By Shawn Nowlin
Sherman Lea Sr., considered by many to be one of the best mayors in Roanoke history, has earned plenty of accolades in his life. On Feb. 28, he achieved another accomplishment: induction into the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Hall of Fame.
Enshrined at the Baltimore Convention Center Ballroom, Lee’s fellow inductees were: Arlene Creek (Bowie State, Women’s Basketball), Kiarsha Curtis (Shaw University, Women’s Basketball), Kyle Serba (North Carolina Central, Administrator), Inez Turner (Fayetteville State, Track & Field), Sharon Holloway Tanner (Winston-Salem State, Women’s Basketball), Samantha Mackey Edwards (Virginia State, Track & Field) and Peggy Davis (Virginia State, Jimmy Jenkins Legacy Award Recipient).
A fan of all the aforementioned names, Lea said, “It is an honor to be part of such a talented, accomplished class.”
Lea’s CIAA roots were planted more than 50 years ago. At Virginia Union, he was a standout on the gridiron. Long before Erik McCoy of the New Orleans Saints was snapping the ball to Derek Carr, Lea was doing the same for his quarterback in Richmond. With Lea in uniform from 1971-74, the Panthers won 22 games, including the CIAA Championship in 1973.
“It was Coach Robert Barksdale who helped me better understand the value of a quality education. My grades were decent, but after discussing my life plans with him, I quickly realized that I needed to perform better in the classroom if I was going to reach my full potential,” Lea said.
By the time Lea walked across the stage to get his sociology degree, he had established a foundation necessary to be a champion in life.
His late wife Clara was the matriarch of their family. Together, they had two children – William Byrd Middle School Teacher Erica Rosser and Sherman Lea Jr., owner of New Hope Support Services, LLC.
Lea dedicated more than four decades of his life to public service. Before serving as the Star City’s Mayor for eight years, he worked 36 years with the Virginia Department of Corrections, 12 years on Roanoke City Council and five years on the Roanoke City School Board. The former chair of Total Action for Progress (TAP) was the first Black chief probation officer in the Commonwealth.
“I grew up in an area where there weren’t a lot of opportunities. People usually worked at Dan River Mills or in tobacco. At the time, I didn’t know just how fortunate we were to have a car and running water,” Lea, a Danville native, said.
Since its inception in 1967, more than 250 individuals have been elected to the CIAA Hall of Fame. Lea says that if someone would have told him at Virginia Union that one day his name would be etched in the history books next to the likes of John C. McClendon and Marty Miller, he would’ve laughed and dismissed the thought.
Reflecting on his life’s journey, Lea said, “I am someone who has been blessed many times over. I was blessed to have supportive parents who loved me unconditionally. I was blessed to have an angel for a wife to raise our beautiful children. I was blessed to serve as Roanoke’s Mayor and leave a legacy that I am extremely proud of. This hall of fame induction is a special honor, especially being a former CIAA student-athlete myself.”
