CHARLOTTE — Steve Smith's not from here, but this is where he became a legend.
As such, he's being honored as one of the greatest figures in North Carolina sports history.
Smith was named as part of the Class of 2024 of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday morning.
He'll be enshrined on May 10 at the Charlotte Convention Center as part of the Hall's 60th annual induction banquet.
Smith, a member of the Panthers' Hall of Honor and a three-time Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist, started making memories from the first time he touched the ball here.
Returning the opening kickoff of his rookie season for a touchdown was a precursor of what was to come, as the former third-round pick became one of the most decorated players in NFL history.
He's eighth all-time in receiving yards (14,731) and 12th all-time in receptions (1,031).
Smith played 13 of his 16 seasons for the Panthers, and in 2005, he turned in one of the most incredible individual seasons the sport has ever seen.
That year, he won the NFL's triple crown by leading the league with 103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns. The fact he did it for a team that ran more than it passed (487 rushes, 449 pass attempts) made it that much more impressive.
He joins recent Panthers honorees Julius Peppers and the late Sam Mills in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
He's part of an 11-member class that also includes Wake Forest basketball star Randolph Childress, UNC Asheville basketball All-American Sheila Ford Duncan, Olympic rowing gold medalist Caroline Lind, Davidson basketball coach Bob McKillop, broadcaster Jim Nantz, Johnson C. Smith and NFL tight end Pettis Norman, UConn national champion and Final Four MVP Shea Ralph, the late UNC tennis coach Don Skakle, longtime North Carolina High School Sports Association commissioner Marilyn "Que" Tucker and Wake Forest athletic director Ron Wellman.
"This year's class joining the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame is dynamic in many ways," said Dr. Jerry McGee, president of the Hall's Board of Directors. "Not only are they part of a milestone group, given that this is the 60th Induction Celebration, they are representative of the reach throughout the Charlotte community, the state of North Carolina, the United States, and beyond."
Tickets are on sale now for the Induction Celebration. Visit www.ncshof.org for more details.
View photos of former wide receiver Steve Smith, Sr. during his Hall of Honor photo shoot.
