Hensley deserving of N.C. Hall honor

When the new class of inductees into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame is introduced tonight in Raleigh, North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams and Harlem Globetrotter Curley Neal will be the biggest stars.

But Bill Hensley, who is among the inductees, is just as deserving of his place in the Hall he helped create years ago.

Hensley has been a long-time champion of golf in North Carolina, usually working behind the scenes in his role as a public relations man.

A recent magazine article ranked Hensley, a former sports information director at Wake Forest and N.C. State, as the third-most influential person in North Carolina golf circles.

He has been around the game for decades and understands what makes it part of the fabric of life in North Carolina. He has done national work, doing public relations work for six U.S Opens, but his work to enhance the game here has made him a part of the North Carolina golf scene.

Hensley is the man who created the North Carolina Golf Panel, which annually ranks the top 100 courses in the state and he has been a wonderful ambassador for the area. He does his work in North Carolina but his name is known across the country.

He belongs in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.