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MEAC
to induct six into Hall of Fame
February 22, 2005
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Commissioner Dennis
E. Thomas has announced the 2005 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Hall of Fame Inductees. Vince Coleman, Carl
Hairston, Diana Pitts, Larry Stewart, Coach Robert Johnson
(posthumously) and MEAC Administrator Brenda H. McCoy make
up the 2005 Class, as selected by the11-member Selection Committee,
which represents each MEAC institution.
Enshrinement ceremonies will be held at the Marriott Hotel
on March 10 at 10 a.m., during the 2005 MEAC Basketball Tournament
in Richmond, Va.
The Class of 2005 was selected from 15 finalists out of a
total of 51 candidates. The six new members add to the overall
total of 73 MEAC Hall of Fame Inductions, dating back to the
first ceremony in 1981.
Vince Coleman , one of the most versatile
athletes in Florida A&M University history, was a star
centerfielder for the Rattlers baseball team from 1979 to 1982.
Blessed with speed, quickness and great instincts, Coleman
stole 109 bases, while hitting a career average of .352 for
the Rattlers with 13 doubles, 15 triples, two homeruns and
65 runs batted in through 110 games played. In 1982, he set
an NCAA single-game record for stolen bases with seven steals
vs. Alabama State. Coleman was also a standout on the gridiron,
where he was a two-time All-MEAC selection as a punter (1980-81),
averaging 41.3 yards per kick in 1980 and 41.1 yards per kick
in 1981. He also served as the Rattlers’ placekicker
from 1978 to 1981. In 1979, Coleman kicked a 34-yard field
goal with under four minutes to play to give the Rattlers a
stunning victory over the University of Miami. Coleman went
on to enjoy a successful career in Major League Baseball, drafted
by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985, earning National League
Rookie of the Year honors after stealing over 100 bases. His
MLB career included stops with the New York Mets, Kansas City
Royals, Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers. Coleman finished
his career with nearly 900 stolen bases.
Carl Hairston was a three-year starter at
defensive end at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore from
1973 to 1975, where he amassed over 200 tackles in his career.
Known as “Mr. Defense” around the UMES campus,
Hairston was a three-time All-MEAC performer at UMES. In 1975,
his final season at UMES, Hairston compiled 113 solo tackles
and 56 assisted tackles through eight games, including two
MEAC Defensive Lineman of the week honors. Hairston picked
up his first weekly award after recording 20 solo tackles and
nine assists against Johnson C. Smith. Four weeks later against
Morgan State, he recorded 28 tackles, including 18 unassisted,
two sacks and one interception. Selected to the UMES Hall of
Fame in 1999, Hairston enjoyed a stellar 15-year professional
career after leaving the UMES campus. A seventh round pick
by the Philadelphia Eagles, Hairston he played eight seasons
with Eagles (1976-83), six with Cleveland (1984-89) and one
with Arizona (1990). Hairston finished his NFL career with
1,141 tackles and 94.0 sacks through 224 games.
Diana Pitts enjoyed a success four-year
career at Coppin State in Track and Field and Cross Country.
One of the most successful track athletes in Coppin State history,
Pitts earned All-American honors in the 800 meter run in 1993
and 1994, becoming Coppin’s first women’s track
and field athlete to win such honors. Pitts won MEAC crowns
in the 200m, 400m, 800m 1500m and 3000 meter run. In fact,
her time of 2:11.96 in the 800 meters in the 1991 MEAC Indoor
Championship remains the fastest time in that event. She also
holds MEAC Outdoor Track and Field championship records in
the 800 meters (2:08.56); and the 1500 meters (4:45.19). Pitts
also led the Lady Eagles to three MEAC Cross Country Titles
from 1991 to 1993, earning Outstanding Performer honors in
1992. Pitts was named Coppin State’s Female Athlete of
the Year in 1992 and 1994. She currently holds school indoor
records in the 500, 1000, 1500 and mile run, and outdoor records
in the 400, 800, and 1500 meters.
A two-time All-MEAC Player of the Year and Coppin State Male
Athlete of the Year (1990, 1991), Larry Stewart set
his mark on the Coppin State men’s basketball records
books shortly after setting foot on the campus in Baltimore,
Md. Stewart led the Eagles to two MEAC regular season basketball
titles, one tournament title and a 39-9 MEAC record during
his three-year career at Coppin State. Stewart is the Eagles
all-time rebounder with 1,052 career rebounds, and is second
all-time in scoring with 1,824 points. In 1990, Stewart led
the Coppin State to its first NCAA tournament berth. The following
season, he received the 1991 John B. McLendon Trophy as the
top player at an Historically Black College and University
(HBCU), after averaging 23.9 points and 12.3 rebounds per game,
while leading the Eagles to an NIT berth. Stewart averaged
20.0 points and 11.6 rebounds in his career at Coppin State.
Stewart left Coppin State after the 1991 season and in 1992
as member of the Washington Bullets, he became the first undrafted
player to earn NBA All-Rookie honors. In 1994 Stewart’s
jersey was retired, becoming the first and only Coppin State
athlete to have his jersey retired.
The late Robert “Jet” Johnson began
his coaching career at South Carolina State in 1973 until 1991,
serving as the school’s men and women’s Track and
Field coach, and as an assistant coach on the Football staff.
During his coaching tenure, Johnson became one of the most
successful coaches in the history of the MEAC and S.C. State,
as he amassed over 20 Coach of the Year honors and 24 conference
championships. In track and field, Johnson won 10 MEAC men’s
Outdoor Championships, six (6) women’s Outdoor Championships,
and five (5) men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Perhaps his greatest accomplishment came in 1982, when he guided
his track team to the AIAW Division II national title. As an
assistant football coach under Willie Jeffries, Johnson helped
the Bulldogs to over 50 wins, five MEAC titles and five post-season
appearances. Johnson was also an assistant under the late Bill
Davis, who guided the Bulldogs to back-to-back
Division I-AA playoff appearances in 1981 and 1982. A Benedict
College graduate, Johnson was inducted into the Benedict Hall
of Fame in 1989 and the South Carolina State Hall of Fame,
posthumously in 1998.
Veteran conference administrator Brenda H. McCoy has
been a major part of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s
growth and success since 1974. McCoy, currently serving has Director
of Championships, is in her 30 th year with the MEAC having held
several positions within the conference including Assistant to
the Commissioner and Senior Woman Administrator. McCoy also served
as the interim Commissioner in 1996 and 2002, after the departures
of former Commissioners Kenneth Free and Charles Harris. McCoy’s
major area of focus is in the coordination of the MEAC’s
annual sports championships, league meetings and special projects.
It has been her untiring efforts, allegiance and persistency
as a staunch believer that, “It can be done.” McCoy
has served on several NCAA committees and committees within the
conference structure. Along with innovative associates, she played
an integral role in the birth of the Bicentennial Bowl (matching
the CIAA and MEAC Football Champions), which is presently known
as the Gold Bowl, the Freedom Bowl All-Star Classic and the Heritage
Bowl. The Heritage Bowl was the first and only NCAA Division
I-AA sanctioned post-season game.
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