Gov. Stein presents Long Leaf Pine honors at Executive Mansion

Gov. Josh Stein inducted nine athletes, coaches, and sports figures into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Thursday evening during a ceremony at the North Carolina Executive Mansion in Raleigh, recognizing their athletic achievements and contributions to communities across the state.

“This honor has been reserved for North Carolina’s best, people who went above and beyond the call of duty,” Stein said during the ceremony. “People who made a unique mark in their sport and in their communities.”

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is one of North Carolina’s highest civilian honors, awarded to individuals with a proven record of extraordinary service to the state.

Past recipients of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine include prominent North Carolinians such as Maya Angelou, Billy Graham, and Michael Jordan, highlighting the award’s long-standing recognition of individuals who have made a lasting impact on North Carolina as a whole.

Stein honored three recipients during the ceremony, former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, former Appalachian State football coach Shawn Clark, and former NBA player Rodney Rogers.

While honoring Biffle, Stein highlighted the NASCAR champion’s rescue efforts following Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina in 2024.

“He used his personal helicopter to carry out hundreds of rescue missions for western North Carolina,” Stein said. “He delivered critical supplies and evacuated stranded residents in areas cut off by severe flooding and damage.”

Biffle’s niece, Jordan Biffle Carpenter, accepted the award on behalf of the family.

Stein also remembered Clark, who died last year after a medical emergency. Clark served as Appalachian State University’s head football coach beginning in 2019 and led the Mountaineers to multiple successful seasons, including a Sun Belt East Division title in 2021.

“Beyond the wins and losses, he cared deeply about his players,” Stein said. “He mentored them.”

Rodney Rogers, a Durham native and former Wake Forest basketball star, was also recognized posthumously. Rogers played more than a decade in the NBA and later became an advocate for people with disabilities after suffering a spinal cord injury in 2008.

Stein then inducted six additional recipients into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

Included with them was Debbie Antonelli, a Cary native and longtime basketball broadcaster. Stein praised Antonelli for helping elevate women’s athletics through broadcasting and different philanthropy work.

“For more than 30 years, she’s broken barriers by calling men’s and women’s basketball games at the highest levels,” Stein said.

Paralympic sled hockey gold medalist Kayden Beasley of Harnett County was also recognized. Stein noted Beasley helped Team USA secure its fifth consecutive Paralympic gold medal in sled hockey earlier this year.

Former Davidson College men’s basketball coach Bob McKillop received the award for his decades-long coaching career and mentorship of student athletes, including NBA star Stephen Curry.

“The invaluable mentorship that Coach McKillop provided to Steph Curry is the same support that he provided to all of his student athletes,” Stein said, noting Davidson players graduated at a 95% rate under McKillop.

Olympian Mystique Ro, a Queens University athlete who competed in skeleton at the Winter Olympics, was recognized for both her athletic accomplishments and her work expanding opportunities in sliding sports.

Competitive sailor Martin Willard was honored for more than 50 years of sailing and mentorship along the North Carolina coast, as well as his work in coastal preservation efforts.

Raleigh native and former NBA All-Star John Wall closed out the ceremony.

Stein praised Wall not only for his basketball career but also for his charitable work through the John Wall Family Foundation.

“He is always looking for ways to better his community, and we are a stronger state for your commitment and compassion,” Stein said.

During the event, Stein also recognized North Carolina Central University Chancellor Karrie Dixon and the NCCU men’s tennis team for winning the 2025 HBCU National Tennis Championship while earning the highest GPA among all Division I men’s tennis programs nationally.

Stein concluded the ceremony with the traditional Long Leaf Pine toast:

“Here’s to the land of the Long Leaf Pine, the summer land where the sun does shine, where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great. Here’s to down home, the Old North State.”

“Gov. Stein presents Long Leaf Pine honors at Executive Mansion” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.