SFA Honors 2009 Hall of Fame Class
10/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 6, 2009
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The SFA Athletics Department will be honoring its 11 Athletics Hall of Fame inductees during the Hall of Fame festivities Friday and Saturday. The inductees will be formally enshrined during a special Hall of Fame dinner Friday and will be publicly honored during halftime of the SFA football game against McNeese State Saturday evening.
The class of 2009 will recognize a national championship coach, a women's basketball coaching legend, a trailblazing administrator and eight former athletes. The 2009 class consists of Diane Baker (softball coach), Sue Gunter (women's basketball coach), Sadie Allison (Ladyjack Athletics Director, softball and badminton coach), Misty Ballard (track and field), Terry Brown (men's basketball and golf), Jennifer Hoppe (track and field), Penni Lewis (softball), Rick Maxey (golf), Kristy Rhodes Owens (volleyball), Robert Pearce (football) and John Pigg (golf).
"This is the beginning of a new tradition at SFA," said Director of Athletics Robert Hill. "It's our goal to make sure that the Hall of Fame is the highest honor any player, coach or administrator can receive. It is also another opportunity for us to honor our current members along with our new inductees."
Baker was the Ladyjack head softball coach for 17 seasons beginning in 1978 and ending in 1995. She guided the program to SFA's only national title when the Ladyjacks captured the 1986 NCAA Division II National Championship. Baker also served as assistant athletics director during her tenure. A 1998 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, Baker was honored by the NCAA the following year receiving the Silver Anniversary Award. In 24 years as a college head coach, Baker established herself among the winningest coaches in NCAA history with 764 victories.
One of the all-time coaching legends women's basketball, Gunter left the game ranked first all-time in seasons coached, third in victories and fourth in 20-win seasons. A member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Gunter built SFA into one of the nation's best programs recording a 266-88 (.751) record. SFA advanced to five AIAW National tournaments under her guidance.
Gunter's influence stretched far beyond the SFA campus. She served as a U.S. National coach in 1976, 1978 and 1980, and was an assistant coach on the 1976 U.S. Olympic team that earned the Silver medal. Gunter was also named head coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team.
Allison served in several capacities during her time at SFA. She was the Women's Athletics Director from 1982 to 1993, and oversaw the women's basketball program's rise to dominance. Prior to her time as women's athletics director, Allison coached the Ladyjack badminton and softball teams to national prominence. She guided the badminton team to two national runner-up finishes, while winning seven state titles. During her 11-year stint with the softball team, Allison led SFA to the 1973 state title and a top-20 national ranking (13th) in 1977.
Ballard is one of two Ladyjack track and field athletes in the 2009 class. She is also one of only three Ladyjacks to earn All-America honors. Arguably the best women's pole vaulter in conference history, Ballard earned NCAA Indoor All-America honors in the event during the 2001 season. A four-time SLC individual champion Ballard set the SLC indoor record when she cleared a height of 13-5.25 in 2001.
Brown was a four-year letterwinner in golf and a three-year letterman in basketball during his career at SFA. He was named one of the top golfers in the nation when he posted a second-place finish at the NAIA Golf Championships to earn All-America honors. He followed that up by earning first-team All-Lone Star Conference honors the following season.
Brown was also a key member of a Lumberjack basketball team that posted three 20-win seasons during his time in Nacogdoches. Never winning fewer than 22 games in a season, Brown helped guide SFA to three NAIA tournaments on the hardwood.
Hoppe was a dominant athlete who re-wrote the Ladyjack record books during her collegiate days. A three-time SLC high jump champion, Hoppe also won the conference's heptathlon title twice, and also earned All-America honors in the event. The current school record holder in the heptathlon, Hoppe broke five school marks during her career.
Lewis was a four-year letterwinner for the Ladyjack softball team, and helped guide the program to the 1986 NCAA Division II National Championship. Lewis batted 1.000 during the NCAA Championships, and scored the eventual winning run that handed SFA the title. She graduated as the school's single-season leader for walks, and set new season and career marks for put outs.
Lewis left an impression on the game at the conference regional and national levels. She earned all-conference honrs all four seasons on the diamond. A two-time all-region selection, Lewis capped her career by earning All-America honors in 1986.
A member of the 'Jacks of Honor, Maxey was a four-year letterwinner on the SFA golf team. Maxey was recognized as an All-Lone Star Conference selection each of his four years, and earned NAIA All-America honors in 1971.
Rhodes Owens was named the league's top player when she earned SLC Player of the Year honors during her senior season. A four-time All-SLC selection and a three-time first-team honoree, Rhodes Owens became the third player in program history to earn the league's top honor. Rhodes Owens guided SFA to three 20-win seasons, and a trip to the 1999 NCAA Championships.
Pearce transferred to SFA from Cisco Junior College where he won the starting quarterback job for the 'Jacks. Over the course of the next two seasons, Pearce became one of the school's all-time best signal callers. The 'Jacks led the nation averaging 38.1 points per game and 502 yards of total offense under Pearce.
Pearce received first-team All-Lone Star Conference, All-Texas and NAIA All-American honors as a senior, and played in the 1969 Blue-Gray All-Star game. Following his collegiate career, Pearce spent 12 seasons in the Canadian Football League as a member of the Saskatchewan Rough Riders.
A four-year letterwinner on the Lumberjack golf team, Pigg was a three-time All-LSC selection who earned first-team honors during his junior and senior seasons. Pigg capped his career by being named the 1974 SFA Ralph Todd Award winner.
The male inductees were chosen by a vote of the SFA Letterman's Association. The Letterman's Association has sponsored the men's hall of fame since its inception in 1968, and will be on hand to honor the 2009 class.
The women's inductees are chosen by a special committee of current and former coaches and athletes appointed by the SFA Director of Athletics.
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