Baseball
Jake Early was born in Kings Mountain. He played for the Washington Senators and the St. Louis Browns.
Roger Hornsby McKee played with the Philadelphia Phillies as a 16-year-old pitcher during World War II. He became the youngest pitcher in the 20th century to throw a nine-inning complete-game victory. No pitcher as young as McKee has accomplished this since.
Tom Wright played with the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox, and Washington Senators.
| MLB Players from Cleveland County | high school | MLB teams |
| Jordon Scott Adell | Shelby native | LA Angels |
| Bill Champion | Shelby | Philadelphia Phillies, |
| Jake Early | Kings Mountain native | Washington Senators |
| Norris Hopper | Shelby | Cincinnati Reds |
| Roger McKee | Shelby native | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Tyler White | Mooresboro native | Houston Astros, |
| Tom Wright | Shelby resident | Boston Red Sox, |
Basketball
David Thompson was born in Shelby and played basketball at Crest High School. He went on to play in the NBA. Read more. . .
Charlotte Smith was born in Shelby in 1973. She played professional basketball for the Charlotte Sting, Washington Mystics, and Indiana Fever. She is currently the head coach of women’s basketball at Elon University. Read more. . .
Alvin Gentry, Shelby High School Class of 1973, went on to become an NBA coach.
Football
Bobby Lee Bell was born in Shelby in 1940. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1963-1974. The Chiefs won the Superbowl in 1969. Read more. . .
Mel Phillips was born in Shelby. He played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1966 to 1977. Read more. . .
| NFL Players from Cleveland Co. | high school | NFL teams |
| Bobby Bell | Cleveland | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Jonathan Bullard | Crest | Chicago Bears and others |
| Shamar Finney | Crest | Washington Redskins |
| Tre Harbison | Crest | Cleveland Browns |
| Kevin Mack | Kings Mountain | Cleveland Browns |
| Scottie Montgomery | Burns | Detroit Lions |
| Mel Phillips | Cleveland | San Francisco 49ers |
| Toney Scott | Burns | New York Jets and others |
| Brandon Spike | Crest | New England Patriots and others |
| Cliff Washburn | Shelby | New York Giants and others |
| Robert Williams | Shelby | Dallas Cowboys and others |
Four men became college coaches:
- Charlie Harbison became defensive backs coach for the University of Missouri.
- Scottie Montgomery became head coach at East Carolina University.
- Dawson Odums became head coach for the Southern University’s football team.
- Jim Washburn became a defensive line coach.
Professional Boxing
Floyd Patterson was born in Waco, NC in 1935. He won a gold medal in the 1952 Olympics before going pro. He went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship title in 1956 and 1960. Read more. . .
Professional Wrestling
Three Cleveland County people became professional wrestlers.
- Manny Fernandez
- David Flair
- Charlotte Flair
- Chris Hamrick
Track and Field
Travis Padgett ran the 4 X 100 meter relay in the 2008 Olympics. Manteo Mitchell won the silver medal for the 4 X 400 meter relay in the 2012 Olympics.
Tennis
Tim Wilkinson became a professional tennis player.
Motorsports
Billy Standridge and Gene Hampton Daves, aka “Stick Elliott,” became NASCAR drivers.
Cleveland County History 