Bench at Greensboro Aquatic Center dedicated to Special Olympian Marty Sheets

News & Record - 7/10/2021

Jul. 10—GREENSBORO — Marty Sheets, a multi-sport athlete and longtime ambassador for the Special Olympics, was recognized Friday (Information has been changed to correct an error. See correction below. 6:43 p.m.July 10) in a special ceremony at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

Officials unveiled a new bench and plaque outside the venue's entrance dedicated to Sheets in honor of the Greensboro native's dedication to the sport of swimming and his impact on the Greensboro community.

Sheets, who died in 2015 at the age of 62, was "an accomplished athlete and a true inspiration to all," and had "long worked as an advocate to raise awareness of people with disabilities," the aquatic center said Friday in a news release.

Having Down syndrome didn't stop Sheets from becoming one of Greensboro's most decorated athletes. He won more than 250 medals in local, state, national and world competitions. He won seven medals at six Special Olympics World Games — including the inaugural games at Chicago'sSoldier Field in 1968.

Along with swimming, he also competed in weight-lifting, golf, tennis, skiing, and track and field.

Sheets is a member of both the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame and North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

Correction: The dedication was on Friday. The day was incorrect when this story first published online.

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