Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Athletics Announces 2012 Hall of Fame Class
6/11/2012 12:00:00 AM | General
June 11, 2012
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall University Athletic Hall of Fame committee has announced the 2012 class for the Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame.
"This class represents some of the finest student-athletes in school history," said Marshall Director of Athletics Mike Hamrick. "The contributions of these fine men and women are truly appreciated by everyone in the Marshall Athletics family."
The group includes three former football players - one of which was later a coach and athletic director at Marshall - a pioneer as women's track coach, and other student-athletes from baseball, basketball, cross country, swimming, track & field and volleyball.
This year's class (in alphabetical order by last names):
Greg Kappas - Baseball, 1974-77;
William King - Football, 1990-93;
Charlie Kautz - Football, 1946-47/Football Assistant Coach, 1961-66/Assistant AD and Director of Athletics, 1966-70;
Jill Mussman-O'Brien - Volleyball, 1981-85;
Jim Sheridan - Swimming, 1973-77;
Arlene Stooke - Women's Track & Field Coach, 1976-85;
Jermaine Swafford - Football and Track & Field, 1992-96; and,
Richard Watts - Cross Country and Track, 1973-77.
Tamar Slay, who played men's basketball from 1998-2002, was elected but will not be able to attend the banquet this year due to his commitment with professional basketball overseas, starting just two weeks before this year's induction banquet.
He, as well as 2011 elected member and former Herd head football coach, George Chaump, stay elected and will be inducted when they can attend the induction weekend.
The Hall of Fame Induction dinner will also feature former Marshall football and baseball player Tim Martin, elected last year but unable to attend.
The annual dinner will be on Friday, September 14, at 7 p.m., in the Don Morris Room of the Marshall University Memorial Student Center.
Tickets are $30 each and are available through the Marshall University Ticket Office, in the lobby of the Cam Henderson Center on Third Avenue, at HerdZone.com or calling 1-800-THE HERD.
The honorees will have their tiles in the "Walk of Fame" at the Marshall Hall of Fame Cafe unveiled on Saturday morning at the restaurant, located at Ninth Street and Third Avenue in downtown Huntington.
The HOF members are then guests of the Marshall M-Club at the club's tailgate at the southwest corner of the Joan C. Edwards Stadium at around 4 p.m.
This year's class will be introduced about 15 minutes prior to the kickoff of the Ohio Bobcats at Marshall football game, on Sept. 15 between the two long-time rivals in "The Battle for the Bell".
Tickets to the game are also available through the MU ticket office at the numbers or website listed above for banquet tickets.
Here are biographies on each of the class of 2012, in alphabetical order:
Greg Kappas, Baseball (1974-77).
Kappas pitched for the Thundering Herd and ranks tied for fourth all-time with 17 wins over four seasons, fourth all-time with a 2.57 career ERA, top 20 all-time with 29 starts in his career and in appearances with 42 and is eighth in innings pitched with 219.2 innings in his career. He is tied for tenth with three career saves.
As a freshman in 1974, Kappas was 1-0 in two starts, with a team-leading earned run average (ERA) of 1.57 in 28.6 innings, as the Herd posted a 20-15 mark despite the loss of many top players from the 1973 NCAA Regional team. He struck out 20 while giving up only six walks.
For the 24-10 team in 1975, Kappas appeared in a team-leading 10 games, winning a team-leading five games verses three losses. He threw six complete games, 61.3 innings pitched (11 more than any other pitcher on squad) and posted a 2.35 ERA, second best on the team.
Marshall fell to 18-13 in 1976, but Kappas was 7-1 for the season to again lead the team in wins. In eight starts, he threw five complete games (both led team) and compiled 52.0 innings (again, almost 20 more than any pitcher on team). His ERA was sixth best at 4.50, issuing 15 walks verses 32 strikeouts and pitched a shutout verses Akron.
As a senior, he led the team with 15 appearances, including 12 games started and eight complete games. That season, his four wins tied for second best on the team and his 78 innings pitched was 21 more than anyone on the team. He posted a 1.84 ERA, which led the team's group of starters and was second-best on the team and best for all starters. He had 45 Ks and issued only 22 walks in 78 innings. He also pitched one shutout on the season.
His career numbers include 103 runs, only 57 earned runs, 194 hits, 151 strikeouts, 68 walks, 19 complete games, 17 wins and 11 losses for four Herd teams with a combined record of 82-59. He appeared as the winning pitcher in 21 percent of the games won by Marshall in his career and appeared in 30 percent of all games played over four seasons. He was selected as Marshall's Pitcher of the Year in his sophomore, junior and senior campaigns.
He graduated with a BA from Marshall in 1977.
Charles A. "Charlie" Kautz, Football (1946-47), Football Assistant Coach (1961-66), Assistant Athletic Director and Interim/Head Athletic Director (1966-70) - deceased.
Kautz was a player on the first MU team after World War II in 1946 after he served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II.
Marshall turned it around under Cam Henderson in a big way in 1947, advancing to the Tangerine Bowl, the program's first-ever bowl trip. That season, the Herd finished with nine wins, tying the (then) all-time wins mark for Herd football, and only three losses.
Following graduation in 1949 with his Bachelor's, as well as earning a Masters at Marshall, the 1943 Huntington High graduate began coaching football at Ironton High School in Ohio (also acting as athletic director), then later at Ceredo-Kenova High School and back to Ohio for a final stop at Rock Hill, posting a 74-25-1 record (75 percent of all games were wins), and was twice an assistant coach in the Ohio North-South Game.
Kautz came back to Marshall as an assistant football coach for former teammate Charlie Snyder, and served there until 1966. He was then promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for MU by new MU AD Eddie Barrett, after having served as interim AD for Marshall in 1966-67. He also served as Dean of Men at MU during this period, having served in that position earlier in his career. Kautz would succeed Barrett as Athletic Director, serving again as interim AD from August until November of 1969. While interim, he appointed MU assistant Rick Tolley as head coach of the Herd for the 1969 season, then he and Tolley were made the head coach and AD for the 1970 season.
He supervised the upgrades at Fairfield Stadium in 1970, expanding seating to 16,000 seats, building new locker rooms and the laying of Marshall's first Astroturf to replace mud and grass. He planned the all-weather Lefty Rollins MU Track, built in 1975.
Kautz was among those who died on the 1970 crash of the Marshall football charter, returning from ECU. He was married to the former Lucy Gawthorp and left behind three daughters: Lucianne, at the time a MU cheerleader; Kathleen, who was a Huntington East cheerleader; and Leigh, who was a cheerleader for midget football.
William King, Football (1990-93).
One of Jim Donnan's first, and best, players signed by the new coach in 1990, King came to Marshall from Capital High School in Charleston, W.Va. and became one of the best linebackers in Marshall University history after playing safety in 1990, splitting time at safety and linebacker in 1991 and starting at the wide side (Will) linebacker in 1992 and 1993.
When he left Marshall in 1993, he was the all-time leading tackler with 443 total tackles over three years. King is still fourth all-time at Marshall, nearly 20 years later, despite playing all four years alongside then No. 3 tackler Donahue Stephenson (420, 1990-93), No. 4 Roger Johnson (now the all-time leader with 548 tackles, 1991-94), and No. 5 Shannon King (no relation, but 409 tackles, 1990-93). King set the single-season Marshall record for tackles as a senior with 107 solo tackles and led the team with 178 tackles that season - second only to John Spellacy's 189 total tackles in 1987. King also finished his career sixth in tackles for loss (50 tackles for loss for minus-197 yards) and set the single-season tackles for loss mark in 1993 with 29.0 for minus-121 yards. In 1993, he also led the Herd in sacks with 12.0 for minus-61 yards.
King helped lead Marshall to three-straight appearances in the NCAA I-AA Championships, including winning the 1992 title over Youngstown State, 31-28. That season, King had his best game at Furman University, rocking the Purple Paladins with 19 tackles and two interceptions, then had 14 tackles and an interception the following week against another South Carolina team, The Citadel, winning back-to-back Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week awards.
Marshall was 6-5 in 1990, 11-4 in both 1991 and 1993 and 12-3 in 1992 and National Champions. King was named first team All-American in 1993 by the Associated Press, by Kodak-American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation and The Sports Network, and was an honorable mention All-American by TSN in 1992. He was first team All-Southern Conference in 1993, second team in 1992. King was also named the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1993, MU's first defender so honored.
In 1994, King played in the Canadian Football League for the Baltimore Colts before entering into coaching football.
He joined the Delaware State staff as safeties coach in 2011 and is there for 2012, after serving as defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Concord University in 2010. The Mountain Lions were 8-3, and posted 13 more turnovers and 11 more sacks for the defensive front compared to the 2009 stats.
From 2006-2009, King was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at West Virginia State University, leading the Yellowjackets to a first-ever defensive national ranking in 2007. Under King, WVSU had seven first-team all-WVIAC players, including linebacker Andrew Eggleton, who was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2009.
Prior to returning to the Kanawha Valley to coach, King was linebackers coach at Morgan State from 2002-05, and also coached defense at Elon University and James Madison University, for former MU defensive coordinator (1990-95) and Dukes head coach Mickey Matthews.
King earned his degree in Marketing from MU in 1995 while working as a graduate assistant coach for Donnan and Matthews at Marshall, helping the Herd to again reach the I-AA finals with 11 wins. He was All-KVC and an AAA All-State player for MU HOF member in head coach Roger Jefferson at Capital High School in 1988 and 1989, when he was named the outstanding player in the state of West Virginia. He helped lead the Cougars to back-to-back state championships in 1988 and 1989, going 26-0 over those two seasons. As a high school quarterback, he rushed for 718 yards and 11 touchdowns and passed for 536 yards and five touchdowns as a senior.
Jill Mussman-O'Brien, Volleyball (1981-82, 1984-85).
Jill Mussman-O'Brien was a co-captain for Marshall from 1982, 1984-85, sticking with the program when there was no team for the 1983 season. She played for Linda Holmes in 1981, and was then coached by Rita Simmons in 1982.
In 1984, Martha Newberry was the new coach for the return of Volleyball at MU, and the first VB team at Marshall to compete in the Southern Conference.
As a senior, Mussman helped the Herd improve to 16-15, 4-1 in the SC under head coach Karen King (Newberry would return in 1986-1989).
Mussman-O'Brien was a four-year starter for the Herd. In 1981, she helped Marshall to win the final WVIAA State Tournament for state colleges and universities, beating West Liberty State for the title, the Herd's ninth title since 1972.
In 1982, she was named to the All-Tournament team at the Virginia Tech Classic in Blacksburg, Va. and again at the Liberty University Tournament in 1984. She was also Marshall's leading scorer that year in the West Virginia Classic Tournament with 33 points to open the 1984 season.
She was the first recipient of the Linda Holmes Leadership Award in 1985, and graduated with a 3.25 average in the College of Education.
Mussman-O'Brien graduated with a BA from Marshall in May 1986.
Since leaving Marshall, she played beach volleyball, appearing in two Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) tournaments.
Mussman-O'Brien has coached 15 years in the Cincinnati Catholic Youth Organizations, winning five city championships, has coached youth volleyball at Sports Express and is the coach and started the volleyball program at DePaul Cristo Rey High School in Cincinnati, a school targeted to low-income students and funded by the Sisters of Charity in the Queen City.
Jim Sheridan, Swimming, 1973-77.
The elder Sheridan of the two brothers (also Mark) who swam at Marshall, Jim set MU records in the 200 yard Freestyle and 500 yard Freestyle in 1973-74, when he also helped the 400 yard Freestyle relay team and the 400 Medley relay teams to school records.
In 1974-75, he was part of the 400 Medley relay and 800 Freestyle relay team that re-set the MU records, and he re-set the 200 Freestyle record (1:47.18), the 100 Freestyle record (:48.41) and 500 Freestyle record (4:55.95) in 1975.
He was the scholar-athlete for swimming in 1977 and served as team captain of the 1976-77 Herd that finished second in its initial SC meet, and was one of Marshall's top sprint swimmers. He led a group of five Marshall swimmers to the Eastern Intercollegiate Meet at WVU in 1977. He swam the 50-100-200 Freestyle events, and anchored the 400 Medley relay, the 400 Freestyle relay and the 800 Freestyle relay teams.
The next season, he was a graduate assistant at Marshall the year his brother, Mark, was a freshman. Jim was also the head swimming and diving coach at Clemson University from 1991-94. He graduated with a BA at Marshall in May, 1977 and is currently the dean at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Indiana and swim coach for the girls team.
He is also the swim coach of the Gold Level, USS team in Columbus with the Donner Swim Club, a competitive training group designed for swimmers ages 13 and older to train them for High School and USA Swimming state and regional levels of competition at Gold Team 1 level, and a highly competitive training group designed to prepare swimmers for state, regional and National levels of competition at the Gold Team 2 level.
In 1983, 2000, 2006 and 2011 - when his team finished fifth in the state, and ranked No. 12 in the high school final swimming poll - he was the Indiana Women's Swimming Coach of the Year, and is a member of the Indiana High School Hall of Fame. He won the honor on the boys side four other times.
In his career in Indiana, he had one Girls State Championship team title in 1982-83 (at Columbus East, 1980-84), three Boys State Championship team titles in 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000 (at Columbus North) and had coached 38 individual State Champions and 90 All-Americans, when inducted into the HOF in that state.
Tamar Slay, Men's Basketball (1998-2002).
At Beckley, W.Va.'s Woodrow Wilson High School, Slay was three-time all-state player and led the Flying Eagles to back-to-back state titles in 1997 and 1998.
Slay was a four-year starter for Herd, finishing sixth in scoring (1,792 points) and No. 8 in field goals made in career (626-of-1,414). He also finished seventh in steals (142), 12th in blocked shots (53) and 17th in free throws made (289). He led the Herd in scoring in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons (with a career-best 19.9 points per game in 2000) and led for two seasons in steals (with 49 in 2002). He led the Herd in field goals two of four years and in three-point goals as a junior and senior, with a career best of 93 in 2001, and hit 43 percent from three as a freshman to lead team in that category.
In 2001, Slay led the team by shooting 82 percent at the free-throw line.
Slay was a Wooden Award Pre-Season All-American in 2001-02 and was named a NABC All-District pick in both 2001 and in 2002. He was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in the spring of 2002 (the 54th selection). He was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats and appeared in eight games, before being injured in the 2004-05 season.
After a brief stint playing professionally in Israel, he signed with the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Developmental League (D-League) in 2007. In 26 games, he averaged 10.8 points per game, 3.42 rebounds per game and 1.9 assists. In 2007-08, he was back overseas with Pierrel Capo d'Orlando, then signed with Air Avellino in July of 2008 and Carmatic Pistoia in 2009.
He played in Italy in 2010, competing for LegADue for Umana Reyer Venezia.
In 27 games in 2010-11, he averaged 16.6 points per game, 58 percent on field goals, 39 percent from three (38-of-97), grabbing 6.5 rebounds per game and shooting 79 percent at the free throw line, helping his team to a mark of 19-8.
In 30 games in 2011-12, Slay averaged 11.1 points per game, playing 25 minutes per game, and shot 54 percent from the field, 31 percent from three and 77 percent at the free throw line. He also averaged 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.3 blocks and 1.0 steals per game for the 17-13 team.
Arlene Stooke, Head Coach of Track and Field (1976-1985) - deceased.
Head coach Arlene Stooke resurrected the women's track and field program in 1976 and coached the team for the next decade. In that first year, and with the new "Lefty" Rollins tartan track to run on, Stooke sent Debbie Hall to the AIAW Nationals to compete in the 200-meter dash. She would also coach future Marshall HOF members like Deanna Carter-Natale in sprints.
In 1978, the team shattered 24 records set in the first two seasons and, by 1979, Stooke had her largest team to date, with 26 student-athletes. Marshall went on to win the WVIAA Track Championship that season, beating out West Virginia and other college programs in the Mountain State.
Stooke also saw Robin Silbaugh set a record in that 1979 season in the Pentathlon that stood into the 21st Century at 3,278 points.
Also with records that stood over 20 years were Susie Grandall in the 400-meters (56:84) and Janet Bassford in the 800-meters (2:12.4) in the following season of 1980.
Stooke graduated from Slippery Rock State University in 1958.
She first coached both track and basketball in Pennsylvania high schools for seven years - beginning at Meyersdale H.S., then moving on to Brookville H.S., where she was 59-1 in basketball over that time (1961-67).
While at Brookville, she was involved in a pilot study that later became the President's Council on Physical Fitness, and was a member of the first national non-smoking conference concerning youth.
When her husband, David, got a position as an associate professor of English at Marshall, Stooke became involved in the Cabell County Schools System, teaching physical education and science at the elementary level, then taking on the challenge of beginning a women's track team at MU.
She will be represented by her family.
Jermaine Swafford, Football and Track & Field (1992-96).
Swafford was an outstanding linebacker for the Thundering Herd from 1992-96.
He joined fellow HOF member (and cousin), Tim Martin (both from Soddy-Daisy (Tenn.) High School) at Marshall, and took a redshirt in 1992 for the National Championship I-AA football team, earning the second-ever J.D. Coffman award for his practice play on the scout team.
He would go on to win first team All-Southern Conference honors in both 1995 and 1996, the latter being the 15-0, No. 1, wire-to-wire National I-AA Champions. That season came under first-year head coach Bob Pruett, after being recruited by and coached the first four years by MU head coach Jim Donnan. That season, he was also named to the Walter Camp and the American Football Coaches Association first team All-American teams.
Swafford finished his career No. 10 all-time at Marshall in tackles, with 365 in a four-year career, while playing alongside William King (No. 4 in tackles) and MU HOF members Roger Johnson (No. 1 in tackles) and Larry McCloud (No. 3 in tackles).
The MU team posted a mark of 62-12 in his five years at Marshall, and Swafford was a team captain on the 1996 squad.
As a freshman, he had 11 solo tackles and seven assists for 18. Then in 1994, he finished second on the team with 47 solo, 49 assists for 96 total tackles, with four tackles for loss, two sacks, three passes broken up, two caused fumbles and ten QB pressures.
He was second again in 1995, with 121 total tackles. He had 70 solos, 51 assists, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, three passes broken up, two fumbles caused and recovered, an interception and five QB pressures.
Finally, in 1996, he was second once more with 130 total tackles, 78 solos, 52 assists, ten tackles for loss, two sacks, five passes broken up, an interception (for a 33-yard touchdown in the regular season win over Furman), two fumbles caused and four fumbles recovered.
He finished with 206 solo tackles, 159 assists, 21 tackles for loss, six sacks, 11 passes broken up, six fumbles caused, six fumbles recovered, two interceptions (one for TD) and 15 QB pressures (no stat kept for that in 1996).
Swafford also was a member of the Marshall track and field team. In 1994, he won the Southern Conference discus which also made him first team All-SC in track.
He is employed today by CSX as a Division Manager for the Florence Division, in Florence, S.C. He graduated with a BA from Marshall in May, 1998.
Richard Watts, Cross Country and Track (1973-1977).
Watts set 18 records, both individually and as a member of relay teams, in his career at Marshall, including the indoor mile, the outdoor mile, the indoor 1,000-yard run, the steeplechase, the four-mile relay and the 1,500-meter run.
He won the Marshall Invitational cross country meets in both his junior and senior years.
As a freshman, he was "Most Valuable Runner" (cross country), "High Scorer" (track). Then as a sophomore, Watts was "Most Valuable Runner" (cross country), "Track Man of the Year" (a co-winner with HOF members Joe Johns and Dave Kline) and First-Team All-Southern Conference in 1977.
He was the team captain of the 1977 team and a MU scholar-athlete all four seasons.
Watts came to Marshall from Huntington East High School, and ran at Marshall for Dr. Don Williams in 1973-74, for coach Andy Nameth in 1974-75 and for HOF member in coach Rod O'Donnell from 1975 to 1977. He helped the Herd to a third-place finish in the SC Cross Country meet, Marshall's first SC competition, and he finished eighth to claim All-SC honors, the first All-SC honors for the Thundering Herd program in its first year in the league.
He finished third in the mile in the SC Outdoor meet in 1977, again breaking his school record, and the Herd was fifth in the league that year. In his final meet at Marshall, Watts won the 800 meters runs and was second in the 1,500 meters as Marshall beat Cleveland State, 98-45.
Watts graduated from Marshall with a BS in 1977, then received his Masters in 1994.
He won three consecutive Virginia State Mountain Bike Masters championships, between 2000 and 2003. After graduating, Watts has finished third in the National Steeplechase event in National Masters Meet in California and was 15th in the World Mountain Bike Masters in Bromont, Canada.
He is employed by Ackenheil Engineers and Geologists, Inc. in Nitro, W.Va. as Senior Geologist and Vice-President.
