Honoring Fred Whitted’s legacy in HBCU and local history

March 2, 2026, 5:09 a.m. ET

Frederick “Fred” Whitted, a historian and storyteller, passed away at age 72.
Whitted was an expert on the history of athletics at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Whitted authored several books and articles preserving the history of Fayetteville’s Black community and HBCUs.

I ran into Fred Whitted most often in the Headquarters Library on Maiden Lane in downtown Fayetteville. He was never without a satchel or a bag or books or something else that denoted serious research. The public library was one of his offices — as it has become one of mine.

Fred had a quiet and unassuming demeanor. He was the kind of guy who was not the loudest in the room, but when he spoke, he had something to say. I am not necessarily quiet at all, but Fred was patiently affirming of all I had to say, which can be a lot.

What I’m saying is he was a good guy. Frederick O’Neal “Fred” Whitted was a historian, publisher, writer, archivist, researcher and storyteller. A proud graduate of Winston Salem State University, he was one of the most well-versed people in the country on the history of athletics at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He passed into a wider field of glory Oct. 3, 2025, at age 72.

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the HBCU conference that includes Fayetteville State University, inducted Whitted posthumously into its Hall of Fame on Friday, Feb. 27. The ceremony at the Baltimore Convention Center was part of the 2026 CIAA Tournament weekend events.

The CIAA wove through Whitted’s life and work. The conference, in a news release prior to his induction, said: “The records he preserved, the stories he told, and the lives he impacted form an invaluable archive of HBCU and CIAA history.”

CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams Parker said: “Fred’s work ensured that the heart of the CIAA, its people, its history, and its purpose, would never be forgotten. He carried our story with care and pride, and his presence will be deeply missed. The passion and authenticity he brought to his work will forever remain part of who we are as a conference.”

Care and pride shaped how Whitted preserved Black history

“Care and pride.” If I could only pick three words to sum up how Fred approached and shared history — especially Black history — those are ones I’d choose.

Here at the Observer, he was one of our established sources to go to when we had a question about the history and accomplishments of Fayetteville’s Black community, which he had written about over the course of several books and articles, including a book about Fayetteville for the Black America Series, available at City Center Gallery & Books, and online.

In 2019, he was part of a community discussion about Green Books, those guides that helped Black motorists navigate a segregated South that denied them hotel rooms, restaurant access and other accommodations. Back then, Black people knew by word of mouth where to go and be safe.

“Black people had a way of communicating that was probably better than the internet,” Whitted said.

In 2016, I asked Fred his thoughts on who from our area should be honored in a monument proposed for the Capitol grounds in Raleigh that had the broad mission to commemorate the achievements of the North Carolina’s African Americans.

Fred said that at the top of his list would be educator E.E. Smith, who was an early leader at FSU and a towering figure; and Bishop James Walker Hood, founder of the AME Zion Church in the state and what became Livingston College, an HBCU.

But what struck me most was his idea of what would make a good monument if it honored ideas and not individuals. He said it would be education.

“We basically built our own education system here,” he said of HBCUs, which were founded in the Jim Crow era. “North Carolina has the largest inventory of HBCUs in the nation.”

He admitted, however, “I’m not sure how you would crystallize that.”

His work crystallized the HBCU experience for future generations

The comment is ironic because he did his part in trying to crystallize the HBCU experience.

Whitted wrestled and participated in track at WSSU, where he attended from 1971 to 1975. He would, over time, become an indispensable expert on sports at Black schools. He published the Black College Stat Pak and Black College Answer Book, which compiled stats and facts and, according to the CIAA news release, “served as resources for journalists, historians, and educators.” He also wrote a book, The Rams’ House, about WSSU basketball and its legendary coach, the late Clarence “Big House” Gaines, one of the winningest coaches in history.

ESPN leaned on his expertise for its project “Black Magic,” a documentary in which he appeared, on the history of basketball at HBCUs.

“He often reflected on the early days of CIAA basketball, when the conference provided a stage for Black excellence long before it was widely recognized,” the CIAA s release said. “His recollections reminded others that the CIAA was not only a competitive conference but also a cultural movement that represented resilience, community, and pride.”

Hall of Fame: Warm greetings for a sports historian who made an impact

Whitted was a graduate of Massey Hill High School, Class of 1971, but grew up primarily in Bladen County. Before he embraced the life of a full-time historian, he had jobs in sales and marketing and related fields.

Kathy Cardona, his sister, said many members of Whitted’s family attended the Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday. She praised the graciousness and hospitality of the CIAA.

“It was just wonderful,” she said March 1. She said the family knew about Whitted’s research and that the library was his home away from home, but they did not fully realize the magnitude of his impact.

“People have come out of the woodwork since his passing, and reached out to us and shared so many stories,” Cardona said. They have affirmed Whitted’s life and work and illustrated the respect he had earned.

At the CIAA, Cardona said she and her family were greeted warmly all around.

“When they looked at us, it was a deep look,” Cardona said pf the CIAA officials. “I came to they realize, they were seeing us and they were remembering him.”

An early love of sports, led to his desire to preserve the HBCU record

Cardona said Freddy, as the family calls him, has always been into sports. He played football and became fascinated at how plays work, often drawing up x’s and o’s while watching a game on TV. Cardona said her brother’s experiences traveling with sports teams, and working with statistics, drove his interest in chronicling HBCU sports. He had also noticed that a lot of the accomplishments of athletes at HBCUS were ignored.

“He decided he wanted to be a part of making sure that it was recorded,” Cardona said, “That people knew the greatness of people we call ‘ours.’”

On stage at the ceremony, she talked about important values her brother learned growing up on a family farm in Bladen County.

Other family members have shared their stories of him, too. Such as that Whitted had at hand lots of little-known HBCU sports facts. As part of family reflections provided to the CIAA, Darrell, who is Whitted’s nephew, recalled that when his son was getting into lacrosse, Uncle Freddy enthusiastically told of how the Morgan State lacrosse team in 1975 defeated No. 1-ranked Washington and Lee.

“This is an example of Freddy’s knowledge of uncommonly known facts,” he said.

Whitted’s is a profoundly impactful legacy

Friends from his growing up and part of his “Ramily” — as WSSU alumni call themselves — left touching tributes on his personal Facebook page and a Rams page dedicated to those who have passed.

Rosslyn Moffit Palmer called Whitted “a walking sports encyclopedia.”

Milton Gilchrist Jr. of Fayetteville man said he remembers that Whitted was the first man to put a basketball in his hand. He didn’t take up the sport but cherished that someone cared enough to give him that advice — and he now does the same.

Another man, Heawatha Watt Sanders, wrote that the FSU Bronco family had adopted Whitted, but “He never hesitated to let us know he was a Ram to the core. Fabulous brother, writer, publisher, author …”

Fred Whitted is survived by a son, Robert; two siblings, Katherine White Cardona and Finley Franklin White; nieces he regards as sisters, Marcilla Whitted Patterson, Betty D. Whitted and Marleen Ray Quick; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.