Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame will induct stellar inaugural class in Eugene

The Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame doesn’t yet have an official home or even a selection committee, but it has a doozy of an inaugural class.

Thirty of the greatest college track and field and cross country athletes will be inducted into their own hall of fame Monday night during a ceremony at the Hult Center.

It’s a class that includes Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph, Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Jim Ryun and Jenny Simpson, and of course, Steve Prefontaine.

And it’s just the beginning, said Sam Seemes, CEO of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) and the driving force behind the creation of the Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame.

“Getting to 30 was extremely tough, but you also got to do this in large chunks or else you’ll never get caught up,” Seemes said. “I’ve kind of resisted calling this the inaugural class because the first two or three or four years will probably be the inaugural class. They just have to be split up to get it done.”

The class includes 20 men and 10 women who combined to win 205 national collegiate individual titles, 19 Olympic gold medals and set 99 world records.

Eligibility for induction this year was limited to men who had completed their collegiate careers prior to 2000 and women prior to 2010.

Though many of Monday’s inductees went on to great success as professionals, they were selected for the Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame solely based on their accomplishments as a collegiate athlete.

Putting together the first class began 20 months ago during the early days of the pandemic, with Seemes getting a group together to help with research.

“It was a lot of time, effort and scrutiny,” he said.

When it came to making the selections, however, Seemes did that himself.

“We’re eventually going to go to a committee,” he said. “But if we hadn’t done it that way, we’d never get started. I just accepted that if we’re gonna get this done, this is how we’re gonna get it done, and if there’s criticism, you just gotta take it, but at least we’re getting it started.”

The response so far, especially from the athletes, has been anything but critical, Seemes said

“They’ve all been really, really excited,” he said.

Monday’s two-hour ceremony is being hosted by ESPN’s John Anderson.

Simpson, Lewis, Joyner-Kersee and Ryun will be in attendance, as will Ralph Boston (Tennessee State); Suzy (Favor) Hamilton (Wisconsin); Carlette Guidry (Texas); Vicki (Huber) Rudowski (Villanova); Jackie (Johnson) Powell (Arizona State); Suleiman Nyambui (UTEP): Billy Olson (Abilene Christian); and Erick Walder (Arkansas).

About a dozen other inductees will have representatives in their place.

Prefontaine’s sister, Linda Prefontaine, will represent the Oregon star who died in 1975. He is the only former Duck in the first round of selections, though Eugene resident and Oregon Track Club Elite runner Sally Kipyego, a former distance standout for Texas Tech, also is being inducted.

Owens, the iconic eight-time NCAA and four-time Olympic champion in 1936 from Ohio State, will be represented by granddaughters Merlene Dortch and Gina Hempfield.

“Our history is rich, rich, rich,” Seemes said. “We want to make sure we preserve it and recognize it going forward.”

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com

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Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame

Induction ceremony: Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Hult Center

Tickets: Free to attend but must register at https://tickets.hultcenter.org

Men's inductees: Ralph Boston (Tennessee State, 1958-1961), Ron Delany (Villanova, 1955-1958), Harrison Dillard (Baldwin Wallace, 1942-1943, 1946-1948), Charlie Greene (Nebraska, 1964-1967), DeHart Hubbard (Michigan, 1922-1925), Carl Lewis (Houston, 1980-1981), Gerry Lindgren (Washington State, 1965-1969), Randy Matson (Texas A&M, 1964-1967), Ralph Metcalfe (Marquette, 1931-1934), Rodney Milburn (Southern, 1970-1973), Bobby Morrow (Abilene Christian, 1955-1958), Suleiman Nyambui (UTEP, 1978-1982), Billy Olson (Abilene Christian, 1978-1982), Jesse Owens (Ohio State, 1934-1936), Mel Patton (Southern California, 1946-1949), Steve Prefontaine (Oregon, 1969-1973), Henry Rono (Washington State, 1976-1979), Jim Ryun (Kansas, 1966-1969), Erick Walder (Arkansas, 1991-1994), John Woodruff (Pittsburgh, 1936-1939).

Women's inductees: Jenny Barringer (Colorado, 2005-2009), Suzy Favor (Wisconsin, 1986-1990), Carlette Guidry (Texas, 1988-1991), Vicki Huber (Villanova, 1985-1989), Jackie Johnson (Arizona State, 2004, 2006-2008), Jackie Joyner (UCLA, 1981-1983, 1985), Sally Kipyego (Texas Tech, 2005-2009), Merlene Ottey (Nebraska, 1980-1984), Meg Ritchie (Arizona, 1980-1983), Wilma Rudolph (Tennessee State, 1959-1963).

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame inducts 30 track and field greats