The 2026 class of the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame (MCSHF) will be honored this Sunday, April 26th, 2026 at the Silver Spring Civic Building. Doors open at 2pm with the ceremony at 3pm. Attendance is free, and food will be served from 2-3pm.
This year’s class includes:
- Basketball player Willie Allen
- Football player and coach John Bunting
- Referee Bill Dixon
- Runner Betty Holston Smith
- Coach Warren Crutchfield (posthumous)
- The Holy Cross girls basketball team 1977-1982
“These inductees have brought recognition and honor to our community in their respective fields,” says MCSHF Board Chair Bob Milloy. “It is a stellar group and the induction ceremony will be one fabulous evening.” This is the 7th class of the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame. This year’s six inductees join the 35 other members of the Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be free to attend, and more information can be found at www.mcshf.org. More about this year’s inductees:
Willie Allen led Richard Montgomery to a state title in basketball, while also winning three county championships. The Rockville native was All-Met three times, all state, and a high school All-American, averaging 25 points and 23 rebounds per game as a senior. He became the first African American scholarship basketball player at the University of Miami, where he averaged double-doubles in points and rebounds for all three years. Willie is still 2nd all time on the Hurricanes rebound list, which led to his induction in the University of Miami sports Hall of Fame in 2016. Willie was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets in 1971 but chose to play in the ABA for a season before going to Belgium to play professionally. Willie retired in 1977 and pursued a career in marketing, and moved to his wife’s hometown of Milwaukee. In 1993, he switched careers and became a farmer. He has received numerous grants and awards for his work in urban farming, sustainable foods, and creating jobs in agriculture. He has written a book and appeared in a documentary about farming. Willie received an honorary doctorate of Agriculture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2012.
John Bunting spent 11 years in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles. Growing up in Silver Spring, he starred at Springbrook before going to college at North Carolina. The linebacker earned all ACC honors while also leading the Tar Heels to their first ACC championship in 1971 as a team captain. John played in 132 games for the Eagles, becoming the team’s defensive MVP in 1979 and was part of the 1981 Super Bowl team that lost to the Raiders. He spent his last two seasons with the USFL team in Philadelphia winning the USFL championship in 1984. He retired and immediately got into coaching with the Baltimore Stars in the USFL. He became a head coach in 1988 at Rowan University compiling a 38-14-2 record. John left for the NFL, coaching Defensive Ends and Linebackers for the Chiefs and the Rams. He was the co-Defensive Coordinator for the 1999 Rams team that won the Super Bowl. In 2001, he became the head coach of his alma mater North Carolina, leading the Tar Heels to two bowl games in his six years as coach. After his coaching career ended, John spent many years as a broadcaster calling football games on TV and radio.
Bill Dixon has officiated more than 6,000 games in 62 years. He attended Blair high school where he played football, basketball, and golf. After attending Montgomery College and spending four years in the Air Force, Bill began his career as an official in basketball and football. He has officiated 19 Maryland state basketball championships, the McDonalds Classic and five Maryland state football finals. He also spent 42 years as an official in the Special Olympics. Bill officiated five ECAC conference championships, the 2002 D1-AA national championship, and several years of baseball and softball for MCPS. He worked as a replay official for ACC football games for 13 years.
Betty Holston Smith has competed in 93 marathons, 33 ultra marathons, and has run over 100,000 miles. She was one of BCC’s first black students in 1956. At BCC, she joined the basketball team and biology club. She began work at the US Department of Labor, but after a few years decided she wanted to teach. She got a degree from DC Teacher’s college, and eventually a Masters and Doctorate in teaching. She started her own education consulting company that she ran for 25 years, helping hundreds of people. Betty has been a long distance runner for 50 years, and wrote a book on healthy eating. She coaches other runners at the Montgomery County Road Runners club. She was honored by Montgomery County with a living legends award, and owns several track and field records for her age, including running 81 miles on her 81st birthday.
Warren Crutchfield was a coach, teacher, and mentor in a variety of sports. Born and raised in Rockville, he was a track and field star at Carver high school, making it to the 1960 Olympic trials. He went to college at the University of Maryland – Eastern Shore where he is a member of their Athletic Hall of Fame. Warren became a teacher and coach at Sherwood, where he would spend 33 years mentoring hundreds of students. He coached basketball, track and field, and cross country while also teaching physical education. He was the first African-American track and field coach in Montgomery County, and coached girls varsity basketball for 18 years. Warren was inducted into the Sherwood high school hall of fame in 2010 and in 2020 the school gym was named after him. He passed away in 2019.
Holy Cross girls basketball: There are teams that can be talked about as “the best of all-time,” but when it comes to Montgomery County high school sports, one dynasty stands alone at the top. The Academy of the Holy Cross girls basketball team won 115 straight games from 1977-82. No other Montgomery team in any high school sport has approached that record set by the Kensington school. Coached by Bill Sheehan and assistant Sonny Frankie, the team won five consecutive IAABO (International Association of Approved Basketball Officials) championships and five consecutive Catholic Girls Athletic Association titles. Among the 27 players from those teams, Chrissy Reese and Karen Elsner were named Parade All-Americans and Janet Hanrahan earned McDonald’s All-American honors. Incredibly, 15 players who contributed to the winning streak earned college basketball scholarships.
