2014 Hall of Honor Inductees Announced
10/6/2013 11:00:00 PM | Athletics
Eight Bearkat sports greats who will be inducted into the Sam Houston State University men's and women's Halls of Honor at a special luncheon at the Lowman Student Center Feb. 22, 2014, will be recognized at Homecoming Saturday Oct. 12.
Kasey Phillips (track & field and cross country), Joanna Nichols (tennis), Jana Harless (volleyball) and Elaine Devlin (softball) are this year's inductees for the Sam Houston Women's Letter Association Hall of Honor.
Keith Heinrich (football), Keith Davis (football), Adrian Ray (track & field) and Chris Gonzalez (track & field) are the 2013-14 inductees for the Sam Houston Lettermen's Association Hall of Honor.
The addition of the four women will bring the total Hall of Honor members to 31. The first five women were inducted in 2007.
Phillips was the first Sam Houston female runner to earn NCAA Division I All-Region honors in cross country. In 2000 Phillips earned All-Southland honors with a third place finish on the Kats' runner-up Southland squad.
Nichols earned both singles and doubles national rankings at the NCAA Division II level for the Bearkat tennis teams of 1985 and 1986.
Harless was the leading hitter on Sam Houston's 1993 and 1994 Southland Conference championship volleyball teams. An NCAA All-Region and two-time All-Southland selection, she ranks third in all-time Kat kills.
Devlin is Sam Houston softball's all-time leader with a 0.62 earned run average. The pitcher was Gulf Star Conference “Player of the Year” in 1986 and an All-Conference and All-Region selection.
The quartet of men being inducted will bring the total number of Bearkats in the Lettermen's Hall of Honor to 177.
Heinrich earned All-Southland and All-America honors as a tight end for the Bearkats' 2001 conference football champions. A member of the Kats' 1,000-yard receivers club, he played in the NFL for the Panthers, Browns, Dolphins and Buccaneers.
Davis was voted Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and was a three-time all-league selection. An All-American on the 2001 title team, he went on to become special teams captain for the Cowboys.
Ray is one of only nine Bearkats to earn NCAA Division I All-America honors in track and field. The 2005 Southland track “Men's Athlete of the Year,” Ray won four individual league titles and was a member of three Southland championship relay teams.
Gonzales holds the shot put school record both the indoor and outdoor. He twice was named as the league's outstanding field events performer, winning seven individual championships during his career.
For complete information on the Hall of Honor luncheon Feb. 22, please contact Ashten Ackerman at (936) 294-2364 or by email at aackerman@shsu.edu .
