Belhaven University Athletics

The Belhaven University Department of Athletics is pleased to announce Ron McKinney will be inducted into the Belhaven Athletics Hall of Fame during the 2018 Homecoming Weekend.  The induction ceremony will take place at halftime of the 1:00 pm football game on Saturday, November 3.
 
McKinney graduated from Belhaven College in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art and Business, with a minor in Greek and Bible.  A dual-sport student-athlete, he earned varsity letters in both basketball and tennis.  He was involved in student government, served as president of his sophomore class, sang in the concert choir, was sports editor of the yearbook, and was voted "Mr. Belhaven" by the student body his senior year.
 
Former Belhaven head basketball coach Charles R. Rugg said, "I remember Ronnie McKinney as a feisty, fireball point guard who could handle the basketball and drill the jump shot.  His dribbling skills were such that we rarely had trouble against the press.  When opponents would sag on our inside guys, Ronnie would pull them out again by hitting a shot from the outside.  He was an aggressive, hustling player who controlled the tempo of the game and was a great passer.  The most important thing was that Ronnie provided stable leadership and was an excellent role model for the other players."
 
McKinney has been in ministry for 55 years and pastored for 28 years at Kinsey Drive Baptist Church in Dalton, Georgia.  He received his Master of Divinity degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi in 1974, and his doctor of ministry from the North American School of Theology.  For 24 years he served on the Board of Directors and the Board of Administration at Christian Heritage School.  The school campus is a $55 million complex located on 162 acres in Dalton, Georgia.  While at CHS, he initiated the athletic, drama and music departments and has taught visual arts to thousands of students over the years.
 
In 1997, McKinney received the Belhaven Community Award for service to his community.  During the time of his daughter's cancer treatment, he was involved with raising funds for St. Jude Children's Hospital, the Miracle Network Television Telethon, the T.S. Thompson Children's Hospital and the Tennessee Valley Authority Combined Federal Campaign.  He also served as Executive Director of the L'Abri Academy of Fine Arts and was co-founder and a board member of the 60-piece L'Abri Symphony Orchestra.  He has also organized and directed Make-A-Wish All-Star basketball games that have raised over $100,000 for families with children who had catastrophic health needs.  The 2007 Belhaven University Alumnus of the Year award was presented to McKinney for decades' worth of accomplishments.
 
He lives with his wife, Bonnie, a Christian Heritage School English teacher, in Dalton, Georgia.  They have three married daughters, Heather (Scott) Kinnamon, Heidi (Jeff) Ingle and Hope (Stephen) Moore, and a son, Haddon.  He and Bonnie have ten grandchildren.