The Big South Hall of Fame was formed in 2003-04 as part of the League's 20th Anniversary celebration.  Each year the Conference inducts up to eight individuals into the Hall of Fame.  The 20th Hall of Fame Class (2025) increased the Big South's Hall of Fame membership to 84 former student-athletes, coaches, administrators and contributors.  Scroll down to view the annual classes and achievements of each inductee.
 
Nominations for the Hall of Fame are made by current member institutions and the League Commissioner.  The Hall of Fame committee, made up of a representative from each member institution, will then select the class from the submitted nominations. Student-athletes who have graduated from a Big South institution and are 10 years removed from that institution are eligible for induction.  Administrators, coaches and other non-student-athletes who have ended their association with the Conference are also eligible.  Significant contributors to the Conference are eligible whether or not their association with the League has ended.

2003 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS - INAUGURAL CLASS (11)
HOWARD BAGWELL
Charleston Southern Director of Athletics (1965-2000)
Bagwell served as a track coach, a men’s basketball coach and the Director of Athletics at CSU. He led then Baptist College from an NAIA school to Division I status, increasing the school’s sports sponsorship from 5 to 18. Bagwell compiled a 263-47 record as a track coach and a 27-16 record as men’s basketball coach. Bagwell was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996. He also served 14 years on Dorchester County School Board. Bagwell was a co-founder of the Big South Conference, and the Big South Player of the Year Award was created and named for Bagwell.

WENDELL CARR
Campbell Director of Athletics (1974-1992)
Carr oversaw CU’s move from NAIA to NCAA Division I athletics competition in 1977-78. He was one of the leaders in the formation of the Big South Conference in 1983, of which Campbell became a charter member. Carr wrote constitution and by-laws for the Big South Conference. He helped the Big South gain automatic berths in NCAA Championships in baseball and men’s basketball. Carr also oversaw the rise of women’s athletics at Campbell, adding six new women’s varsity sports during his tenure. Carr led Campbell to the 1991-92 Big South Commissioner’s Cup when CU won five League championships (men’s soccer, men’s basketball, men’s golf, men’s tennis and women’s tennis) and three runner-up trophies (men’s cross country, women’s basketball, women’s golf). Under his guidance, Campbell won 14 Big South championships. He was also named Big South Men’s Golf Coach of the Year in 1989 when he led the team to the Conference title.

DR. GEORGE A. CHRISTENBERRY
Big South Conference President (1983-1986)
Augusta State College President (1970-1986)
The Big South Conference’s first president, Christenberry was a co-founder of the Conference. Along with Howard Bagwell, Christenberry recruited members to form the fledgling League. As Conference President from 1983 to 1986 he helped guide the League from its initial stages to its move towards Division I status and he oversaw the addition of UNC Asheville to the League. In response to his service to the Big South, the Conference created the George A. Christenberry Academic Award, given to the male and female student-athletes each year who graduated with the highest GPA.

TONY DUNKIN
Coastal Carolina Men’s Basketball Player (1989-1993)
Dunkin remains the only player in NCAA Division I history to be named a Conference’s Player of the Year four consecutive years, as he was the Big South Player of the Year from 1990-1993. CCU and the Big South’s all-time leading scorer with 2,151 points. He led the Chanticleers to the 1991 and 1993 NCAA Tournaments. He was a four-time Big South All-Conference honoree and three-time All-Tournament selection. He was named the 1990 Big South Rookie of the Year. Dunkin averaged 20.7 points per game during his career. He ranks third all-time at Coastal Carolina with 725 rebounds. Coastal Carolina had an 81-43 record during Dunkin’s career. He played professionally in Europe for five years.

ILONA FEKETE
UNC Asheville Volleyball Player (1990-1992)
Fekete led UNC Asheville to three straight Big South Conference regular-season titles (1990, 1991 and 1992) and two tournament championships (1991 and 1992). The 1991 team advanced to the NIVC tournament in Dayton, Ohio, making UNCA the first Big South team to compete in post-season play. The 1992 team went 32-6 and unbeaten in Big South play and in the tournament, making them the last team to not lose to a Big South opponent during the course of a season. She was the 1990 Big South MVP and led the nation in blocks that year. Fekete was an All-Conference performer in 1991 and 1992. She led the Big South in blocks in 1990, 1991 and 1992. UNCA was 22-1 in League play during her three-year career and 29-2 counting tournament play. Upon graduation, Fekete played professionally in Sweden for one season.

MICHELLE HALL
Coastal Carolina Softball Player (1990-1993)
Hall had 104 wins as a pitcher for the Lady Chanticleers, one of just eight players in the NCAA Division I history to win more than 100 games. She was a four-time Big South All-Conference team member and a three-time member of the Big South All-Tournament team. She was named to the NCAA All-Southeast Region team three times and was the first Big South player ever to be named to that team. She ranks fifth in NCAA history with 172 games pitched and 140 complete games. She also ranks seventh in NCAA history with 140 games started, and she ranks eighth in NCAA history with 11 career saves.

STEPHANIE HOWARD
Radford, Women’s Basketball Player (1986-1989)
Howard had scored more points than any other RU basketball player when she finished her career in 1989. The first RU athlete to have his or her number retired, the Harrisonburg, Va., native owned 27 records when she ended her Highlander career and moved on to play professionally in Switzerland. Her records included career points (2,146), assists (661) and steals (377). She set single game records for points (42), assists (17) and steals (9) and set a single season scoring mark in 1987-88, averaging 22.7 points. Howard, who was named an AWSF All-American four times, finished her career with averages of 19.2 points and 5.9 assists per game. She is a member of the Radford University Sports Hall of Fame.

LISA KEMME
Winthrop, Softball Player (1988-1991)
Kemme was a standout pitcher for the Eagles from 1988-1991 who earned the Big South Tournament MVP three times, in 1989, 1990 and 1991 and was the Big South Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991. She holds several Winthrop career and single-season records, as well as the NCAA single season records for most strikeouts (282 in 1990 (1st) and 264 in 1989(2nd)) and most victories (34 in 1991 (1st) and 32 in 1989 (3rd)), and she is ranked in the top 15 of other NCAA single-season records. Kemme owns “The Pitchers Mound,” an instructional softball pitching school which has produced 60 collegiate players, 30 of which are Division I. A former member of the ASA Summer Team Redan Bandits, she was named the Regional/State MVP six times and was the National Championship MVP in 1994. Kemme also pitched against the 1996 Olympic Team, throwing 5 innings, taking a 1-0 loss after a two-year layoff from pitching .

GEORGE F. "BUDDY" SASSER
Big South Conference Commissioner (1989-1996)
Coastal Carolina Director of Athletics (1986-1989 and 1996-1999)
Sasser served as the Big South Commissioner from 1989-1996 and had two stints as Coastal Director of Athletics (1986-1989 and 1996-1999). While Big South Commissioner, Sasser was responsible for increasing membership, gaining automatic bids to the NCAA Basketball Tournament and adding basketball television exposure for the League. The Commissioner’s Cup award, which goes to the institution with the best overall athletic performance for that year, was renamed Sasser Cup in his honor. Sasser served as head football coach at ETSU (1982-86) and Wofford (1977-82). He also served as Director of Athletics at ETSU (1982-1986).

DR. EDWARD M. "DICK" SINGLETON
Big South Conference Commissioner (1983-1989)
Coastal Carolina Chancellor (1963-1983)
Singleton served as the Big South’s first Commissioner, holding the post from 1983 through 1988. He was also Coastal Carolina’s Chancellor from 1963-1983. One of the founding fathers of the League, he currently serves as a senior advisor to CCU President Dr. Ronald Ingle. He is a member of the Coastal Education Foundation and the CINO (Coastal Is Number One) Board. Singleton will also serve as the chair for Coastal Carolina’s 50th anniversary in 2004.

DANTE WASHINGTON
Radford Men’s Soccer Player (1988-1992)
Washington led the nation in scoring in collegiate soccer in 1988 and 1990, and finished his career at RU in 1992 as the second leading scorer in NCAA history. He tallied 82 goals and an NCAA record 66 assists. He had RU record totals of 27 goals and 22 assists in 1988, leading RU to its first Big South soccer title. A two-time All-American, he earned Academic All-America honors in 1992. Washington would go on to compete on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team, and for the U.S. National squad. He now stars with the Dallas Burn of Major League Soccer. A Columbia, Md., native, Washington earned a double major in history and political science and is a member of the Radford University Sports Hall of Fame.

2004 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS (4)
HOLLY BOTTAR
Coastal Carolina Women’s Basketball Player (1988-1991)
Four-time Big South Conference first team...1989 Big South Conference All-Tournament Team...Second in CCU history in scoring with 1,545 points...First in CCU history with 500 career assists...First in CCU history with 246 career steals...Seventh in CCU history with 640 career rebounds

LUIS LOPEZ
Coastal Carolina Baseball Player (1991-1994)
Set seven school career records: Games played (230), Hits (264), At Bats (789), Walks (128), Total Bases (390), RBI (167), and Games started (228)...Led Coastal Carolina to 67 Big South wins from '91-'94, three Big South regular season titles, and two Big South Tourney titles...Played in 1991 NCAA Regionals...Selected to 1992 All-Big South Conference team...Led Big South in RBI (60) in 1992...Owns Big South Conference Record for games played (230)...Graduated from Coastal Carolina with B.A., Business Admin., 1994...Made Major League Baseball debut on April 29, 2001 with the Toronto Blue Jays becoming one of only 14 Big South alumni to reach the major leagues (among current conference membership)...Also earned major league service with the Oakland Athletics...Named South Atlantic League Player of the Year during minor league career...Still active through the 2003 season, Lopez has amassed a 9-year professional baseball career

JOE SPINKS
Campbell Men’s Basketball Player (1990-1994)
Set school (Division I era) records for career scoring (1,711) and rebounding (954)...Finished third on Big South career scoring list after graduating in 1994...Was the third player in Big South history to earn four All-Conference awards (three first-team) in men's basketball...Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1994 and Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year in 1991 (Big South)...Led team to 1992 Big South Tournament Championship and the school's first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament (played No. 1 Duke)...Led team to 1994 Big South Final...Led Campbell to program's first-ever wins over an Atlantic Coast Conference (NC State) and Southeastern Conference (South Carolina) member during '93-94)...Recorded 33 double-doubles (points-rebounds in a game) during his career...Set Big South rebounding record (954 from 1990-94)...Led Conference in rebounding as a freshman, sophomore and senior...Named Campbell University's Outstanding Male Athlete for 1993-94...Has played professional basketball in Europe since graduation

JOHN VROOMAN
Coastal Carolina Baseball Coach (1975-77, 1987-95)
Winningest baseball coach in Big South league history with 124 regular season conference wins...2-time Big South Conference coach of the year...Led Chanticleers to two Big South Tournament championships...Coached 37 All-Big South Conference selections, 2 tourney MVPs, and 1 Player of the Year...Winningest coach in Coastal Carolina history with 325 wins (as of 2004 season)...Led Coastal Carolina to first NCAA Regional appearance in 1991, just the second all-time Big South NCAA baseball appearance...His teams led the Big South in batting four times; HRs four times; Runs scored four times; Stolen Bases four times; ERA twice; Complete Games five times; and fielding six times...After and during coaching, Vrooman served the Coastal Carolina academic community in various significant roles including Dean of the History department and instructor...In March of 2004, the playing field at Coastal Carolina's Watson Stadium will be named for Coach Vrooman.

2005 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS (5)
DOUG DAY
Radford, Men’s Basketball (1989-93)
Day completed his Radford career as the NCAA Division I career leader in three-point field goals made with 401 during his career from 1989-93. He departed as Radford’s all-time leading scorer with 2,027 points – 2nd most in the Big South. He is one of only two Big South players to score 2,000 career points. Day led the nation in three-point baskets per game with 4.03 per contest in 1991-92, and earned All-Big South honors during each of his four seasons at RU. He averaged 17.3 points per game for his career, and his offensive prowess helped Radford to back-to-back 20-win seasons in 1990-91 and 1991-92. Day led the Highlanders to their first regular-season Conference title in 1991-92.

SARA GRAZIANO
Coastal Carolina Softball (1993-94)
Graziano was a three-sport student-athlete during her collegiate career at Coastal Carolina in softball (1993-94), women’s basketball (1994-95) and volleyball (1993-94). She set a NCAA Division I record with a .598 batting average in 1994, while slugging 1.006 to lead the nation. Graziano earned All-South Region softball honors that season as well as earning Big South Player of the Year and GTE Academic All-American of the Year. Graziano played professionally in the Women’s Professional Softball League (WPSL).

MICHELLE MINTON
Coastal Carolina, Softball (1990-94)
Minton was a two-sport student-athlete for Coastal as a member of the softball (1991-94) and women’s basketball squad (1990-94) during her four years.  She finished her career ranked in the top 10 in Coastal Carolina history in several categories, including hits (2nd - 308), at-bats (4th - 672), batting (2nd - .458), stolen bases (2nd - 77), triples (5th - 11), runs scored (1st - 194) and on-base percentage (2nd - .503).  She played 199 career games and was a three-time NCAA All-South Region selection (1992, 1993, 1994).  She was a four-time All-Conference selection in softball, as well as a three-time All-Tournament selection.

JIM SETTLE
Charleston Southern, Head Cross Country and Track Coach (1965-92)
Settle came to Baptist College as assistant cross country and assistant track coach in 1965, quickly developing the program into one of the finest in the Southeast. He worked hand-in-hand with Coach Howard Bagwell as an assistant and then later as the head coach, coaching several All-Americans, including 1992 Olympic Silver Medalist Charlie Simpkins. After four years out of coaching, Settle returned as head coach in 1985 and promptly led the men’s track team to an outstanding 29-0 record. The 1986 team followed up with a 31-4 record. All total, the Baptist College/Charleston Southern men’s track program posted 313 victories against only 62 defeats from 1966-92. This included five undefeated seasons. Settle is a member of the Charleston Southern Athletic Hall of Fame.

SHANNAN WILKEY
Radford, Women’s Basketball (1990-94)
Wilkey Bergen’s competitive drive fueled four consecutive Big South basketball championship teams from 1990-94. She was twice the Tournament MVP (1993, 1994) and finished her career with 1,714 points (third all-time at RU and eighth in Big South history). She also ranks among the career leaders in steals (244) and games played (117). Wilkey Bergen led the Lady Highs in scoring twice, including a 21.3 scoring average as a senior, the second-highest in school history. She was Big South Rookie of the Year in 1990-91, and became one of the first three-sport stars at RU, lettering in cross country and softball after her basketball career. She was the first two-sport All-Conference performer in the Big South, earning League honors in basketball twice (1992-94) and in cross country in 1994, finishing as RU’s leader in five of six meets. Wilkey Bergen also was an assistant coach at member institution UNC Asheville before taking a job at West Florida, where she is now in her sixth season as head women’s basketball coach. During her tenure at UWF, the Argonauts have won two Gulf South Conference (GSC) Eastern Division titles.

2006 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS (5)
CHUCK TAYLOR
Radford Director of Athletics (1974-96)
Taylor was Radford’s first Athletic Director and men’s basketball coach.  He served as athletic director from 1974-96, and led Radford on a remarkable journey from a six-sport unaffiliated small-college program to Division I athletics.  He led RU’s move to Division I status in 1984, and helped establish the Big South Conference, ensuring Radford’s entrance as a founding member.  Seven different athletic teams achieved national rankings during his tenure.  Taylor also chaired several key committees in the League, including budgets and awards.  The former men’s basketball coach helped shape the fledgling Conference’s basketball programs, including ensuring Radford’s teams were successful, with women’s basketball winning nine of the first 10 Big South titles and RU men’s basketball posting 20 winning seasons in his 22 years.

CHARLENE CURTIS
Radford Women’s Basketball Coach (1984-90)
Curtis was one of the most successful coaches in the country while leading her alma mater.  Her teams were 121-53 in six seasons as RU’s coach from 1984-90, winning two Conference titles and earning a bid to the 1989 NWIT, the first appearance in ANY Division I postseason tournament by any Big South basketball program (men’s or women’s).  She was named Big South Coach of the Year twice (1987-88 and 1989-90) and still ranks second all-time in women’s basketball winning percentage (.700) among Big South coaches.  Curtis posted an impressive 46-2 won-loss record in regular-season Conference play and led the Highlanders to three of the first four Big South titles.  In addition, the Roanoke native scored 1,043 points as a player at RU to become the university’s first 1,000-point scorer.  Curtis later became head coach at Temple and Wake Forest, was an assistant coach with the WNBA Charlotte Sting, a television analyst and is currently the director clinician motivational speaker for Curtis Camps & Clinics.

BRYAN LINK
Winthrop Baseball Player (1992-95)
Link totaled 65 appearances, 46 of which were starts, as well as 22 complete games, 27 wins, 315 strikeouts, a 3.00 earned run average and 326.1 innings pitched in his career for Winthrop.  In his senior season of 1995, he was a First-team All-America selection, was voted to the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America First-team and was voted the Big South Conference Baseball Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  Link led the 1995 Eagles to their first NCAA Tournament appearance, and posted League records that season for innings pitched (134.1), shutouts (4) and consecutive scoreless innings (32).  He held six Winthrop career pitching records when he graduated (including starts, complete games, wins, strikeouts and innings pitched) and was the Big South’s all-time strikeout leader at the time as well.  Link, who graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1995 with a degree in chemistry, drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 12th round of the 1995 MLB Draft and played professionally in the Rangers’ system before deciding to enter graduate school.  In 2005, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the Winthrop University Athletics Hall of Fame and is currently a Director of Medical Liaisons in the pharmaceutical industry in Atlanta.

HANS OLSEN
Charleston Southern Men’s Tennis Player & Coach (player 1989-92; coach 1997-01)
A four-year performer on the CSU men’s tennis team, Olsen was a two-time Big South All-Conference selection and was twice named the CSU men’s tennis MVP as the No. 1 singles player.  After graduating in 1992, Olsen returned as head men’s and women’s tennis coach in 1997.  Olsen guided the men’s teams to four consecutive Big South Conference Championships, earning Big South Coach of the Year four times.  He posted a men’s coaching record of 89-31 overall.  Combined with his women’s record, Olsen totaled a 133-92 overall record at CSU.  He is currently the women’s tennis coach at North Carolina State and was inducted into the Charleston Southern Athletic Hall of Fame in October 2004.

TAMMY BROWN
Campbell Women’s Basketball Player (1987-91)
Brown was a two-time Big South Player of the Year (1989-90, 1990-91) and was a three-time First-team All-Conference selection.  She ended her career as the League’s all-time leading scorer (1,893 points), which is now fourth all-time.  Brown set the Big South’s single-season scoring record in 1990-91 with 693 points for a 23.9 per game average and was twice named Campbell University Outstanding Female Athlete (1990, 1991).  She set school records for scoring, field goals and field goal percentage.  Brown was named a FastBreak All-America by the American Women’s Sports Federation in 1990 and 1991.  She led her team to four consecutive Big South Championship game appearances and one title in 1989.  Brown later served as an assistant coach at Campbell (1991-92) and has worked as a coach and teacher for the last 10 years.  She was inducted into the Campbell University Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.

2007 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS (5)
RYAN WERNER
Liberty Track & Field Athlete (1992-96)
Liberty’s first Big South Hall of Fame inductee, Werner was Liberty’s first three-time NCAA Division I All-American (1994-95-96).  He placed ninth in the decathlon at the 1994 NCAA National Championships, fourth in the event at the 1995 NCAA National Championships and eighth in the decathlon in the 1996 NCAA National Championships.  Werner also was the first Liberty athlete to win an IC4A title, winning the 1992 decathlon as a freshman.  He won the IC4A decathlon title four times (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996), won the IC4A pole vault as a senior and also won the Penn Relays decathlon in 1995.  Werner was honored with the Liberty University Rock Royer Award as a senior, given annually to Liberty’s top student-athlete.  He still holds the Liberty school decathlon record and the Big South Conference season record with 7,662 points in 1995 (the Big South did not offer the decathlon as a Conference championship event until the 2001 season).  Werner was named to the United States Track Coaches Association All-Academic Team in 1994 and 1996.  Werner helped Liberty to its first three Conference championships in outdoor track & field.  In Big South competition, he was second in the 110-meter hurdles, third in 200 meters and fourth in 100 meters in 1993.  He also was second in javelin, third in pole vault, fifth in 400 meters, fifth in hammer, seventh in 110-meters and seventh in the discus in 1994.  Werner was Conference champion in the javelin and pole vault in 1995, as well as the Big South Track Champion high scorer with 41 points in 1996.  In addition, he was Conference champion in the javelin, second in pole vault, third in discus, third in shot put, third in 400-meter, fifth in hammer, eighth in long jump in 1996.  Werner has worked as an assistant track & field coach at Coastal Carolina and is currently a fireman and EMT in the Myrtle Beach area.

SHERRY JOHNSON
Coastal Carolina Softball Player (1992-95)
Johnson ended her career as the NCAA career leader with 76 doubles (currently fourth in history) and finished her career ranked in the top 10 in NCAA history in runs batted in (third – 194), home runs (sixth – 31) and slugging percentage (fifth - .667).  She set Coastal Carolina school records for career games played (230), at-bats (697), doubles (76), triples (19), home runs (31), runs batted in (194) and putouts (1,567).  She was named NCAA All-South Region in 1994 and 1995 as well as Big South All-Conference those seasons as well.  Johnson is currently General Manager of Burroughs and Chapin’s Entertainment Golf Division in South Carolina.

ROBERT DOWDELL
Coastal Carolina Men’s Basketball Player (1987-91)
Dowdell was Coastal’s point guard from 1987-91 and finished his career as CCU’s all-time assist leader with 561, which is second all-time in Big South history.  He helped the Chanticleers to their best four-year record ever with 78 wins during that period (78-39, =.667 winning percentage).  Dowdell was a member of two Big South Tournament team championships and three regular-season crowns, as the Chants posted a 42-8 Big South record during his four years (.840 winning percentage).  In 1990-91, he led the Chants to a school-record 24 wins and first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.  Dowdell earned First-team All-Conference honors in 1990 and 1991, as well as All-Tournament honors both years.  He ranks 46th all-time in Big South history in scoring with 1,202 points, as well as sixth all-time in free throws made (404), 11th in free throw attempts (523), ninth in free throw percentage (.772), third in career assists per game (4.88), second all-time in steals (239) and second in steals per game (2.08).

HORACE TURBEVILLE
Winthrop Baseball Coach (1978-91)
Turbeville was Winthrop’s first baseball coach from 1978-91, posting a career record of 373-157-1 (.703 winning percentage) at the helm of the Eagles.  He guided the team to the NAIA College World Series, finishing national runner-up, as well as capturing the Big South’s first-ever baseball Conference Tournament championship in 1985.  Turbeville was the 1991 Big South Coach of the Year and posted a 152-101 ( =.601) record in seven seasons when baseball began as a sponsored Big South sport in 1985.  He was 571-285-1 (.667) during his 32-year baseball coaching career, and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2000.  He was also inducted into the York County (S.C.) Sports Hall of Fame in 2000, as well as the Newberry College Hall of Fame in 1995.  Turbeville was named the South Carolina College Baseball Coach of the Year in 1972 and was a finalist for the 1980 NAIA National Baseball Coach of the Year.  In addition, he was inducted into the Winthrop Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.  Turbeville passed away this past January.

DR. DONALD NEWTON DEDMON
Big South Conference President (1986-92)
Radford President (1972-94)
One of the Big South Conference's founding fathers and past presidents, Dr. Donald N. Dedmon took office on March 20, 1972, as Radford's fourth president.  During Dr. Dedmon's administration, Radford College grew in stature and size to a comprehensive, coeducational institution.  The fall 1972 semester academic year marked the first time that men were admitted for the full academic year rather than just for summer school as had been the practice in the school's first years in operation.  In 1979, Radford was granted university status by the Virginia General Assembly, resulting in the school's fifth name change to Radford University.  In celebration of the Scotch-Irish heritage of Southwest Virginia, the "Highlander" was also adopted in the 1970s as the nickname for the athletic teams.  In keeping with the Scotch-Irish theme, the school colors were changed from the original purple and gray to the tartan plaid colors of red, white, blue and green.  The school newspaper was renamed The Tartan and the literary magazine adopted the name Gaelic.  The annual remained The Beehive. Growth continued at a rapid pace through the 1980s with over 9,000 students attending RU per year by the end of the decade. The look and size of the campus also continued to evolve with the construction of a state-of-the-art sports complex named for Dr. Dedmon.  The Dedmon Center was one of the first buildings designed with an inflated, air-supported roof, similar to that of the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.  The location of the Dedmon Center was also a change for the campus, as new properties adjacent to the New River were acquired from the railroad.  Dr. Dedmon served as Big South President from May 1986-92, and his tenure included the Big South becoming a full-fledged member of NCAA Division I in September 1986, as well as the Big South having its first participants in NCAA postseason in men’s and women’s basketball.  Dr. Dedmon received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Communications from the University of Iowa.  Prior to coming to Radford, Dr. Dedmon served as a professor at Colorado State University and executive vice president and acting president of Marshall University.  Dr. Dedmon passed away in 1998.

2008 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS (5)
PETER ALUMA
Liberty Men’s Basketball Player (1994-97)
Liberty’s second Big South Hall of Fame inductee, Aluma ranked as the Big South’s all-time leading shot blocker (366), was third in games played (119), second in free throws (451) and third in scoring (1,715 points) at the conclusion of his career, and helped the Flames capture their first-ever Big South championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 1994.  He currently ranks 24th all-time in NCAA history in blocked shots.  Aluma was a First-Team All-Conference selection in 1996 and 1997, earned Second-Team honors in 1995 and was named to the League’s All-Rookie Team in 1994.  He was named the Big South Tournament MVP twice in his career (1994 and 1997) and was a three-time All-Tournament selection.  Aluma, who was a National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-Region selection in 1997, led the Big South in scoring in 1995-96 and was the League’s top shot blocker in 1996 (3.9) and 1997 (3.0).  He also was the 21st player in Big South history with 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds, and is one of just five players in League annals with 1,700 points and 600 rebounds.  During his career, Aluma was also honored as an All-State Team selection by both the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) in 1996 and 1997.  He still holds the Liberty Division I record for free throws in a season (159) and career, as well as the school’s blocked shot records for a game (eight), season (113) and career.  Aluma is still the Big South’s career shot block leader and ranks among the League’s top 10 in scoring, field goals, field goal percentage, free throws, free throw attempts and blocked shots per game.  He played professionally with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings (1999) and Phoenix Suns (2000), as well as for the Harlem Globetrotters (2001), and overseas for Argentina’s Toros De Aragua (1998) and Belarus' Gomel (1999) programs.
 
JEFF GREENE
Winthrop Cross Country/Track & Field Athlete (1993-95)
Greene was the first Winthrop student-athlete to earn NCAA Division I All-American honors in 1994 for his performance in the indoor 5,000-meter run at the NCAA National Indoor Championship.  He also qualified for the 1994 NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 10,000-meter run during his career.  Greene captured the 1994 Big South Conference individual men’s cross country championship - Winthrop’s first individual Conference champion - and won the 1994 Big South Conference Outdoor Championship in the 5,000-meter run.  The 1994 Big South Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year, Greene holds the Winthrop University record for the indoor 5,000-meter run with a time of 13:55 as well as the outdoor 10,000-meter run with a time of 29:04.  He was named Winthrop’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1994, and was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in January 2005.

TOMAS MALIK
Coastal Carolina Men’s Tennis Player (1994-97)
Malik, who completed his stellar career in 1997, holds Coastal Carolina career records for singles victories (90) and doubles victories (79).  He earned three Big South Conference Player of the Year honors (1995, 1996, 1997) and was named the Conference’s Rookie of the Year in 1994.  Malik was a four-time All-Conference selection at both singles and doubles during his career, helped Coastal Carolina capture the 1994 Big South Conference championship, as well as two regular-season titles (1994, 1996) and a runner-up championship finish in 1996.  He also excelled in the classroom, as he garnered Big South Men’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in 1995, 1996 and 1997, and was a CoSIDA Academic All-American First-Team honoree in 1996 and 1997.  Malik also received ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition in 1996 and 1997, was voted the Big South Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1996 and 1997, and received the Big South’s Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence in 1997.  Following his Coastal career, Malik served as the hitting partner for Jana Novatna when she ranked among the world’s best and has also coached the Slovakian Women’s National Team to the Federation Cup Championship.  He is one of eight men's tennis players to earn All-Conference all four years, and is just one of two men's tennis players in Big South history to be named a four-time All-Conference performer in both singles and doubles.

JANET WOOTEN
Campbell Women’s Golfer (1991-94)
Wooten led Campbell to consecutive Big South Conference women’s golf championships in 1993 and 1994 during her three-year career.  She and UNC Greensboro’s Kareen Qually were the first Big South women’s golfers to receive an at-large NCAA berth in the 1993 NCAA East Regional (both tied for 56th in the event).  Wooten, who was Campbell’s first-ever NCAA individual qualifier, led Campbell to 10 tournament wins in her three-year career while winning seven collegiate tournament championships and finishing among the top 10 individuals 19 times in 26 outings.  She was a three-time All-Big South Conference Team member and a member of the Big South Conference Presidential Honor Roll.  During her junior year, she was named Big South Golfer of the Year after winning the League individual title and leading Campbell to its first-ever women’s golf Conference Championship.  She won four tournaments - the Samford Classic, UNC Greensboro Fall Invitational, Big South Championship and Hartford Invitational - during her junior season, which was capped with her participation in NCAA postseason play.  As a senior, Wooten was honored as Campbell’s Outstanding Female Athlete for the 1993-94 academic year.  She won tournament titles at Nebraska and Georgia State and earned All-Big South honors for the third consecutive year with a fourth-place showing at the Big South Championship.  Wooten also led Campbell to its second-straight Big South team title and the school’s and Big South’s first-ever team invitation to the NCAA East Eegional (Wooten tied for 38th in the event).  She was inducted into the Campbell Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2005.  She is just one of 17 women's golfers in Big South history to earn All-Conference honors three times.

JILL YOUNG
UNC Asheville Women’s Soccer Player (1993-96)
Young was UNC Asheville’s starting goalkeeper for four years and helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1995 Big South Conference championship - the school’s first women’s soccer title, as well as the program’s first-ever regional ranking.  She was a First-Team All-Conference performer for three-straight years (1994, 1995, 1996) and was the Co-MVP of the 1995 Big South Tournament.  Young is the school’s all-time leader in shutouts (25) and saves (297), and she holds the single-season school record for shutouts (12) and goals against average (0.75).  Her 12 shutouts are a single-season Big South record, and her 25 career shutouts still rank first in League history.  In 1995, Young was ranked nationally in shutouts, goals against average and saves, and she led the Big South Conference in goals against average in both 1995 and 1996.  In 2007, she was inducted into the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame, becoming the first women’s soccer player to be enshrined.  She was the first goalkeeper in League history to earn All-Conference honors three times.

2010 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS (6)
DR. RON BRADLEY
Radford Men's Basketball Coach (1991-02)
During his 11-year tenure as Radford's head coach, Bradley compiled a 109-47 regular-season Big South record ( =.699 winning percentage) and was 193-124 overall ( =.609) -- becoming the Conference's all-time leader in both categories upon his departure in 2002.  He held the overall win record until 2007 and the Big South victory standard until January 2010.  Bradley led Radford to a 20-9 record and the school's first Big South regular-season championship in his first season of 1991-92, earning Big South Coach of the Year honors.  He also led the Highlanders to the 1998 Big South Tournament Championship and the school's first-ever NCAA berth.  In all, Bradley had four 20-win seasons at Radford -- second-most by a coach in Big South history, and directed the Highlanders to the Big South Semifinals in 10 of his 11 seasons.  In addition, Bradley's squads won three regular-season Big South titles and reached the Big South Championship game in 1998, 1999 and 2001.  During his time at Radford, Bradley coached the Highlanders to a memorable 73-72 win at LSU on Dec. 30, 1993, as well as notable wins over George Mason and Virginia Tech during his tenure.  He also coached Doug Day, who became the NCAA's all-time leader in three-point field goals in 1993, and Corey Reed, a two-time Academic All-American.  Bradley's Radford teams led the Big South in scoring offense a League-record seven times, including four-straight seasons from 1995-99, and were tops in field goal percentage four times, free throw percentage three times and three-point percentage four times.  Bradley spent 16 years as a head coach, including five at Eastern Nazarene from 1976-81, and posted a winning record 15 times and won at least 18 games 10 times, including six 20-win seasons.  Bradley was selected by the New York Nets in the 1972 ABA Draft as a junior eligible player and played semiprofessional basketball for three seasons before beginning his coaching career at Eastern Nazarene in 1976-77.  After earning his bachelor's degree in psychology in 1974, Bradley completed his master's degree in Physical Education from Bridgewater (Mass.) State in 1980, and earned his doctorate in sports psychology from the University of Maryland in 1993.  He was recently the Associate Head Men's Basketball Coach at Clemson University before taking the same position at DePaul University on April 21.

CATHERINE CONDER
Coastal Carolina Women's Cross Country Runner (1994-97)
The Big South's first three-time Women's Cross Country Champion and Runner of the Year (1994, 1995, 1996), Conder is one of eight four-time Big South Women's Cross Country All-Conference performers in League history.  She was the third individual to accomplish this feat at the time in 1997 when she finished as the individual Runner-Up that year.  She also was first to be named Runner of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the same year in 1994.  Conder won the 1996 Women's Cross Country Championship in a record time of 17:21, a record that stood until 2002 and is still the third-fastest time in Big South Championship history.  She helped Coastal Carolina to two League championships (1995, 1996)  and earned All-Region accolades in 1994, 1995 and 1996.  Conder also participated in outdoor track and was the Big South's individual champion in the 1,500-meter run in 1995 and the 3,000-meter run in 1997 with a record time of 10:07.53.  She was the Big South's best performer for the entire outdoor track season in the 10,000-meters in 1994, the 1,500-meter run in 1995, the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 1997 and the 5,000-meter run three consecutive years (1994, 1995, 1996).  Conder finished 13th in the 5,000 meters at the 1997, NCAA Outdoor Track Championship after finishing 17th in the event at the 1996 national meet.  Her 14th-place standing in the 5,000 meters in the 1995 NCAA Outdoor Track Championship was the highest finish by a freshman.  Conder also was a Silver Medalist in the 1996 Penn Relays in the 5,000-meter run with a Big South record time of 16:26.

JIM GARDAS
Charleston Southern Men's Golfer (1996-99)
Gardas led Charleston Southern to back-to-back Runner-Up finishes in the 1998 and 1999 Big South Conference Championship, the school's highest finish in the Conference Championship at that time.  He finished third in the 1999 event with an even-par 216 to earn his second career All-Conference honor, as his first came in 1997.  It also was his career-best finish in the Conference Championship.  His collegiate highlights included a 68 in the first round of the 1999 CSU Spring Kickoff, the lowest round of the tournament, en route to a fifth-place overall finish in that event.  Gardas also was exceptional in the classroom, as he was voted the Big South Men's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1997, 1998 and 1999, becoming the first three-time winner in League history.  In addition, Gardas was voted a Second-Team Academic All-American in 1999 by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), becoming the Big South's first men's golf Academic All-American.  He graduated from Charleston Southern with a 3.94 grade-point average in mathematics and was the recipient of the Big South's prestigious Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence in 1999 for having the highest cumulative GPA of a graduating Big South student-athlete that year.  Following his collegiate career, Gardas played in the 2003 U.S. Amateur Open and was the 2006 Anthracite Golf Amateur of the Year.  He also won the 2006 John Moore Memorial Championship.  Gardas, who also played professionally, was inducted into Charleston Southern's Hall of Fame in 2008.

GUY NORCOTT
Coastal Carolina Men's Soccer Player (1989-92)
Norcott was part of the Big South's early success in men's soccer, as he helped the Chanticleers to the 28-team NCAA Tournament in 1992 and a 2-0 first round victory over South Carolina -- the Big South's first victory in a postseason tournament in League history.  A three-year captain who started 75 career games, Norcott scored 27 career points from his defender position and led Coastal Carolina to 57 victories from 1989-92, including Big South Conference Championships in 1989 and 1990 and the 1989 regular-season title.  Norcott was a three-time First-Team All-Conference selection (1989, 1990, 1992) and was selected to two All-Tournament teams (1989, 1990) during his collegiate career.  The 1990 Big South Player of the Year, Norcott also earned All-South Region honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) that same year.  He capped his career with Third-Team All-America honors from the NSCAA in 1992.  Following his time at Coastal Carolina, Norcott played professional soccer for the Charleston Battery of the USISL from 1993-98, and was named to the USISL All-Atlantic Division Team in 1994 and 1996.  Voted the 1996 USISL Defender of the Year, Norcott led the Battery to the 1996 USISL Championship and was named to the All-Tournament Team.  He is currently Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Cuddoozle by Naturally Norcott in Atlanta, Ga.

KEVIN PENDLEY
Winthrop Men's Golfer (1995-98)
Pendley was the Big South's first two-time Men's Golfer of the Year and individual medalist in 1997 and 1998.  He also was the Conference's third-ever four-time All-Conference performer (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998), and is now just one of six men's golfers in League history with this distinction.  The Big South Rookie of the Year in 1995, Pendley carded a 6-under 210 (69-69-72) in his 1998 Conference victory, which was the fifth-lowest at the time and remains tied for the ninth-lowest individual score in Conference Championship history.  He helped Winthrop to a Runner-Up finish in the 1997 Big South Championship, which is tied for the squad's best finish in the Conference tournament.  Pendley was a member of the 1996 Winthrop team that set a school record for lowest 36-hole score of 571, a record that stood for seven years.  He later played professionally for seven years, including the NGA Hooters Tour in 1998, 1999 and 2002, and the Buy.com Tour in 2000 and 2001.  He ranked third on the NGA Hooters Tour money list in 2002.  Pendley later played on the Nationwide Tour in 2003 and 2004 and concluded his professional career with five career Top 10 finishes.  Currently in his fourth season as the head men's golf coach at his alma mater, Pendley was inducted into the Winthrop Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.

JOSH PITTMAN
UNC Asheville Men's Basketball Player (1994-98)
Named Big South Player of the Year in 1997 and 1998 -- just the second player at the time to be named Men's Basketball Player of the Year twice, Pittman helped lead the Bulldogs to two consecutive Big South regular-season titles in 1997 and 1998 -- the school's first such championships.  He led the Big South in scoring with an 18.4 per game average in 1997-98, becoming the first UNC Asheville player to lead the Conference in scoring while posting the sixth-highest scoring average in school history.  He also tied for the League-lead in field goal percentage that season.  Pittman was a two-time First-Team All-Big South honoree and earned All-Tournament Team honors in 1998.  He finished his career as UNC Asheville's fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,547 points -- the most in the program's Division I history, as well as the Bulldogs' all-time steals leader with 175, which now ranks second in school history.  Pittman, who graduated as the Big South's 11th leading scorer, now ranks among the top 20 in Conference history in scoring, steals and field goals made (588).  Upon graduation, Pittman has enjoyed a long and productive professional career internationally, and is currently playing for the Halcones UV Cordoba in Mexico.  Pittman was inducted into the UNC Asheville Hall of Fame in February 2010.

2011 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS (3)
JESSICA FALCA
Coastal Carolina Softball Player (1996-99)
Falca finished her career in 1999 as the NCAA's career leader with 196 stolen bases, a mark that stood for five years and is now fourth all-time in Division I history.  She also ended her career ranked nationally in hits (7th - 341), runs scored (12th - 193) and batting average (15th - .431).  Falca is still the Big South's all-time record-holder in stolen bases and hits, and among the top five in batting.  In fact, her 196 career steals are 98 more than the second-leading base stealer in Conference annals.  The 1996 Big South Freshman of the Year, Falca earned First-Team All-Big South honors three times in her career - with all three awards at different positions (outfield in 1996, second base in 1998 and shortstop in 1999).  She was a Second-Team All-Conference honoree in 1997 (second base) and was a two-time Big South All-Tournament Team member (1998 and 1999).  An All-Region selection during her career at Coastal, Falca's .497 batting average in 1999 is still the second-highest single-season hitting mark in the Big South, as is her 99 hits that season.  She appears on the single-season hits list a second time with 88 in 1998 (eighth).  Falca owns three of the top four Big South single-season totals for stolen bases, including a Conference-record 56 in 1996 and 1999, as well as 51 in 1998.  Those 56 steals currently rank 21st on the NCAA Division I single-season list.  Falca, a 2004 inductee into Coastal Carolina's Athletics Hall of Fame, led Coastal Carolina to the 1998 Big South Tournament title and the school's second berth in the NCAA Tournament that season.

ELENA KISSELEVA
Liberty Women's Basketball Player (1996-00)
Kisseleva is the Big South's all-time leading scorer in women's basketball history with 2,154 career points.  She was one of three key players to help turn Liberty's women's basketball program into one of the Big South's most dominant dynasties.  The Lady Flames were 5-22 the year prior to her arrival in Lynchburg in 1996-97, and Kisseleva led Liberty to four Big South Championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances in her four years, as well as a 94-25 overall record ( =.790 percent) and 42-8 mark in Big South games ( =.840 percent).  Kisseleva was named First-Team All-Conference and All-Tournament all four years at Liberty, in addition to being voted Big South Player of the Year twice (1998, 1999) and Tournament MVP three times (1997, 1999, 2000).  The 1996-97 Big South Rookie of the Year, Kisseleva was a three-time Big South All-Academic Team honoree and was the Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1998.  She ended her career in 1999-00 as the Conference's all-time leader in scoring and free throws made (605), and still ranks among the League's career top 10 in field goal attempts (2nd - 1,842), free throw attempts (2nd - 799), field goals (4th - 723), minutes played (4th - 3,860), points per game (5th - 18.1) and rebounds (8th - 876).  Kisseleva led the Big South in scoring three-straight seasons from 1996-99 - the only player in League history to accomplish this feat, and her 544 field goal attempts in 1996-97 remains the Big South single-season record.  A member of Liberty Athletics' inaugural Hall of Fame Class in 2009, Kisseleva led the women's basketball program to the first of 10-straight Big South championships.  The 1997-98 squad was 28-1, including 28-straight victories, an undefeated regular season and the only matchup in NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament history of undefeated programs when Liberty faced eventual national champion and national No. 1 seed Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  She averaged 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in her four career NCAA Tournament appearances.

TY WIGGINTON
UNC Asheville Baseball Player (1996-98)
Wigginton was a First-Team All-Conference selection in 1998, a season in which he tied the Big South single-season record at the time with 26 doubles.  He also set single-season school records for total bases (149) and runs scored (67) that year.  Wigginton became the second player in UNC Asheville history to hit three home runs in a game with three against East Tennessee State and set a school-record with 14 total bases in that contest.  The only player in Conference history to lead the League in doubles (20) and triples (5) in the same season in 1997, Wigginton also led the Big South in doubles and runs scored in 1998 - becoming just the second player at the time to achieve this feat.  A national Player of the Week honoree during the 1998 campaign, Wigginton is the last Big South player to lead the League in doubles in back-to-back seasons (1997 and 1998).  He ended his career in 1998 as one of 12 players in League history with 50 career doubles, in addition to 25 home runs, 102 RBI, a .310 batting average, and .564 slugging percentage in 153 career games with the Bulldogs.  He was drafted in the 17th round and signed by the New York Mets following his junior season of 1998, and made his Major League Debut May 16, 2002 as a pinch-hitter for the Mets against his hometown San Diego Padres.  Now in his 10th Major League season, Wigginton is currently a member of the Colorado Rockies and has played for the Mets (2002-04), Pittsburgh Pirates (2004-05), Tampa Bay Rays (2006-07), Houston Astros (2007-08) and Baltimore Orioles (2009-10) during his career.  He finished eighth in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2003, was named National League Player of the Month in August 2008 when he led all of baseball with 12 home runs, and was selected to the American League All-Star Team in 2010 and played third base in the Midsummer Classic.  This season with the Rockies, Wigginton is batting .263 with five home runs and 31 hits in 37 games played, through June 1.  He recorded his 1,000th career hit in the Major Leagues earlier this year and has totaled 1,097 career games, 219 doubles, 148 home runs, 517 RBI and a .267 career batting average.

2012 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS (5)
JASON COLSON
Winthrop Baseball Player (1998-01)
Colson finished his career in 2001 as the Big South's and Winthrop's all-time leader in career games played (247), home runs (53), RBI (216) and total bases (517).  He remains the Conference's home run king and is the only player in League history with 50 career home runs and 50 career doubles, as well as the lone player in the record books to hit 10+ home runs in all four seasons.  Colson also graduated as the Big South's all-time record holder in at-bats (now 5th with 914), hits (now 7th with 292), as well as third in runs scored (now 9th with 196) and fourth in doubles (now tied for 9th with 58).  The first player in Big South history to lead the League in home runs in back-to-back seasons, Colson finished his career with a .319 batting average, .566 slugging percentage and .413 on-base average.  He also pitched and posted an 11-8 career mark and a 3.82 ERA.  Colson helped Winthrop win the 1999 Big South Tournament Championship and 2001 regular-season title, leading the Eagles to the NCAA Tournament both seasons.  He helped Winthrop to a then-Big South record 48 overall wins in 2001, while its 18 Big South victories that season tied the League mark.  Colson was a three-time All-Conference honoree (1999, 2000, 2001), was the 2001 Big South Baseball Player of the Year, and the Big South's Male Athlete of the Year for the 2000-01 campaign.  He also earned All-Tournament Team honors in 1999 and was named Honorable Mention Freshman All-America by Collegiate Baseball in 1998.  Colson was drafted in the seventh round (366 overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2001 MLB Draft and played professionally until 2009.

JERRY EDWARDS
Liberty Radio Broadcaster (1981-10)
Elected as a significant contributor, Edwards served as the radio "Voice of the Flames" for 29 years and was behind the microphone when Liberty joined the Big South in 1991-92, witnessing several key moments in Conference history.  He broadcast football, men's basketball and baseball, and called more than 300 football games and 800 men's basketball contests, having traveled as far as Alaska, Hawai'i and Puerto Rico to cover Liberty's athletic programs.  Edwards was on the call for some of the most memorable athletics events in program history, including football's first win over an FBS program when the Flames defeated Eastern Michigan, 25-24, in Ypsilanti, Mich., on Oct. 14, 1989, and Liberty's two men's basketball NCAA Tournament appearances in 1994 (vs. No. 1 seed North Carolina) and 2004 (vs. No. 1 seed St. Joseph's).  His first game in the radio booth on the Flames Sports Network was in Salisbury, N.C., for Liberty's football game against Catawba on Sept. 12, 1981, and he missed only one football game and just a handful of men's basketball games during the next three decades of broadcasting.  Edwards began his broadcasting career in 1968 at WNYN Radio and WJAN-TV in Canton, Ohio, broadcasting high school and college football, basketball and baseball.  In 1979, he moved to Lynchburg, Va., to attend the Liberty Bible Institute and was hired to broadcast his first Flames football game just after the opening of the 1981 season.  Inducted into the Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 17, 2011, Edwards still serves as the station manager for WRVL and the host of "The Morning Full of Music," which runs from 6:00-8:15 Monday-Friday.  The radio broadcasting booth in the Williams Stadium Tower is named in Edwards' honor.

GREGG MARSHALL
Winthrop Men's Basketball Coach (1998-07)
In nine seasons as Winthrop's head men's basketball coach, Marshall won seven Big South Tournament crowns (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007); six Regular-Season championships (1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007) and finished 194-83 overall ( =70.0 percent) -- becoming the League's all-time record-holder at the time for overall victories.  He remains the record holder for highest winning percentage in Conference history.  Marshall was 104-24 ( =81.3 percent) in Big South games, the highest Conference games winning percentage in League history and the second-most League wins at the time, and he went 19-2 ( =90.5 percent) in the Big South Tournament with an all-time record seven championships.  Marshall took over the Winthrop men's basketball program in April 1998 after the squad finished 7-20 the previous season.  In his first season at the helm, he led the Eagles to a 21-8 overall record and the Big South regular-season championship -- culminating with the Big South Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth.  He directed Winthrop to four-straight Big South Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in his first four seasons (1999-02), the first coach and men's basketball program in League history to accomplish the achievement.  Marshall won an additional three-straight Conference titles from 2005-07.  A four-time Big South Coach of the Year honoree, Marshall led Winthrop to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 2007 First Round win over Notre Dame -- the Big South's first-ever First Round victory.  He posted five 20-win seasons at Winthrop (1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007), guided Winthrop to a Big South single-season record 29 wins in 2006-07 and 14-0 Big South record -- the first team to go undefeated in Conference play, and defeated high profile programs Missouri, Clemson, Georgia, Providence, Marquette, Mississippi State, Missouri State and Notre Dame during his time in Rock Hill.  Marshall directed Winthrop to a Top 25 ranking in 2007, becoming the first and only Big South men's basketball team to be nationally-ranked, and the Eagles reached as high as No. 21 and finished the season at No. 22 in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls.  In addition, he was voted the Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year in 2007 and Winthrop's No. 11 seed in the 2007 NCAA Tournament remains the best in Big South history.  Marshall has been head coach at Wichita State since 2007-08 and has led the Shockers to the 2011 NIT Championship and 2012 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship.

BECKY MORGAN
UNC Greensboro Women's Golfer (1994-97)
Morgan was a four-time All-Big South honoree (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997), the third Big South women's golfer at the time to earn All-Conference honors all four seasons, and won the Big South Championship three-straight years from 1995, 1996 and 1997 - still the only three-time individual champion in Conference history.  The Big South Player of the Year in 1995, 1996 and 1997, Morgan was named a Second-Team All-American each of those seasons as well, becoming the first Big South women's golfer to earn All-America distinction.  Morgan was the first golfer in Big South history to qualify for the NCAA Championship in 1995, and she qualified for the NCAA Championship three times (1995, 1996, 1997) and the NCAA Regionals all four years (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997).  She finished 14th in the NCAAs in 1995, 18th in 1996 and 10th in 1997, and helped lead UNC Greensboro to a 12th-place team finish at the 1996 NCAA East Regional.  Morgan finished her collegiate career with 10 individual victories, including five medalist honors during the 1996-97 season.  The Abergavenny, Wales native was also the runner-up at the 1996 British Amateur Championship.  The school record-holder when she graduated for lowest scores in 18, 36 and 54 holes, Morgan was voted Big South Women's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year three times (1995, 1996, 1997) and was a CoSIDA Academic All-America Third-Team selection in her senior season.  Following her time at UNC Greensboro, Morgan was a member of the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup teams in 1998 and 2000 and has been a member of the LPGA Tour since 2001.  She has competed in more than 230 career Tour events with career earnings of more than $2.1 million, and owns 18 top 10 finishes, including two runner-up placings.

JOLENE WILLIAMS
Coastal Carolina Women's Cross Country/Track Athlete (1996-00)
Williams compiled one of Coastal Carolina's most decorated athletic careers that included All-American status and numerous Big South Conference honors.  She was an 11-time Big South individual champion while competing in cross country, indoor and outdoor track.  Williams was a three-time Big South women's cross country champion (1997, 1998, 1999); was a six-time Big South women's indoor track champion (Mile: 1998-99; 3,000 meters: 1998-00; 5,000 meters: 2000); and a two-time Big South women's outdoor track champion (1,500 meters: 1998-99).  Williams earned All-Conference honors a total of 15 times (Cross Country: 4; Indoor Track: 8, Outdoor Track: 3) and was voted the Big South's Women's Track & Field Athlete of the Year in 1998 and 1999.  She led Coastal Carolina to the 1997 Big South Women's Cross Country title and qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championship in 1997 and 1998, becoming the Conference's first two-time NCAA qualifier.  She was also named USTFCCCA All-Region in cross country three times (1997, 1998, 1999).  Williams earned All-America honors in 1998 in both indoor track (3,000 meters) and outdoor track (5,000 meters).  She was the national runner-up in the 3,000 meter run at the 1998 NCAA Indoor Track National Championships and finished seventh in the 3,000 meter run at the 1998 NCAA Outdoor Track National Championships.  Williams still holds the Big South record for fastest indoor track 3,000 meter run (9:25.29), and also holds the Conference Championship record in that event as well.  She ranks among the Big South's all-time Top 10 performers in three events in indoor and outdoor track (ITF: 3,000 meter run - 1st; 5,000 meter run - 5th; Mile Run - 8th), (OTF: 3,000 meter run - 2nd; 1,500 meter run - 5th; 5,000 meter run - 6th).  In addition, Williams was the silver medalist in the 3,000-meter run at the 1998 Penn Relays.  In the classroom, Williams was a seven-time Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year in Cross Country (1998-99), Indoor Track (1998-00) and Outdoor Track (1998-99) and was voted the Big South's Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year three times (1998, 1999, 2000) -- the only three-time winner in Conference history.  She earned CoSIDA Academic All-America Third-Team accolades in 1999 and USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors in 1997.

2013 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS (3)
ANTHONIA AKPAMA
Liberty, Volleyball Player, 1996-99
Akpama was a four-time First-Team All-Big South honoree during her Liberty career, the second player in League history to receive First-Team honors all four years.  A three-time Big South All-Tournament Team selection (1996, 1998, 1999), Akpama was the Big South Rookie of the Year in 1996 and Big South Player of the Year and Tournament MVP as a senior in 1999.  Voted the inaugural winner of the Big South’s Female Athlete of the Year award (1999-00), Akpama was the first player in Big South volleyball and program history with 2,000 career kills, as she set the school and League record with 2,024.  She remains the Liberty record holder and is currently second all-time in Big South history after holding the Conference record until 2005.  Her 452 career total blocks ranked fifth in League history when she concluded her career (currently tied for eighth), and she was just the second player in Big South volleyball history to win Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Tournament MVP honors during a four-year career in 1999.  Akpama helped Liberty to a 93-43 overall record ( =68.4 winning percentage) during her four seasons, as the Lady Flames posted 20-or-more wins each year.  She also led Liberty to a 39-11 ( =78.0 winning percentage) record in Big South matches with two regular-season championships (1997, 1998) and the program’s first two Conference Tournament titles (1997, 1999).  Akpama’s 671 kills in her senior season were the second-most in League history at the time and she was second in the nation with a Big South-record 5.78 kills per game.  An AVCA All-District selection in 1999, Akpama was the fourth player in Liberty history to join the 1,000-kill, 1,000-dig club as she also amassed 1,312 digs in her career.  She led the Big South in blocks per game as a freshman (1.21) in 1996 and appeared in the NCAA Volleyball Championships her sophomore and senior seasons.  She had her No. 3 jersey retired by Liberty on Nov. 10, 2000.

DR. ANTHONY J. DiGIORGIO
Winthrop University President, 1989-2013; Big South President, 1992-98, 2006-09
Dr. DiGiorgio concludes his 24 years as Winthrop’s President upon his retirement next month, and is the longest-serving President of any public university in the state of South Carolina.  Appointed Winthrop’s ninth President in January 1989, Dr. DiGiorgio led the institution’s conversion from Winthrop College to Winthrop University, a comprehensive teaching institution now offering 89 undergraduate and 41 graduate degree programs and options.  During his 24 years in office, Winthrop has grown from a regional college to a national-caliber comprehensive university that is regularly rated among the top public institutions of its kind in the South by U.S. News & World Report.  Dr. DiGiorgio initiated Winthrop’s first capital campaign, which raised $31.2 million for scholarships, academic program enhancements and more faculty development and research opportunities.  He also initiated the University’s successful drive to achieve 100 percent accreditation in all Winthrop programs for which national accreditation is offered.  Dr. DiGiorgio’s service to the Big South Conference is just as impressive, as he is the only individual to be elected Big South President two separate terms, and served a total of nine years from 1992-98 and 2006-09 -- the most in League history.  He was selected to serve on the prestigious President’s Commission of the NCAA in July 1992 and has served two terms on the Board of Directors of the NCAA and its Executive Committee.  During his first term as Big South President, the Conference membership reached 10 institutions for the first time in July 1992.  The Big South also received automatic bids in women’s basketball, men’s soccer and volleyball beginning in 1993-94.  In addition, the Conference added five sports during his first team as League President -- women’s soccer in 1993, men’s and women’s outdoor track & field in 1993-94 and men’s and women’s indoor track & field in 1997-98.  In his second stint as Big South President, Dr. DiGiorgio oversaw the additions of Gardner-Webb University and Presbyterian College as well as the return of charter member Campbell University.  He currently chairs the Big South Conference’s Membership Committee, one of several League committees he has served during his time as Winthrop’s President.  During his time in office, the Eagles have won 53 Big South championships and have made 44 NCAA Tournament appearances during this period -- including three individual at-large selections in men’s golf.  Winthrop softball player Janiva Willis was a finalist for the 2005 NCAA Woman of the Year award -- the Big South Conference’s first-ever finalist for the prestigious honor.  In addition, Winthrop has received five NCAA Public Recognition Awards for APR Achievement since 2006, the fourth-most of any Big South member.  Other notable achievements include the Eagles’ historic NCAA Tournament win over Notre Dame in 2007, Winthrop winning the Big South’s Men’s All-Sports Award trophy for the 2006-07 campaign, and Winthrop’s SAAC winning the Big South Conference’s Kallander Cup Community Service award four consecutive years since 2009.

IAN SPOONER
Radford, Men’s Soccer Player, 1991-95
Spooner was the first two-time Big South Men’s Soccer Player of the Year honoree when he was selected in 1994 and 1995.  A First-Team All-Conference honoree both seasons, Spooner remains ranked among the Big South’s Top 5 all-time leaders in goals scored (58 – 4th) and points (140 – 5th) in the 17 seasons since his final game.  Spooner led the Big South with 20 goals and 49 points in 1995, and as a freshman in 1991, he helped lead the Highlanders to the Big South regular-season title before earning All-Tournament Team honors.  He tied for the team lead with 16 goals and finished 17th in the nation with 38 points his first year at Radford.  He was a member of the 1991 club that set the school record for consecutive shutouts with 10 as well as a school-record tying 15 overall wins.  A four-time All-Conference selection, Spooner ranks second in every major offensive statistical category in Radford history behind Big South Hall of Famer and former teammate Dante Washington for career points (140), points per game (1.89), goals (58), shot attempts (286) and shots per game (3.86), while sitting third in assists with 24.  A three-time Big South Player of the Week honoree during his career, Spooner helped Radford post three 10-win seasons during his career and a 45-27-6 overall record -- including a 20-7-1 Big South mark.  Following his time at Radford, Spooner enjoyed a six-year professional career in the United Soccer League (USL).  In 1999, he was instrumental in starting Bridgewater College’s women’s soccer program when he was named the Eagles’ first-ever head coach.  Following two seasons at Bridgewater, Spooner returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach of the Highlanders’ women’s soccer team, which won the Big South Championship in 2002.  Currently the head women’s soccer coach at Greensboro College with a 48-38-6 record in five seasons, Spooner was inducted into the Radford Athletics Hall of Fame in September 2012.

2014 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS (1)
EMMA KIDD
Coastal Carolina Women's Tennis Player (1999-02)
Kidd was a four-time Big South Women’s Tennis Player of the Year -- the first and only Big South women’s athlete in League history to be awarded Player of the Year all four years of eligibility.  She was the first player in Big South history to earn All-Conference honors in Singles play all four years, and coupled with her four All-Conference accolades in Doubles competition, she was the first player in League annals to be named All-Conference in Singles and Doubles all four years of her career (now one of three).  She still holds Coastal Carolina’s school record for most singles victories with 114, as well as doubles wins with 92.  Her final four-year record against Big South competition was 28-1 in singles and 22-2 in doubles.ed the Big South Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 1999 -- the second tennis player at the time to receive both awards in the same season, Kidd led the Chanticleers to the Finals of the Women’s Tennis Championship in 2000, which was Coastal’s first appearance in the title match since 1995.  As a junior in 2001, Kidd was part of CCU’s first-ever Big South Women’s Tennis Championship and NCAA Tournament berth, as the Chants went 20-2 that season.  She helped the Chanticleers reach the Big South final for the third consecutive year in 2002.  During her time in Conway, Kidd led Coastal to a 62-23 overall record, including an 18-4 mark in Big South play.  A three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete selection in 2000, 2001 and 2002, Kidd was a three-time member of the Big South Women’s Tennis All-Academic Team and was voted the Women’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2000.  She was also a four-time team MVP and two-time team captain during her career.  Kidd played professionally in 2005 and 2006, and was inducted into Coastal Carolina’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.

2015 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS (4)
EDDIE BIEDENBACH
UNC Asheville Men’s Basketball Head Coach, 1996-2013
Biedenbach is the Big South’s all-time winningest men’s basketball coach with 256 overall victories as well as the all-time leader with 154 Big South wins.  Now the third men’s basketball head coach to be enshrined in the Conference’s Hall of Fame, Biedenbach was 20-14 all-time in the Big South Tournament, the most wins by any coach.  UNC Asheville advanced to the Big South Tournament semifinals 12 times under Biedenbach, and reached the Championship game six times.  He directed Asheville to five outright/shared regular-season championships (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008, 2012) and three Big South Tournament titles (2003, 2011, 2012).  Biedenbach led the Bulldogs to four NCAA postseason appearances (3 NCAA Tournament – 2003, 2011, 2012; 1 NIT – 2008), and the 2008 NIT appearance was the first-ever in Big South history.  Biedenbach is the only coach in League history with two NCAA Tournament victories (2003, 2011), and UNC Asheville became the first men’s basketball team in Big South history to win an NCAA Tournament contest in 2003.  The 2011-12 squad won both the Big South regular-season and Tournament titles in the same year for the first time, and Asheville narrowly missed becoming the first No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed when it fell to Syracuse by seven points (72-65) in 2012.  A three-time Coach of the Year (1997, 2002, 2008), he guided the Bulldog program to Top 4 finishes in the regular-season in 13 of his 17 seasons, and the Bulldogs’ 16-2 Big South record in 2011-12 set a school record and tied the Conference mark for most League wins.  Biedenbach went 256-258 in 17 seasons at UNC Asheville, including 154-102 in Big South games.  He was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame and Western North Carolina Hall of Fame in 2014, and the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

JESS DANNELLY
Coastal Carolina Softball Head Coach, 1988-2009
Dannelly retired as the Big South’s all-time winningest softball coach with 669 victories (now second) and finished his coaching career ranked as the 44th winningest coach in NCAA history.  He was the Conference’s all-time leader in Big South wins with 185 until this past March, and recorded a 48-36 record in the Big South Championship with five titles -- most in Big South history.  Dannelly’s squads also won six regular-season crowns.  He was part of the Southeast Regional Coaching Staff of the Year in 2000 and directed Coastal to 12 Big South Championship game appearances.  Dannelly led Coastal to four NCAA Tournament appearances (1998-00-01-06), the most by any Big South softball coach, and the Chanticleers also earned an at-large appearance in the 1992 National Invitation Championship in Macomb, Ill. -- the League’s first-ever postseason appearance.  Dannelly won a record seven Big South Coach of the Year awards (1989-91-92-94-00-03-06) and was voted to the Big South Softball All-Decade Teams for 1990-99 and 2000-09 as head coach.  He coached seven Big South Player of the Year honorees, 64 First-Team All-Conference selections, 11 NFCA All-Region First-Team and 12 Second-Team honorees, and five of his former players have been inducted into Big South Hall of Fame.  Dannelly’s 2000 NCAA squad became the first women’s athletic program in Big South history to earn a victory in an NCAA Championship event when the Chanticleers defeated No. 21 Florida Atlantic.  During that postseason run, the Chanticleers eliminated Florida Atlantic and Penn State before falling to Arizona State.  Coastal earned a final national ranking of No. 29 following the 2000 season.  His 1994 squad posted one of the best seasons in Big South history, going 44-15 -- which remains tied for the most wins in school history -- and had the NCAA Academic Athlete of the Year as well as the Big South Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and four All-Conference players.  He was inducted into Coastal Carolina’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

DAVID DOYLE
Campbell Men’s Soccer Player, 1983-86
Doyle was Campbell’s first Division I men’s soccer All-American and the second in Big South history in 1986 after leading the Big South and nation in scoring as a senior with 34 goals and six assists for 74 points.  A two-time Big South All-Conference pick in 1985 and 1986, Doyle was a three-time Big South All-Tournament Team member (1984, 1985, 1986).  He led the Camels to the 1984 and 1985 Big South Regular-Season and Tournament championships, and a Tournament Runner-Up finish in 1986.  He ended his career ranked among the top 25 scorers all-time in NCAA Division I history with 72 goals in 75 games, with 163 points (72 goals, 19 assists) -- tops among all Campbell players at the Division I level (since 1977).  He led Campbell in scoring all four years and ranks third all-time in school history in points, and second in goals and hat tricks (7).  Since Men’s Soccer became an official Big South sport in 1984, Doyle ranks third in League history with 64 career goals and fourth with 141 points.  He was the Conference’s scoring champion in 1985 and 1986 with 42 and 74, respectively, and remains the Big South’s single-season record holder for goals scored (34 in 1986).  Doyle, who was named Campbell’s Outstanding Male Athlete for the 1986-87 academic year, was voted to the Big South Men’s Soccer All-Decade Team for 1984-89.  He was selected in the first round (third overall) by the Kansas City Comets in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) draft and was Named MISL Rookie of the Year in 1987.  He was a 10-time All-Star and All-League selection, as well as MVP of the Continental Indoor Soccer League All-Star Game in 1996 and MVP of the World Indoor Soccer League in 1999.  Upon his retirement in 2004 at the conclusion of a 19-season career, Doyle ranked among the top 10 scorers in professional indoor soccer history.  He was inducted into the Campbell Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

SUE WILLIAMS
Radford Women’s Soccer Player, 1990-93
Despite playing just one season of League competition -- 1993 was the first year of Big South women’s soccer -- Williams is the only single-season player to rank in career categories as she holds the League record for assists per game (1.00) and tied for 15th in total assists (19).  The inaugural Big South Women’s Soccer Player of the Year in 1993, Williams was the Big South’s first-ever Women’s Soccer All-American that season.  She was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy in 1993 -- the Big South’s lone finalist for National Player of the Year.  In 1993, Williams led the Big South in scoring with 55 points, which was second in the NCAA, tied for the League lead with 19 assists and was second in goals with 18.  She still owns the League record for highest single-season average for assists per game (1.00), assists (tied with 19) and points per game (2.89).  Her single-season points and goals scored rank second and sixth, respectively, in the Conference record book.  Her offensive output in 1993 guided the Highlanders to a 15-3-2 mark (all three losses on the road), which at the time matched the program record for wins, and is still the second-highest total in school history.  A four-year starter at forward, Williams was Radford’s MVP each season and finished her career as the Highlanders’ all-time leader with 57 goals, 32 assists and 146 points from 1990-93.  She was inducted into the Radford Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999 and was voted to the Big South Women’s Soccer All-Decade Team for 1993-99.

2016 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS (4)
AMBER CAMPBELL
Coastal Carolina Women's Track & Field Athlete, 2000-04
Campbell was a 16-time Big South champion -- seven titles in indoor track & field and nine crowns in outdoor track & field.  She won four individual titles in the indoor weight throw and three in the shot put, and was crowned champion four times in the discus.  Campbell also won the outdoor hammer throw three times and the shot put twice.  A five-time All-American, Campbell was voted the Big South’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2000-01 and 2002-03 -- becoming the first two-time winner of the award.  Campbell was also voted the Most Outstanding Field Performer following six Big South Championships (three each in indoor and outdoor track & field).  She set the American collegiate record in the weight throw and hammer throw during her career with the Chanticleers.  Campbell still holds the Big South indoor weight throw record for overall (22.24m / 72-11.75) and the conference championship meet (21.64m / 72-00.75), established in 2004.  Her distance of 67.25m / 220-7 in the hammer throw at the 2004 NCAA Regionals remains the league’s all-time top performance as well.  The only three-time recipient of the Big South’s Women’s Track & Field Athlete of the Year award, Campbell still owns the school records in the weight, indoor shot put, outdoor shut put, discus and hammer throws.  She was voted to the Big South’s Women’s Track & Field All-Decade Team for 2000-09.  Since departing Coastal, Campbell has represented Team USA in several global competitions.  She is a three-time Olympian (2008, 2012, 2016) in the hammer throw, and her mark of 69.93m / 229-5 in the hammer during the 2012 Olympics was the best-ever Olympic performance by an American at the time.  She competed for the USA at the IAAF World Championships (2005, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015) in the hammer, and won Gold in the hammer at the 2015 North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships.  Campbell placed third in the 2011 Pan American Games and second in 2015, and is a three-time USATF outdoor champion in the hammer throw, winning in 2010 (71.52m / 234-8), 2012 (71.80m / 235-6) and 2015 (72.36m / 237-5).  She is a six-time USA indoor champion in the weight throw with gold in 2007 (24.54m / 80-6.25), 2008 (23.23m / 76-2.25), 2009 (24.43m / 80-2), 2010 (24.70m / 81-0.5), 2011 (24.18m / 79-5.25) and 2012 (24.78m / 81-3), and owns the third-farthest indoor weight throw in American history.  Campbell was inducted into the Coastal Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.

ALAN CONNIE
Coastal Carolina Women's Cross Country/Track & Field Head Coach, 1986-2014
Connie retired in 2014 as the Big South’s all-time leader with 13 women’s cross country championships and second overall in most championships across the three running sports with 28.  Coastal Carolina’s head coach from the inception of the cross country program in 1986 and indoor track & field program in 1998, Connie’s 28-year career at the helm featured 33 Big South Coach of the Year honors (13 in women’s cross country, 11 in women’s indoor track & field and nine in women’s outdoor track & field).  He was named the 2004 Southeast Region Coach of the Year for indoor track & field, and led the Chanticleers to the Big South women’s cross country/track & field “Triple Crown Championship” four times (2003-04, 2005-06, 2008-09 and 2013-14).  Connie’s women’s cross country runners won 15 individual Big South championships and was subsequently named the conference’s Runner of the Year, while a total of 85 earned All-Conference accolades.  In addition, 17 earned NCAA All-Southeast Region selections and nine qualified for the NCAA National Championship -- with two earning All-America honors.  He also coached 11 Big South Rookies/Freshmen of the Year.  The Chanticleer cross country program ended the 1996 regular season ranked 24th nationally, and ranked as high as 20th in 1997 and 30th in 2002.  Furthermore, his squads earned 17 consecutive All-Academic Team honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).  In track & field, Connie coached student-athletes to 10 All-American honors, as well as 91 Big South indoor champions, 115 Big South outdoor champions, and a combined 543 indoor and outdoor All-Big South honors.  He also coached fellow Big South Hall of Fame inductee Amber Campbell.  The Chanticleers ended the 1998 indoor season ranked 26th nationally and earned 12 consecutive USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors as well in track & field.  In 2007, Coastal was sixth out of 327 Division I track & field programs with a 3.421 cumulative team GPA and in 2008 ranked 21st nationally with a 3.319 cumulative GPA.  Four of his student-athletes earned Academic All-America honors.  Most notably, Felicitas Mensing earned the Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year “Triple Crown” in the sports of cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field in the 2007-08 season -- only the third athlete in Big South history to accomplish the feat.  Connie was voted the Big South Coach of the Decade in cross country (1990s and 2000s), indoor track & field (2000s) and outdoor track & field (2000s).  Connie was inducted into Coastal Carolina’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014, and joins Campbell and his former runners Jolene Williams and Catherine Conder in the Big South Hall of Fame.

KATIE FEENSTRA
Liberty Women's Basketball Player, 2001-05
Feenstra was a two-time Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American (2004 and 2005), and was the catalyst behind Liberty’s run to the NCAA “Sweet Sixteen” in 2005, becoming the first Big South basketball program -- men’s or women’s -- to reach the Regional Semifinals.  Feenstra helped the Lady Flames win four straight Big South titles, became the first player in conference history to earn three consecutive Player of Year honors in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and was voted the Big South Tournament MVP those same three years as well.  She was voted the Richmond Times-Dispatch State of Virginia Player of the Year in 2004 and VaSID State Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005.  A four-time Big South All-Tournament Team honoree and three-time First-Team All-Conference selection, Feenstra earned All-Freshman Team accolades in 2002.  She led the nation in field goal percentage in back-to-back seasons in 2004 and 2005, and was the only player in the country to rank in the top 15 in field goal percentage (1st), points (10th), rebounds (10th) and blocked shots (15th) as a junior in 2003-04.  She still holds Liberty’s career records for field goals made (764), field goal percentage (62.2 -- Big South record) and blocked shots (257).  The tallest player in Liberty and Big South history at 6-foot-8, Feenstra’s current single-season records include points (674), field goals made (291 -- Big South record) and field goal percentage (67.1 -- Big South record), as well as the program’s Division I record for blocked shots (83).  She ranks fourth in program history and ninth in Big South annals for career points (1,845) and is second in program history and fifth in league history with 1,033 career rebounds.  Voted to the Big South’s 2000-09 Women’s Basketball All-Decade Team, Feenstra helped Liberty to a 100-26 overall record, including 54-2 mark in regular-season Big South games, plus a perfect 12-0 in four career Big South Tournament appearances.  The Big South’s Female Athlete of the Year in both 2003-04 and 2004-05 -- the second two-time winner in league history after Amber Campbell, Feentra was selected No. 8 overall in the 2005 WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Sun, becoming the highest draft pick in Liberty history in any professional sport.  She was traded to the San Antonio Silver Stars that same year, finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting and was a unanimous WNBA All-Rookie Team selection.  Feenstra helped the Detroit Shock reach the WNBA Finals in 2007, starting three of the five Finals games, and spent five total seasons in the league (2005-09), scoring 1,000 points in 150 career games with four teams.  She also spent time playing professionally in China.  Feenstra was part of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team in 2007-08 and helped the American team earn a silver medal at the 2007 FIBA World League Tournament in Russia.  She was inducted into Liberty’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

VICKI GIFFIN
UNC Asheville Women’s Basketball Player, 1993-97
Giffin capped her four-year career as the Big South Women’s Basketball Player of the Year in 1996-97, and was also the Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year that season -- the first player in league history to win both awards in the same year.  She completed her career as UNC Asheville’s third-leading scorer and seventh all-time in Big South history with 1,703 (now 14th in conference annals).  Giffin also grabbed 540 rebounds in her career to become just the seventh player at the time with 1,500 points and 500 boards (now one of 15).  She finished with 448 career free throws, third-most in Big South history at the time (now seventh) and she averaged 15.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 109 career games.  Giffin’s career totals also include 343 assists and 243 steals, and she was just the second Big South player with 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals when she graduated (now one of five players).  The 1993-94 Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Year, Giffin led the Big South that season with a 59.7 field goal percentage. She was a three-time First-Team All-Conference selection (1995-96-97) and led the Bulldogs to their first-ever winning records as Big South members -- both overall and conference -- in her senior season of 1996-97, as the squad went 14-13 and posted a third-place standing in league games at 8-6 for its highest Big South finish at the time.  She still holds Asheville’s single-season records for field goal accuracy and steals (71), as well as the all-time career marks for free throws made, steals and free throw percentage (74.1), in addition to the single-game record for steals (8).  Named UNC Asheville’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1994 and 1997, Giffin was a two-time Academic All-District honoree (1996, 1997), and was voted to the Big South Women’s Basketball All-Decade Team for 1990-99.  She moved into coaching as an assistant at Nicholls State for two years before four more at Marietta College where she was head coach her final three years.  Giffin was inducted into UNC Asheville’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.

2017 BIG SOUTH HALL OF FAME CLASS (4)
COLLIN DRAFTS
Charleston Southern Football Player, 2003-06
The first football player to be inducted into the Big South Hall of Fame, Drafts was a catalyst during the league’s early football years from 2003-06.  A three-time All-Big South selection at quarterback, he was the 2005 Big South Offensive Player of the Year and earned Honorable Mention All-American honors that season from the Weekly Football Gazette.  Drafts led Charleston Southern to its first-ever Big South football championship in 2005 with a 34-27 double-overtime comeback win over No. 8 Coastal Carolina in the season finale.  The four-year starter helped turn the Bucs around from 1-11 as a freshman in 2003 to 5-5 as a sophomore, 7-4 as a junior and 9-2 as a senior, and the program achieved its first-ever national ranking during Drafts’ time at quarterback.  Voted to the Big South Football 2002-09 All-Decade Team, Drafts was an eight-time Big South Player of the Week honoree (seven – offense, one – freshman), and earned two Weekly Football Gazette National Player of the Week and two College Sporting News National Weekly All-Star honors during his career.  Drafts graduated as the Big South’s all-time leader in 13 categories: passing yards (9,768), touchdowns responsible for (90), total offense yards (10,571) and total offense per game (240.3) -- conference records that stood for nine seasons -- in addition to setting records for passing efficiency (134.43), passing yards per game (222.00), 300-yard total offensive games (11) and completion percentage (62.0) -- all which have been surpassed in recent years.  He remains the Big South’s career leader in pass completions (833), attempts (1,344), touchdown passes (73), 20-TD pass seasons (3), most 4-TD pass games (6), multi-TD pass games (21) and total offensive plays (1,848).  He also rushed for 803 yards and 17 scores during this time at CSU.  He remains the Bucs’ career leader in touchdowns, pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards, passing TDs, completion percentage, total offensive yards and total offensive touchdowns, and still holds numerous program single-game and season records.  Drafts set a Big South single-game record with 453 yards of offense vs. Gardner-Webb in 2006 (now third-highest single-game total), and set the Big South single-game passing record with 419 yards in 2004 (now second-highest).  He remains the only quarterback in Big South history with two 400-yard passing games and two 5-TD pass efforts.  Drafts was inducted into Charleston Southern’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.

ANNE FONTAINE
Radford Volleyball & Women’s Basketball, 1990-95
Fontaine is one of Radford’s most-decorated volleyball performers ever, as she earned All-Conference honors three times in volleyball (1991, 1992 and 1993) and Big South All-Tournament Team plaudits in 1990, 1991 and 1993.  She was a three-time team MVP in addition to a two-time VaSID All-State selection in 1992 and 1993.  Fontaine appeared in 511 career sets -- fourth-most in Big South history, and posted 1,591 kills, 164 service aces, 1,437 digs and 153 total blocks during her career with the Highlanders.  She led the conference in digs with 529 in 1993, and departed the Big South as the league’s all-time kill leader (now 15th), fourth in service aces (now 16th) and second in digs.  Fontaine was the first player in league annals with 1,500 career kills and 1,000 career digs, and remains just one of six players with 1,500 kills/1,400 digs in the conference record book.  She was also a three-time letterwinner in women’s basketball and played on three conference title teams for the Highlanders.  Fontaine owns the distinction of playing in two different NCAA Championship tournaments the same year in 1993-94 -- she led the Highlanders to the Big South’s first-ever berth in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament that fall and played a key role on Radford’s 1993-94 Women’s Basketball NCAA Tournament squad. Fontaine, who earned the prestigious Radford University Outstanding Student Award in 1995, remains Radford’s career leader in digs and service aces and is second in career kills.  She was inducted into Radford’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.

TOM HICKMAN
Winthrop Director of Athletics, 1996-2016
Hickman was the longest-tenured Athletic Director in Big South history with his 20 years of service, and during his time, the Eagles captured 50 Big South Championships and made 50 NCAA team appearances while 15 student-athletes earned individual NCAA invitations.  Winthrop also won the 2006-07 Big South Conference Men’s All-Sports Trophy -- just one of three member institutions to win the award since its inception in 2003-04.  Winthrop had three student-athletes voted Big South Woman of the Year during his time, and had two state winners -- including a national Woman of the Year finalist in 2005.  Under Hickman, Winthrop was awarded the Kallander Cup four times by the Big South Conference for the community service work of its student-athletes, and his student-athletes ranked at or near the top of the conference schools for academic achievement.  Since 2000, Hickman spearheaded the completion of more than $20 million in new facility construction and improvements.  This included new facilities for baseball, softball, track & field, soccer/lacrosse and tennis, enhanced renovation of the Winthrop Coliseum and academic support centers, and installation of lighting at all outdoor venues.  In addition, Winthrop added women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse during Hickman’s tenure, and both programs won regular-season championships within four years of inception.  A longtime NACDA member, Hickman was heavily involved in the Big South’s governance structure.  He served as Chair of the Council of Athletics Directors, and was an active participant on the conference’s Budget Committee, Audit Committee, Membership Committee, Basketball Tournament Committee, Baseball Committee (Chair), Compliance Committee, and Men’s Basketball Committee.  Hickman was also active nationally, as his NCAA involvement included the Division I Men’s Soccer South Region Committee, including serving as the NCAA site representative for regional matches at Clemson and South Carolina; Division I Management Council; National Minority Opportunities & Interests Committee; Division I Legislative Review & Interpretations Committee, and the Division I Championships & Sport Management Cabinet, in which he served as the Cabinet liaison for the Men’s Soccer Committee as well.  Hickman, who first served as Winthrop’s Associate Athletic Director for seven years from 1989-96, was inducted into Winthrop’s Athletics Hall of Fame in January 2017, and received the DI-AAA ADA 2017 Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award in June 2017, the highest honor presented by the Association.

BROOKE WEISBROD
Coastal Carolina Women’s Basketball, Softball, Tennis Player, 1997-01
Weisbrod led Coastal Carolina to two of its three all-time Big South Women’s Basketball Championship game appearances in 1999 and 2000, and capped her career as the 2000-01 Big South Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  A two-time All-Conference selection (1999, 2001), Weisbrod was the 1997-98 Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Year and earned Freshman of the Week honors four times that season.  In 2000-01, she was the league’s leader in scoring (531 points), points per game (19.7), field goals (188), field goals per game (6.96), steals (95) and steals per game (3.52).  She finished her career 14th on the Big South’s all-time scoring list with 1,401 points, fifth on the league’s all-time steals list with 281 and fifth on the conference’s all-time 3-point field goal chart with 151.  Weisbrod is one of three players in Coastal Carolina basketball history with 1,000 points, 400 rebounds (432), 200 assists (286) and 200 steals, and remains the school’s all-time leader in steals while ranking sixth in field goals (512), seventh in points (1401) and eighth in assists (286).  Voted to the Big South Women’s Basketball 2000-09 All-Decade Team, Weisbrod was a three-time member of the Big South Women’s Basketball All-Academic Team during her four years.  In addition, she played on Coastal’s 1998 Big South Softball Championship squad as a freshman, as she recorded a .256 batting average and four home runs in 40 games at DH/RF.  Weisbrod also played on Coastal’s Women’s Tennis team during her junior year of 1999-00.  Named the NCAA Woman of the Year for South Carolina in 2001, Weisbrod is currently a college basketball analyst for ESPN.  She was inducted into the Coastal Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.    

2018 HALL OF FAME CLASS (4)
MIKE GORE
UNC Asheville, Sports Information Director, 1986-2015
Gore was honored in the Significant Contributor category for his 29 years of service as the longest tenured Sports Information Director in Big South Conference history.  A College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) Lifetime Achievement Award & 25-Year Award recipient, he received the 2016 WNC Mountain Athletic Club Ochsenreiter Award for Lifetime Achievement.  The first Sports Information Director to be inducted into the Big South Hall of Fame, Gore served Asheville as Associate Athletics Director of External Affairs, Sports Information Director and Interim Athletics Director (2003-04), among other roles during his time with the university.  For three decades, he exhibited unwavering commitment to his duties and the student-athletes he encountered, and helped guide the athletics department through the transition to Division I and the numerous changes that ensued.  Gore oversaw media coverage of the Bulldogs’ athletics programs with exemplary dedication as the department’s media liaison, and handled all media-related activities.  He meticulously compiled statistics for women’s sports by longhand before required by the NCAA.  His long-standing media efforts around Asheville athletics propelled him as a longtime contributor to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Hendersonville Times-News and Blue Ribbon Basketball Magazine.  He has served as the voice of the Bulldogs on radio, handling play-by-play and analysis for most of his career for Asheville men’s basketball, and recently for women’s basketball, and never missed a home basketball game during his time at Asheville.  Gore served as the Host Media Coordinator for several Big South Conference Championship events, including a total of six Men’s and Women’s Basketball tournaments -- two of which were combined events for the first time.  He attended and covered the first 29 Big South Men’s Basketball Championships, and assisted in an array of game day media operations roles -- notably as postgame interview moderator.  He has served as Chair of the Big South Hall of Fame Committee since the inception of the conference’s Hall of Fame in 2003.  Gore joined Asheville’s staff on July 1, 1986 as the Sports Information and Promotions Director.  He was named Assistant AD in the summer of 1993, advanced to Associate AD in 1996, and elevated to his final title of Associate AD of External Affairs in 2007.  In 2005, UNC Asheville’s athletics department created the Mike Gore Bulldog Service Award, and named him the first recipient.  Gore also was appointed Head Softball Coach for the program’s final season in 1992, and was voted Big South Co-Coach of the Year as the team led the nation in stolen bases.  He was inducted into UNC Asheville’s Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2015.

JUHA MIETTINEN
Campbell, Men’s Soccer, 1987-90
The 1988 Big South Player of the Year as a sophomore, Miettinen was a three-time All-Conference selection, All-Tournament honoree and All-South Region pick in 1988, 1989 and 1990.  A Second-Team NSCAA All-American in 1988, he ranked fourth in the nation that season with 49 points (21 goals, 7 assists).  Campbell’s leading scorer in 1988, 1989 and 1990, Miettinen still ranks third in Big South history with 156 career points, while his 62 career goals rank fourth all-time in league annals.  Voted to the Big South’s Men’s Soccer 1984-89 All-Decade Team, he helped lead the Camels to wins over third-ranked North Carolina and 10th-ranked Duke in 1988, pushing the Camels into the national rankings for the first time at the Division I level and rising to as high as No. 14.  During his junior season in 1989, Miettinen helped lead the Camels to the Big South championship game -- their first since 1986, while as a senior he ranked fourth nationally with 53 points (20 goals, 13 assists) and sixth in goals scored.  Miettinen ranks sixth all-time in Campbell history in career points (156), which occurred in 76 games for an average of 2.05 points per appearance.  It is the fourth-highest point total in the program’s Division I era (since 1977), while his 62 scores are fifth.  His 32 career assists are seventh in school annals and tied for ninth in the Big South record book, while his four career hat tricks are tied for fourth-most in Campbell history.  Campbell’s Outstanding Male Athlete in 1988-89, Miettinen scored a career-high 10 points in a game on four goals and two assists against No. 1-ranked NAIA program West Virginia Wesleyan.  A Big South Presidential Honor Roll recipient, Miettinen played professional soccer in the National Indoor Soccer League (NISL), was the NISL Rookie of the Year in 1995 and led the league in scoring in each of his three seasons on the circuit.  He was inducted into the Campbell Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
 
TAYLOR MILNE
High Point, Men’s Track & Field, 2001-05
Milne is High Point’s first-ever inductee into the Big South Conference Hall of Fame as he was a six-time Big South champion and eight-time All-Conference honoree.  Voted to the Big South Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field 2000-09 All-Decade Teams, Milne was the Big South champion in the 2003 indoor 800-meter and mile, the 2004 indoor champion in the 3,000-meters, and twice won the outdoor 1,500-meter event (2002 and 2005).  Named the Big South’s Most Outstanding Track Performer for the 2003 Indoor Track & Field Championships, Milne’s four indoor titles set the Big South Championship meet records at the time -- a 1:54.15 in the 800m (2003), a 4:10.40 in the mile (2003), followed by 4:05.50 in 2004 and an 8:20.36 effort in the 3,000m (2004).  Milne also earned Cross Country All-Conference honors in 2002 while leading HPU to the Big South title with a fifth-place finish.  Milne became High Point's first NCAA Division I national track & field qualifier when he qualified for the indoor mile in 2004 and finished 13th.  He still holds three school records: indoor mile (4:02.18), indoor 3,000-meters (8:13.43) and outdoor 1,500-meters (3:43.99).  Milne’s indoor mile time and outdoor 1,500-meters performance both remain the second-fastest in Big South history.  After graduating from High Point, Milne has been a two-time Olympian for Team Canada, having competed in the 2008 Beijing Games and 2016 Rio Games.  He set his personal best time and equaled the Olympic A-standard of 3:36.00 by winning the 1,500 meters at the Harry Jerome International Track Classic in Burnaby, British Columbia to qualify for the 2008 Olympics Games.  He also ran in the World Championships in Beijing in 2015 and qualified for the IAAF Diamond League Meet in London in summer 2015.  Milne’s international competition includes the 3,000m steeplechase in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

JANIVA WILLIS
Winthrop, Softball, 2002-05
Willis was a four-time First-Team All-Big South selection as an outfielder, the ninth player at the time to achieve this feat in league history.  She was the second student-athlete in Winthrop history to be named All-Conference four times, and was voted to the Big South Softball 2000-09 All-Decade Team.  A two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region Second-Team honoree in 2004 and 2005, Willis played 234 career games and batted .345 with 30 home runs, 103 runs batted in and a .574 slugging percentage.  She ranks 12th in Big South history in career runs (174), is tied for seventh in doubles (51), and finished her career in the conference’s top 10 in career hits with 245 (now 13th).  Willis remains Winthrop’s all-time leader in doubles, total bases (408) and walks (90), and her program career rankings also include 3rd in hits, 3rd in triples, 2nd in home runs, 2nd in runs, 3rd in games played, 4th in at-bats, 5th in batting average, 6th in on-base percentage, and 5th in stolen bases.  In 2004, she led the Big South in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, total bases and walks, and helped the 2005 squad win Big South regular-season championship.  Following her graduation from Winthrop, she was drafted by the Harlem Diamonds in June 2005, was a member of the Canadian National Team in 2005 and 2007, played in the 2004 World Games for Canada, and was an alternate for the 2004 Canadian Olympic Team.  Willis’ performance off the field was just as impressive.  A three-time CoSIDA-Academic All-District and Big South Softball All-Academic Team pick (2003, 2004, 2005), she was voted a CoSIDA Third-Team Academic All-American in 2004, was an Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Recipient and the Big South Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2005, and was a four-time NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete.  Willis was the state of South Carolina’s NCAA Woman of the Year in 2005 and was named a finalist for the NCAA’s Woman of the Year national award -- still the Big South Conference’s only finalist to date.  Inducted into Winthrop’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012, Willis began a non-profit youth mentoring program in Charlotte, N.C., called I Dream in Color.  She was tragically killed in April 2016 while on a cross country fundraising bicycle trip to raise $1 million.

2019 HALL OF FAME CLASS (4)
HILARY McKAY
UNC Asheville, Women’s Soccer, 2002-05
The 2005 Big South Player of the Year, McKay was a four-time First-Team All-Conference selection during her time at Asheville, and also earned two Big South All-Tournament team plaudits in her four years.  A four-year starter, McKay graduated as the conference’s all-time leading goal scorer with 53, as well as the career leader in points scored with 128 (she is now second in both categories after holding the records for nine years).  The only player in Big South history with 50 career goals (53) and 20 career assists (22), McKay was voted to the Big South’s Women’s Soccer 2000-09 All-Decade Team.  She was the 2002 Big South Rookie of the Year, helped the Bulldogs win two regular-season championships (2004 and 2005), as well as three appearances in the Big South Women’s Soccer Championship match in 2002, 2003 and 2005.  McKay remains Asheville’s all-time leader in goals and assists, and she set a single-season school record with 21 goals in 2003 -- the second-highest season total in league history and just one of three players in conference annals with a 20-goal campaign.  A Third-Team Soccer Buzz Magazine Southeast All-Region honoree in 2005, she is among the Big South’s all-time Top 10 leaders in goals, assists, points, goals per game (0.72), points per game (1.73), shots (302) and game-winning goals (13).  McKay was inducted into the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

ARIZONA REID
High Point, Men’s Basketball, 2004-08
Reid was a two-time Big South Men’s Basketball Player of the Year honoree (2006-07, 2007-08) and earned Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America distinction for both seasons.  He was a three-time All-Big South First-Team selection (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08), in addition to being voted to the league’s All-Freshman Team in 2004-05.  Reid was the first player in Big South history -- and to date the only player -- with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, as he graduated as the league’s all-time leading rebounder with 1,013 (now 4th) and fourth-leading scorer with 2,069 (now 10th).  Also the first player in Big South history to average 20.0 points (23.9) and 10.0 rebounds (11.0) in a season in 2007-08, Reid ended his career with more than 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in Big South games (60 games played), and finished with a 17.2 overall scoring average and 50.7 field goal percentage, along with 211 assists and 153 steals.  He set the Big South single-season rebound record with 342 in 2007-08, as well as the league’s single-game mark of 25 against VMI on Feb. 24, 2007 that still stands today.  Reid helped the Panthers to a 34-26 Big South record ( =56.7 winning percentage) and 67-55 overall mark ( =54.9) during his four years.  He was voted to the Big South Men’s Basketball 2000-09 All-Decade Team, and was selected as one of the Big South’s 25th Anniversary Top 25 “Best of the Best” as part of the league’s 2008-09 anniversary celebration.  Reid’s accolades also include being named a CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major All-American in 2007-08, was twice recognized on the NABC All-District Team, and was a USBWA All-District team selection his junior year.  He has been playing professionally overseas for the past 10 years and has spent time in 10 different countries.

WANDA WATKINS
Campbell, Women’s Basketball Head Coach, 1981-2016
Watkins spent 35 years as Campbell’s women’s basketball head coach before retiring after the 2015-16 season, and her official tenure in the Big South totaled 14 years from 1986-94 and 2011-16.  She went 230-145 overall during her time in the Big South, which included a 135-67 record in conference games -- still the third-most overall and league wins among the Big South’s women’s basketball coaches.  A two-time regular-season champion (1988, 1991), Watkins directed the Camels to the first six Big South Championship games (1987-92), and finished 16-12 in the conference tournament with a title in 1989.  Her six title game appearances remain second-most in league history.  Watkins was voted Big South Coach of the Year twice (1987, 1991) and won at least 20 games five times during her time in the conference.  She retired as the 29th-winningest head coach in NCAA Division I women’s basketball at 549-443, and in 2015-16 was one of 14 active coaches in Division I to serve 30-plus years at the same institution.  Watkins finished her career with 10 conference championship game appearances (six – Big South, four – ASUN) and won two crowns, as her 2000 squad clinched the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.  Watkins, who was Campbell’s first female scholarship student-athlete in 1975, was named the team’s graduate assistant coach in 1979, was hired as the school’s first full-time assistant coach in 1980, and was promoted to head coach in 1981.  She graduated more than 95 percent of her student-athletes while at Campbell, and now serves as Interim Athletics Director after moving into the Senior Woman Administrator position when she retired from coaching.  Watkins, who also sits on various Big South committees, was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.

HAROLD WELLS
Gardner-Webb, Football, 2001-04
Wells becomes Gardner-Webb’s first-ever inductee into the Big South Conference Hall of Fame and is just the second football player to be elected.  The defensive tackle played three of his four years in the Big South (2002-04) and helped GWU to a Top 20 national ranking in 2002 as well as the first two Big South football championships in 2002 and 2003.  He also was one of seven players at the time to receive three All-Conference nods (2002, 2003, 2004).  Wells capped his career as the league’s 2004 Defensive Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American that season after leading the FCS (then I-AA) with a Big South-record 22.5 tackles-for-loss (now second-most in a season in the conference record book).  He was named the 2004 I-AA National Defensive Lineman of the Year by the Football Gazette, was an All-American in 2003 and a two-time Football Gazette All-Region selection.  Wells was the first player in Big South annals to record at least 3.0 TFL in three consecutive games (2004).  Named by USA Today as one of the top two-way players in college football midway through the 2003 season, Wells was also a short-yardage fullback for the Runnin’ Bulldogs and rushed for 12 touchdowns during his time in the backfield -- including eight on just 17 carries in 2004.  Voted to the Big South’s Football 2002-09 All-Decade Team, Wells concluded his three years in the Big South with 162 total tackles (82 solo stops) from his defensive tackle position, along with 31.5 TFL, 13.0 quarterback sacks and four forced fumbles.  Wells played professionally in the Arena Football League with the Columbus Destroyers, and finished his time as the franchise’s all-time leading rusher.  Wells was inducted into Gardner-Webb’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.

2022 HALL OF FAME CLASS (4)
CID CARVALHO
Winthrop, Men’s Tennis Coach, 1986-2011; Women’s Tennis Coach, 1986-2019
Carvalho retired in 2019 with 26 combined Big South Championship titles -- a record 21 on the women’s side and record-tying five on the men’s side.  His overall coaching record at Winthrop was 447-265 (women’s) and 329-199 (men’s).  Tennis became a Big South sport in 1988 and Carvalho finished with win/loss marks of 428-256 overall and 183-35 in women’s competition (1988-2019); and 306-176 overall and 115-39 in men’s action (1988-2011).  He is the all-time leader in wins in Big South history in both sports, and recorded the most conference tournament wins in Big South tennis history with 63 women’s victories and 36 men’s wins.  In addition, he was voted the Big South Women’s Tennis 1990-99, 2000-09, and 2010-19 All-Decade Team head coach.  Carvalho coached the program’s and Big South’s first female to compete in singles and doubles at the NCAA Tournament (Lauren Proctor singles and doubles / Megan Kauffman doubles -- both Proctor and Kauffman were named ITA All-American to become just the second and third women’s tennis All-Americans in Big South history).  Carvalho also directed the Eagles to the Big South’s first-ever women’s tennis victory in the NCAA Championship with an upset of No. 20 Auburn in 2018.  He was an 11-time Big South Women’s Coach of the Year (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2018, 2019), he won 20 women’s tennis regular-season championships and led the Eagles to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances.  He coached 12 Women’s Tennis Player of the Year honorees, seven Freshman of the Year selections, 160 All-Big South selections (singles/doubles combined), and 18 selections for Big South All-Decade Teams.  Carvalho tallied a mark of 63-5 all-time in Big South Conference Tournament action.  As Winthrop’s men’s tennis coach from 1986-2011, Carvalho was a three-time Big South Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year (1997, 2002, 2004), won seven regular-season titles and five conference crowns, and appeared in four NCAA Tournaments.  He had six Players of the Year, two Freshmen of the Year, 62 All-Conference honorees (singles/doubles combined) and six All-Decade Team selections.  Carvalho was inducted into Winthrop’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020.

DUANE FILCHNER
Radford, Baseball, 1992-95
Filchner was the 1994 Big South Player of the Year and was named First-Team All-Conference all four years as an outfielder -- the first player in Big South history to earn All-Conference four times (now one of three players).  Voted to the Big South Baseball 1990-99 All-Decade Team, Filchner is eighth all-time in league history with a .389 career batting average (269-692), and he graduated as the Big South’s all-time leader with 198 runs scored (now 7th), 269 hits (now 18th), 181 runs batted in (now 12th) and 442 total bases (now 8th).  He started 192 of 198 career games played for the Highlanders and finished with 57 doubles, 34 home runs, a .639 slugging percentage and 44 stolen bases.  A 23rd round draft pick by the Oakland A’s in the 1995 MLB Draft, Filchner ranks 12th in league history in doubles and 19th in home runs, and is the program leader in runs and average while ranking fourth in home runs.  He owns the Radford single-season record for runs scored with a league-leading 60 in 1995, and still ranks in the school’s Top 10 single-season in all offensive categories.  Filchner was the first player in Big South history to lead the conference in batting average two consecutive seasons (.399 in 1994, .389 in 1995), was the first player in Big South history to lead the conference in RBI in back-to-back seasons (57 in 1993, 53 in 1994), and is the only player in Big South history to lead the conference in hitting and RBI twice.  He helped Radford reach its only Big South Championship game appearance in 1993, as well as its first 30-win season in program history in 1995.  Filchner was inducted into Radford’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.

MARY HOCK
Winthrop, Volleyball, 2002-05
Hock was the Big South’s first-ever volleyball All-American, as she was bestowed Honorable Mention honors by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) in 2004.  Voted to the Big South Volleyball 2000-09 All-Decade Team, Hock was named among the Big South’s 25th Anniversary “Best of the Best” celebration honorees in 2008-09.  She was a four-time Big South Conference Champion and NCAA Tournament participant (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005), was a three-time All-Conference First-Team selection (2003, 2004, 2005), and was the Big South Player of the Year in 2004.  Hock ranks first all-time in Big South history with 2,067 career kills, first all-time with 0.71 career service aces per set, and first all-time in the conference record book with 360 career service aces -- 131 more than second-place.  In addition, she is fourth for career kills per set (4.07) and tied for seventh all-time with 508 career sets played.  A three-time Big South All-Tournament team honoree (2002, 2003, 2005) as well as the 2005 Tournament MVP, Hock earned Big South All-Freshman Team honors in 2002, was a seven-time Big South Player of the Week selection, and received Big South Freshman of the Week honors twice.  She led the Big South in total kills in 2003 and 2004; kills per set in 2003; services aces all four years; and service aces per set in 2003, 2004 and 2005.  Hock ranks first, second, fourth and sixth in the Big South for total service aces in a single-season; she is first, third and fourth for service aces per set in a single-season; she ranks third, fourth and ninth for kills in a single-season, and stands eighth, ninth and 10th for kills per set in a single-season.  The only player in Big South history with 2,000 career kills, 1,000 career digs and 300 career service aces, Hock led the NCAA with 123 service aces in 2005 -- the league record during the 30-point scoring era.  She was on the coaching staff of Winthrop's 2006 Big South Championship team (coached 1 season), and returned to Winthrop's coaching staff in 2010 and coached three more seasons (2010-12).  Hock was named to the AVCA’s 30 Under 30 list in 2011-12, and was inducted into the Winthrop Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.

JOHN PAYNE
Campbell, Men’s Soccer, 1987-90
Payne was the 1989 Big South Player of the Year and a four-time All-Big South selection during his time in Buies Creek -- the league’s first-ever four-time honoree.  Voted to the Big South Men’s Soccer 1984-89 All-Decade Team, Payne scored 33 goals in 76 career matches and earned All-South Region honors twice in his career.  He led Campbell to a national ranking as high as No. 14 in 1988 and a 17-3 overall record that included victories over No. 3 North Carolina and No. 10 Duke.  Named Campbell's Outstanding Male Athlete in 1989-90, Payne was a three-time Team MVP.  He was part of two Big South regular-season championship squads (1988, 1990), helped the Camels reach the 1989 Big South Championship match, and was named to the Big South All-Tournament Team twice (1987, 1989).  Following his time at Campbell, Payne played professionally indoors for three years with the Milwaukee Wave, and outdoors with the Wilmington Hammerheads (2002, 2003), helping the team to the quarterfinals of the 1993 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

2023 HALL OF FAME CLASS (1)
KYLE KALLANDER
Big South Commissioner, 1996-2023
Kyle B. Kallander concluded his 27th and final year as Big South Conference Commissioner in 2022-23, a tenure that enjoyed year-to-year growth in marketing and television, an enhanced digital presence as well as unparalleled success on the field and in the classroom.  Kallander’s development of a long-term strategic plan, which allowed the Big South to position itself as unique amongst its peers, brought football to the Big South in 2002 as well as women’s lacrosse in 2012-13 -- with both sports enjoying national success within five years of existence.  He embarked on an updated strategy in 2015 to transform the Big South into the premiere non-FBS conference in the Southeast and spearheaded the most comprehensive rebranding of the league’s identity in 2017.  He solidified membership to double-digit totals for 14 consecutive years with the additions of High Point, Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian College, Longwood and USC Upstate.  Kallander’s long range vision also included technological advancements, as the conference introduced its first live streaming event in 2005 and has consistently provided video offerings of more than 900 annually through a partnership with the member institutions, as well as the creation of several online and social media platforms.  Ongoing equipment upgrades have elevated these productions to “TV-ready” levels, while the emphasis on video integration has allowed the conference to expand its reach globally as well as serve as a model for peer conferences to emulate.  Kallander also pushed initiatives around student-athlete wellness, such as an annual Health & Safety Summit that began in 2016, and has emphasized diversity within the conference with the creation of Big South “Connection” networking event in 2017.  He also directed the Conference’s current initiatives to address racial inequality and social injustice that exists nationally.  The league  developed an official position campaign on anti-racism measures -- S.O.U.T.H, which stands for Support, Opportunities, Unity, Transparency, Honest conversation, as well as the creation of a task force to address racial matters, and ongoing programs to support and engaged these important issues.  Kallander also developed an Equity Study Committee to continually monitor and evaluate Big South Conference operations to identify any issues that should be addressed from an equity perspective, and to make recommendations to the governance structure to remedy any shortcomings.

Kallander presided over some of the most pivotal events in the league’s 39-year history both athletically and academically, including 10 National Champions (nine individual and one team); reaching the NCAA "Sweet 16" in men's soccer, women's basketball, baseball and women's lacrosse; starting football and reaching the FCS playoffs in five years and eventually gaining an automatic bid; had a team advance to the FCS quarterfinals five times; had three teams qualify for NCAA postseason competition in the same sport in the same year; had its first at-large NCAA Tournament selection in volleyball (2017), and first NCAA Volleyball Tournament victory (Spring 2021); placed two teams in the NCAA Baseball Regionals nine times; had its first All-Americans in men’s and women’s cross country, and men’s tennis; had a league-record 45 student-athletes earn All-America distinction in 2021-22; had its first-ever national finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year; and had year-to-year record APR Recognition Awards and Graduation Success Rates.

The conference produced more All-Americans since Kallander took office, while increasing its share of Academic All-Americans and All-District selections.  Nationally, Kallander was heavily involved in several organizations and committees.  He was named to the NCAA Football Competition Committee in July 2020, and previously served on the NCAA Football Oversight Committee and NCAA Division I Baseball Committee -- including Chair for the 2011-12 season.  He was also a member on the NCAA/USOC Task Force, which examined the decline of Olympic sports programs at the nation’s college and universities, chaired the NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee, was a member of the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics, and was twice a Vice President of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) from 2001-03 and 2011-12.  Kallander secured aggressive television packages through relationships with ESPN and its various networks.  The partnerships have brought the Big South new and enhanced television exposure for its member institutions and student-athletes, and coupled with the Big South Network, the league’s exposure is seen by a worldwide audience.  Kallander successfully negotiated a seven-year TV deal extension with ESPN through 2025, which has expanded the number of Big South events on ESPN platforms.  The agreement includes a minimum six events per season on ESPNU -- a majority of which are primetime men’s basketball telecasts, as well as a regular-season softball conference game plus the league’s Baseball Championship game.  Named the Big South’s third commissioner on June 24, 1996, Kallander announced his retirement on Oct. 11, 2022, and concluded his tenure on June 30, 2023.

2024 HALL OF FAME CLASS (3)
CLAYTON ALMEIDA
Winthrop, Men’s Tennis, 2002-05
Almeida was voted Big South Player of the Year four times -- 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, and became just the third Big South student-athlete at the time to be voted a sport’s player of the year all four years.  He was a four-time First-Team All-Conference selection in singles, and earned three All-Conference plaudits for his doubles play.  Voted to the Big South’s 2000-09 Men’s Tennis All-Decade Team for both singles and doubles, Almeida compiled an impressive career singles record of 113-27 ( =80.7 winning percentage) -- including a 40-1 mark in Big South matches.  He was the Big South Freshman of the Year and ITA Region 2 Rookie of the Year in 2002, a season in which he became the first Winthrop player in program history to finish undefeated with a 23-0 record.  Almeida led the Eagles to consecutive Big South championships in 2004 and 2005, and finished his senior year ranked among the ITA’s Top 50 players nationally.  He battled Georgia’s John Isner in an unfinished three-set match in Winthrop’s 2005 NCAA Tournament appearance, where Almeida was leading, 7-5, 6-7, 4-3.  Almeida also excelled in the classroom and was a two-time Big South Conference All-Academic Team selection as well as an ITA Scholar-Athlete in 2004 and 2005.  In 2005, he received the Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship Award.  Following his time at Winthrop, he played professionally and earned his first professional win capturing the Brazil F39, which was an ATP World Tour event.  He is a certified coach by the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) and earned the certification of Master of Tennis - Performance in 2012.  Almeida, who was elected 2016 PTR Player of the Year, was inducted into the Winthrop Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.

JUSTIN BETHEL
Presbyterian College, Football, 2008-11
Bethel is the first Big South Hall of Fame member from Presbyterian College.  A three-time All-Big South honoree and member of the Big South’s 2010-19 Football All-Decade Team, he was the 2011 Big South Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan National Defensive Player of the Year award.  Bethel received All-America accolades from the Associated Press, College Sporting News, College Sports Journal, Phil Steele Magazine and The Sports Network that season.  In 2011, he finished the regular-season fourth in the Big South with a career-high 87 tackles (7.9 per game), in addition to ranking third with 10 passes defended and second with four interceptions -- one of which he ran back for a touchdown at California.  Bethel recorded double-digit tackles in four games that year, including a career-high 15 at Furman, and finished the campaign with 3.5 tackles-for-loss and one sack.  He also blocked three kicks, including two punts that he returned for touchdowns.  Bethel was a two-time Big South Special Teams Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week in 2011, and was the College Football Performance Award National Defensive Performer of the Week in Week 3.  Bethel helped the Blue Hose finish first in scoring defense in Big South games and second in total defense against Conference competition.  Bethel graduated as the conference’s all-time leader in solo tackles with 199, and remains the league’s record holder for career blocked kicks with nine.  He also recorded seven career interceptions for 129 return yards, 279 total tackles, and is still the only player in Big South football history with two career blocked punt return touchdowns.  He ranked among the league leaders in tackles in 2009 with 79 (55 solo, 24 assisted) and 2010 with 59 (47 solo, 10 assisted).  Bethel was drafted in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, and completed his second season with the Miami Dolphins in 2023 and 12th overall in the NFL.  His NFL career includes time with the Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots, and he was named First-Team All-Pro in 2013 and 2015, and is a three-time Pro Bowler (2013-15).

MARK COOKE
Winthrop, Softball Head Coach, 1990-2018
Cooke spent 29 years as Winthrop’s softball coach before retiring after the 2018 season.  A three-time Big South Softball Coach of the Year honoree (2005, 2007, 2008), Cooke is the league’s all-time winningest coach for overall victories (767), Big South wins (218) and Conference Tournament victories (53).  He led the Eagles to four Big South titles (1990, 1991, 2007 and 2008) and 11 Conference Championship Game appearances.  Cooke directed Winthrop to the Big South’s first-ever berth in an NCAA Regional Final in 2007, and he is just one of two head coaches in league annals to guide a team to a 50-win season (50-18 in 2007).  During his time in the Eagle dugout, Cooke coached 91 All-Conference players (48 First-Team honorees), five All-Freshman Team members since the award began in 2013, 54 Big South All-Tournament team selections, 11 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region honorees, six Big South Tournament MVPs, five Big South Players of the Year, four Big South Freshman/Rookies of the Year, four Academic All-Americans and one Division I All-American.  He had 14 winning conference seasons, won at least 30 games eight times, and averaged 39.4 victories during a five-year span from 2004-08, in which the Eagles went 47-19 in Big South play.  Cooke tallied more than 40 wins against programs from Power 5 conferences -- including a 1-0 victory over Oklahoma in just his fourth game at the helm.  Six of Cooke’s former players have been inducted into the Winthrop Hall of Fame -- two of which are Big South Hall of Fame members (Lisa Kemme and Janiva Willis).  Three of his players (Willis, Stephanie Reid and Tessa Thomas) played for Team Canada, and all three were named Arthur Ashe Sports Scholars.  In addition, Willis was the Big South’s first-ever national finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year, while his squad earned NFCA All-Academic Team distinction in 2007, 2016, 2017 and 2018.  Cooke also coached volleyball at Winthrop from 1990-1996, and finished with 74 overall wins while coaching the 1994 Big South Freshman/Rookie of the Year.  After retiring from Winthrop, Cooke was hired by Pinnacle Charter Academies in 2019 to launch the girls high school softball program at Legion Collegiate Academy.  He coached the Lancers to the 2021 South Carolina Class AA State Championship and nine of his players received college scholarships.  In addition, Cooke traveled to Europe as a representative of Little League Softball to promote the game and conduct clinics in Poland and the Netherlands, in which players from all over Europe and Africa traveled to participate.  He was inducted into the Winthrop Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.

2025 HALL OF FAME CLASS (3)
OCTAVIA GOODE
Winthrop, Women's Track & Field, 2000-04
Goode was a 16-time Big South Champion (seven indoor, nine outdoor), as she won the 60m Indoor four times, the 200m Indoor twice and helped Winthrop win the Indoor Distance Medley Relay in 2003.  Her nine titles in Outdoor were in the 100m (four), 200m (three) and the 4x100m Relay (two).  Goode remains the only 4-time Champion in both the 60m and 100m events in Big South history, and finished her career as a 23-time All-Conference performer in Indoor (10) and Outdoor Track & Field (13).  Voted to the Big South 2000-09 All-Decade Teams in both Women’s Indoor Track & Field and Outdoor Track & Field, Goode was a two-time Big South Most Outstanding Indoor Track Performer (2002, 2003) and Most Outstanding Outdoor Track Performer (2003, 2004) for the Eagles.  She remains Winthrop’s record-holder for the Indoor 60m (7.43), which was also the Big South record when first set in 2002 and held until 2013.  Goode also set Big South records in 100m and 200m (since broken), and was a member of the Winthrop record-holding 4x100m and 4x200m relay teams.  She qualified for the 2003 and 2004 NCAA East Regional in the 100m, 200m and a member of the 4x100m team, and qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2004 in the 100m and finished 17th.  Goode was inducted into Winthrop’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.

PHIL LEFTWICH
Radford, Baseball, 1988-90
Leftwich was a two-time All-Conference pitcher for the Highlanders, earning First-Team honors in 1988 and Second-Team recognition in 1989 -- becoming Radford’s first All-Conference pitcher.  He set Big South single-season records at the time for complete games in 1988 (9) and 1990 (10), and remains the conference’s all-time leader with 25 career complete games (34 career starts).  Leftwich finished his Radford career with a 19-14 record, 3.62 ERA and 234 strikeouts -- which was second-most in Big South history at the time.  Voted to the Big South Baseball 1986-89 All-Decade Team, Leftwich was also named to the Big South All-Tournament Team in 1990.  He departed Radford with 13 pitching records, including ERA (3.62), wins (19), strikeouts (234), complete games (25), strikeouts per nine innings (7.93), innings pitched (265.2) and batting average against (.243).  Leftwich helped Radford's young baseball program reach new heights, leading the Highlanders to their first winning season in 1989, in which he went 7-2 with a league-leading 2.88 ERA for the 27-19 Highlanders that year -- just the program's fifth season of varsity play.  He was selected in the 2nd round of the 1990 MLB Draft by the California Angels (64th overall and the organization’s top selection that year), the Big South's third-highest draft pick at the time.  Leftwich quickly rose through the Angels’ minor league system, needing less than three full seasons to go through four different levels of the minors to reach the big leagues in 1993 and become the Radford athlete in the major leagues.  He made his MLB debut on July 29, 1993 against the Oakland Athletics and posted a career-low 3.79 ERA in 12 starts as a rookie.  His first career win came on August 15, 1993 on the road against the Seattle Mariners, and he pitched three seasons for the Angels (1993, 1994, 1996), going 9-17 with a 4.99 ERA in 34 career games (all starts).  Leftwich was inducted into the inaugural Radford Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995.

MARIO WILLIAMS
Gardner-Webb, Football, 2002-04
Williams was a heralded four-time All-American and three-time All-Conference performer during the Big South’s first three seasons of sponsoring football, as well as becoming the first two-time Big South Defensive Player of the Year honoree in league history while leading Gardner-Webb to the first two Big South football championships.  In 2002, he earned his first Big South Defensive Player of the Year honor along with All-America accolades from The Sports Network following a season in which he posted a conference-leading 120 tackles (12.00 per game) along with three interceptions and a TD in helping Gardner-Webb to a 9-1 record and a final Top 20 national ranking.  Williams repeated as Big South Defensive Player of the Year his junior season of 2003 and earned All-America distinction from the Associated Press, The Sports Network and Weekly Football Gazette.  He notched a then-Big South record 70 solo tackles among his 118 total stops, had 7.0 tackles-for-loss, three interceptions, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and a then-conference mark of 15 pass break-ups.  He was a candidate for the Buck Buchanan National Defensive Player of the Year his senior season of 2004, but suffered a season-ending injury five games into the year.  Williams still had 61 tackles, two interceptions for 70 yards with a score, and seven PBU to earn All-Big South honors for the third consecutive time.  A nine-time Big South Defensive Player of the Week honoree, Williams finished his two-and-a-half seasons in the Big South (27 games) with 326 career tackles, eight interceptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns, 38 passes defended, and seven fumble recoveries/returns -- still tied for the most in Big South football history.  He went on to enjoy a successful professional football career in Germany, beginning in NFL Europe with the Frankfurt Galaxy, in addition to a stint in the Arena Football League.  Williams was inducted into Gardner-Webb’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.


Note - There was no Hall of Fame class in 2009 due to the Conference's year-long 25th Anniversary celebration, or 2020 & 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.