Covington, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound forward from Rockingham, N.C., was a solid all-around basketball player for head coach Ira Norfolk from 1966-69. He becomes the sixth player from that era of AC basketball to be enshrined, joining Ed Carraway, Bobby Gilmore and Clyde Stallsmith from the Class of ’69, as well as Larry Jones (’68) and Cliff Black (’72), the program’s all-time leading scorer.

Tom Parham (’63), who was a young coach here at the time, called Covington “a vital part of four fine teams,” adding that Rocky “took a back seat for team purposes… often he stood tall and tough when some of the “stars” didn’t shine brightly.”

Covington scored 1,038 points and pulled 456 rebounds during his career for averages of 10 points and four rebounds on teams full of Hall of Famers. As a senior, he scored 13.6 points and notched six rebounds per game. He was also an excellent student, exemplified by his selection to the Carolinas Conference All-Academic team all four years.

“We averaged 100-plus points a game my junior year,” Covington said. “We just gave up too many. I will never forget that time of my life. We reminisce about it all the time.

“Going to Barton was one of the most important decisions of my life because of the people I met and the way the total experience there prepared me for life. It gave me a strong foundation to fulfill my potential. It was the best four years of my life, and I would do it all over again. Some of the guys I went to school with are still my best friends today…40 years later.”

Covington was a prep star in Rockingham at the same time Gilmore was a standout at rival Sanford High. They ended up rooming together at Barton and have been close friends ever since.

Covington lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where he is president of Covington International Inc., a marketing company that focuses on e-commerce.