Five new names
on the wall.
Meet the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 — honorees from football, basketball, tennis and the Virginia surfing community.
Taylor Heinicke
Taylor Heinicke rose to national prominence as a record-setting quarterback at Old Dominion University and went on to a long career in the NFL. From 2011-14 at ODU, he passed for 14,959 yards and 132 touchdowns, including an FCS record 730 yards in a single game in 2012. He was named the FCS player of the year in 2013. He appeared in 42 NFL games between 2015-24, winning fans with his electrifying style of play.
Darnell Dozier
Darnell Dozier won 793 games and a VHSL record 16 state titles during his three decades as girls basketball coach at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach. Dozier retired in the spring of 2026 after Princess Anne won its fourth consecutive Class 5 state title, and its 12th in the past 13 years.
Joanne Renn-Barnes
Joanne Renn-Barnes has left an enormous imprint on Virginia Wesleyan (now Batten) University as a coach and administrator. She was named the school’s athletic director in 2007, making her the first female AD in the history of the ODAC conference. During her time as athletic director the Marlins won multiple national championships and expanded the school’s athletic facilities. She also had successful runs as head coach in tennis and basketball.
Roy Beskin
Roy Beskin of Virginia Beach is one of the most accomplished tennis players and coaches ever to come from this region. He played on a state championship team at Granby High School in Norfolk and went on to a collegiate career that landed him in the Virginia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame. He dominated regional tournaments for 25 years and has been an avid coach of local juniors, teens and collegiate players.
Pete Smith
In MemoriamThe late Pete Smith was considered the Godfather of East Coast Surfing. A Virginia Beach native, he created the first surfing competition at the Oceanfront in 1963 and then grew it into the annual East Coast Surfing Championships. He was the proprietor who established what is described as the first-ever surf shop on the East Coast, also in Virginia Beach. Smith died in 2026.