Sandra J. Elmore

Sandra J. Elmore was inducted into the inaugural College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. She was previously inducted into the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Hall of Fame in 2006.

Elmore earned her bachelor’s degree from Glenville State College in 1973, where she was a three-year starter at point guard on the intercollegiate basketball team. She completed both her master’s and doctoral degrees in physical education from West Virginia University in 1975 and 1989.

She began her professional career in education at the secondary level, coaching basketball, track, and tennis at Ravenswood High School and Clay County Junior High School. Elmore later joined West Virginia University Institute of Technology, where she spent more than three decades in teaching, coaching, and administrative roles. She served as head women’s basketball coach at Potomac State College, assistant women’s basketball coach at WVU, and director of athletics and department chair at WVU Tech. In 1989, she became the first woman in West Virginia to serve as an athletic director in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference while also overseeing a football program.

Elmore held leadership roles at the state, regional, and national levels, including terms as president of both the West Virginia and Mid-West districts of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. She also served five years as regional director for the National Junior College Athletic Association. Her professional service extended to committee work focused on Title IX, athletic scholarships, and coach recruitment, as well as service on boards including the YWCA and the West Virginia National Girls and Women in Sport Association.

A four-time Hall of Fame inductee, Elmore was recognized by Potomac State College (1994), the Region XX NJCAA Athletic Directors Association (2000), Glenville State College (2012), and CPASS (2006). Her other honors include the 1999 WVAHPERD Honor Award, the 2003 Ray O. Duncan Award for Service in Physical Education, and the 2003 Pathfinder Award from the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport.

In 2017, Elmore established the Sandra J. Elmore Academic Scholarship to support students majoring in athletic coaching education or sport management, or for residents of Roane County.