Whitaker, Sweat head '09 list of African-American Hall

Boxing legend Pernell "Sweetpea" Whitaker, former Norfolk State women's basketball coach James Sweat and former WNBA player La'Keshia Frett headline the 2009 class of the Hampton Roads African American Sports Hall of Fame, which will be inducted Nov. 7.

A Norfolk native, Whitaker was regarded as the world's best boxer, pound for pound, during his prime in the 1990s. He won six belts in four divisions from 135 to 154 pounds. A 1984 Olympic gold medalist, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2007.

Sweat compiled a 346-218 record in 19 seasons at Norfolk State. He came to NSU from Hampton University, where his team won the Division II national title in 1988. In 26 years, his teams won nine conference titles.

Frett was the national Player of the Year at Hampton's Phoebus High in 1993. She was a two-time All-American at Georgia and played seven years in the WNBA.

Also in the class:

- Former Booker T. Washington High football coach Larry Stepney, a standout running back at Norview High and Norfolk State.

- Harold "Doc" Sawyer of Norfolk, a two-way All-CIAA guard and linebacker at Virginia State University who starred on Booker T. Washington's unbeaten state championship team in 1956.

- Edward Hudson, a four-sport star at Bruton Heights High in Williamsburg who was a football and track standout at North Carolina Central.

- Henry Livas, a state and national tennis champion at George P. Phenix High in Hampton.

Ed Fraim, the first executive director of the Intercollegiate Foundation at Old Dominion University, was selected as the Community Contributor.