Methodist University inducted the inaugural class of its athletics Hall of Fame in 1998, honoring a trio of coach/administrators along with four student-athletes.

Ann Davidson, Gene Clayton and Bruce Shelley each led Monarch varsity programs, and Clayton became the athletic department's Director, serving a 19-year term.

The four athletes in the Class of 1998 represented track and field (Karen Grant '87), men's golf (Rob Pilewski '92), baseball (Paul Sanderford '72) and women's soccer (Anne Thorpe '91). Among the accolades earned from this group are Methodist's first national champion, another national medalist and 19 All-American honors, an MU Sykes Cup honoree and a USA South Athletic Conference Player of the Year award.

• Gene Clayton – Served the institution for 53 years, including his 19-year term leading the athletics department and culminating his service time at Methodist as the Vice President for Business Affairs. Clayton played many roles for Monarch athletics from 1966 to 1985, including the coaching of the men's and women's cross country, men's and women's tennis and men's golf teams, along with leading the men's basketball program for seven seasons. In all, Clayton-led programs captured nine conference championships, three of those coming from the basketball court. He was instrumental in the progression of the athletic program from three varsity intercollegiate sports to 18.
• Ann Davidson – A 1998 inductee to the National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame as well, Ann Davidson guided the Lady Monarch golf team to five consecutive national championships during her five seasons as head coach from 1990-95. She also produced 17 All-Americans and four national champions. After retiring from Methodist in 1995, she served the golf industry at camps and tournaments as an LPGA teaching professional.
• Bruce Shelley – The father of Methodist College baseball, Bruce Shelley founded the program in 1969 and coached its first nine teams. He also designed and built the Monarchs' baseball field, which is now known as Armstrong-Shelley Field. Shelley came to Methodist in 1966 as a physical education instructor, a cross country coach and an assistant men's basketball coach. Prior to that, he had taught and coached at Angier (N.C.) High School. While at the helm of the Monarchs, Shelley guided Methodist to its first winning season (15-10 in 1972), its first four Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles (1972, 1974, 1976, 1977) and its first two NCAA Division-III tournament appearances (1976, 1977). His teams compiled a 153-118 record (.564) and often battled the ACC's best. Shelley died, at the age of 60, on May 10, 1997 after a short but courageous battle with cancer.
• Karen Grant – The first national champion to don a Methodist uniform, Karen Grant excelled as a jumper and sprinter for the Monarchs in track and field during the 1985-86 and 1986-87 campaigns. She competed for Methodist for two seasons following a two-year stint at the University of Nebraska. Between indoor and outdoor competition, Grant was a four-time national champion in the triple jump and a three-time national runner-up in the long jump. She also earned top five finishes in the 55-meter dash and the 100-meter dash on her way to becoming a nine-time NCAA Division III All-American -- a feat unparalleled in Methodist history. The Monarchs' only four-time national champion in any sport, Grant formerly held two NCAA D- III national records and set five Methodist College records, two of which still stand. Grant later served a lengthy tenure coaching jumpers for Sumter (S.C.) High School's men's and women's track and field teams. Her many coaching successes include eventual NCAA Division I national champion triple jumper Nicole Gamble and national scholastic champion long jumper Maurice Engle.
• Rob Pilewski – One of Methodist's two four-time All-American men's golfers, Rob Pilewski competed for the Monarchs from 1988-1992. The 1990 NCAA Division III national champion, Pilewski was a four-time team Most Valuable Player and the member of three national championships squads. A two-year team captain, Pilewski also collected the 1990 Sykes Cup, recognizing Methodist's athlete of the year and later represented the United States in the 1992 U.S.A./Japan Matches. He was inducted into the USA South Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2014. Pilewski is now a golf pro at the Duke University Golf Club, after serving in the same capacity at the King's Grant Golf and Country Club in Fayetteville, N.C.
• Paul Sanderford – A two-year All-Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball player, Paul Sanderford earned team MVP and honorable mention All-American distinction during his senior season in 1972. He has since gone on to a very successful coaching career. After two years as an assistant coach for the Methodist men's basketball and baseball teams, Sanderford went on to serve as the head women's basketball coach at Louisburg College for six campaigns and at Western Kentucky for 15 years. While at Western Kentucky, he directed the Lady Toppers to 12 NCAA Division I Tournament berths, including three Final Four appearances. Sanderford capped his inaugural season as the head women's basketball coach at the University of Nebraska with a trip to the 1998 NCAA Division I National Tournament. He posted an 88-69 record in five seasons at Nebraska. Though not selected, Sanderford was a finalist in the voting for the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
• Anne Thorpe – Methodist's first four-time NCAA Division III All-American in a team sport, Anne Thorpe played for the Lady Monarch soccer team from 1987-1991 and started for three Final Four teams. Methodist's all-time career leader in points and assists, and second in goals, Thorpe also earned Academic All-American status during three consecutive campaigns. The three-year team captain was also one of only 12 athletes chosen from all divisions to receive an NCAA post graduate scholarship. She joined the USA South Athletic Conference Hall of Fame with the Class of 2014. Thorpe is currently a physical therapist in West Hartford, Conn.

The Class of 1998 was the first of 22 induction classes, with the incoming Class of 2020 becoming the 23rd and its four recipients pushing the total number of inductees past the century mark (101). The Class of 2020 will be inducted on a date yet to be determined.