Jerry Winterton, the longtime Cary High School wrestling coach who authored one of the most dominant runs in North Carolina high school sports history, has been selected for induction into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026.
Winterton is part of an 11-member class that will be enshrined during the Hall’s 62nd annual induction celebration on Friday, May 1, at the Sheraton at Four Seasons Convention Center in Greensboro, with the ceremony scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
“This class truly represents the best of the best in North Carolina sports,” Hall of Fame president Rick Webb said in the announcement. “It reflects the incredible diversity of excellence across high school, collegiate, professional, and Olympic competition.”
At Cary, Winterton built a powerhouse that became synonymous with championship wrestling. His teams won 11 NCHSAA state tournament titles and eight dual-team championships, and also finished runner-up in those events 13 times, according to the N.C. High School Athletic Association.
The Imps’ dual-meet success under Winterton was nearly unmatched. HighSchoolOT reported that in 29 years as Cary’s head coach, Winterton’s teams compiled a 540-3 regular-season dual-meet record, which improved to 620-16 when including postseason competition.
His teams also posted undefeated regular seasons in dual meets in 27 of his 29 seasons, along with 28 consecutive conference championships.
Beyond team trophies, Winterton coached 42 individual state champions, according to the NCHSAA, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2015. At one point, Winterton guided his wrestlers to a stretch of 138 consecutive victories.
Winterton’s success earned recognition far beyond the state. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame credits him as a 10-time North Carolina coach of the year, and notes he was named national coach of the year by the NHSCA (2007) and the NWCA (2009). He was also inducted into the National Federation of High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2017, an honor the Hall of Fame says has been bestowed on only a handful of North Carolina coaches across all sports.
