach Houston was also named the American Football Coaches Association Region 2 Coach of the Year.  After his two years at The Citadel, Coach Houston was named as the Head Coach of James Madison University.  In his first year there, the Dukes won the Colonial Athletic Association championship and advanced into the NCAA FCS playoffs as the number 4 national seed.  The Dukes played for the National Championship and won, making them the NCAA FCS National Champions!  Coach Houston was chosen as the CAA Coach of the Year, the AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year and the American Football Coaches Association FCS National Coach of the Year.  Coach Houston lives in Harrisonburg, VA with his wife, Amanda, and his sons, Owen and Reid.
Wesley “Randy” Elingburg:  (1970-1974)  Randy played baseball and basketball while at Roberson High School.  In basketball, Randy played 2 years on the JV team and was a 2-year varsity letterman.  In his senior season, his team was 25-0, losing in the state tournament.  He was a 4-time letter winner in baseball.  After graduating from Roberson, Randy attended and graduated, with highest honors, with a degree in business, from Western Carolina University.  Following graduation from WCU, Randy began his professional career with a small, family-owned company near Burlington, NC.  He became Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of that company that became LabCorp, Inc.  Following a 25 year career with LabCorp, which saw the company go public and grow from $25 million in revenues and 1000 employees to $3 billion in revenues and over 25,000 employees, Randy retired at the age of 48.  In retirement, Randy really went to work!  He became the majority owner of the Greensboro Grasshoppers, a Class A affiliate of the Miami Marlins.  The Grasshoppers were recognized as the most successful Class A franchise in Minor League Baseball in 2010.  They won the South Atlantic League Championship in 2011 and average 5,000 fans per night.  Randy has continued his support of Western Carolina University by serving on the Foundation Board.  He co-chaired a capital fund-raising campaign to raise $50 million for WCU.  He was honored with the Professional Achievement Award in 2013.  He has funded the Distinguished Professorship in Business Innovation and endowed a scholarship for the Honors College at WCU.  Randy also has become a major supporter of athletics at Duke University.  He has endowed a scholarship for women’s athletics in track and field at Duke.  He was also a major contributor to the renovations of Cameron Indoor Stadium and the baseball stadium and practice facilities.  Perhaps his busiest “retirement job” is with Elon University where he serves on the Board of Trustees.  He was chairman of that board from 2012-2014.  He is currently the chair of the Athletics Policy Committee, Chair of the Audit Committee and member of the Business and Finance Committee.  Randy funded a Professorship in Accounting at Elon.  He has also been a major contributor to renovations of the Football Field House, the gymnasium, the School of Communications, the Department of Career Services and the Elon Academy.  In May, 2016, Randy was honored by Elon University with an Honorary Doctorate Degree.  Recently, Randy was selected to Chair the search committee to hire a new president for Elon University.  In his hometown of Greensboro, Randy has supported Greensboro Day School as a member of its Board of Trustees and chair of its Finance Committee.  He was a leading contributor and fund-raiser for the construction of a new baseball field and auxiliary gymnasium at Greensboro Day.  In addition to his support of WCU, Duke and Greensboro Day School, Randy has also been a major donor to the building of the Hospice Home in Alamance County, endowed a scholarship to UNC-Chapel Hill, contributed to the Tanger Arts Center in Greensboro and paid all or parts of the tuition for many students whose parents worked with Randy at LabCorp in order for them to attend college.  Randy has never forgotten or neglected his beloved TC Roberson High School. Over the years, he has been a major, but quiet, contributor to the renovations of athletic facilities at Roberson.  He has supported the arts and music departments at Roberson as well as technology equipment at Koontz Intermediate School.  Randy has supported the athletic awards programs at Roberson, including the Wall of Champions in the lobby of the gym as well as the Ring of Gold.  In 2014, he was recognized as a TC Roberson Graduate of Distinction.  Randy lives in Greensboro with his wife, Cathy.  Their son, Nolan graduated from Elon and lives in Durham where he works for Duke University Athletic Department as an Associate Producer of the Blue Devil Network.  His primary responsibility is men’s basketball.