2002 UA Sports Hall of Honor Class Announced



UA Sports Information- Wednesday, August 07, 2002 ---
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Eight former University of Arkansas student-athletes and one administrator, including the school’s all-time leading basketball scorer and two football All-Americans, make up the 2002 class of inductees into the UA Sports Hall of Honor.

All-Americans Martine Bercher and Bobby Crockett join fellow football stars Harold E. “Sonney” Henson, Ronnie Underwood and Ray Hamilton in this year’s class. The other inductees are basketball All-American Todd Day, golfer Deane Pappas, Lady’Back hoops star Amber Nicholas Shirey and former sports information director Rick Schaeffer.

Hamilton was elected posthumously.

The official induction is Nov. 15 at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center in Springdale. For ticket information, call the Razorback Foundation at 479-443-9000.

2002 UA Sports Hall of Honor Bio Capsules

Martine Bercher, Jr.

Martine Bercher lettered in football three times (1964-66) and helped the Razorbacks win the 1964 national title. He earned All-America and All-Southwest Conference honors as a safety in 1966. He was a first-team All-America selection by both the American Football Coaches Association and UPI. He made 30 tackles and intercepted three passes as a senior, and also led the SWC in punt returns with 375 yards. During his career, he returned 25 punts for 383 yards and three touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, he tallied 58 tackles and seven interceptions. He played for two SWC championship teams in addition to the undefeated 1964 national championship team. Bercher was named to UA’s All-Century Team in 1994.

Bobby Crockett

Bobby Crockett was a three-year letterman for the Hogs (1963-65) and helped Arkansas win the 1964 national championship. He earned All-America and All-Southwest Conference honors in 1965 when he caught 30 passes for 487 yards and three touchdowns. He was a first-team All-America selection by the Football Writers Association of America. Crockett made seven catches for 121 yards in 1964 with his only touchdown reception helping the Hogs earn a victory at Texas. In the 1966 Cotton Bowl against LSU, he caught 10 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown. Following his Razorback career, Crockett played in the NFL for Buffalo and was named to UA’s All-Century Team in 1994.

Todd Day

A member of the 1990 NCAA Final Four squad, Day was a four-year letterman (1989-92) and a second-team All-American in 1992 as selected by The Sporting News. UA’s all-time leading scorer, he broke Sidney Moncrief's record during his senior year, despite playing only 22 games. Day tops two scoring lists with a total of 2,395 career points and 786 single-season points during his sophomore season (1990-91). Day also holds the record for career field goal attempts with 1,744. His 18.9 points per game average ranks him third on the career list and first among four-year lettermen. Day ended his career second in the career steals column (271) to teammate Lee Mayberry. He was also a member of the 1990 U.S. World Championship team that won a bronze medal. Following the 1992 season, Day was drafted eighth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks and was one of three Hogs (Mayberry and Oliver Miller) to go in the first round. Day's NBA career lasted eight seasons as he played for five teams (Milwaukee, Boston, Miami, Phoenix and Minnesota). He finished with a career total of 5,917 points for an average of 12.3 points per game.

Ray Hamilton

Ray Hamilton was a three-year letterman in football (1935-37) and also lettered in basketball (1936-38). He was a member of the All-Decade Team for the 1930s and had 48 career catches for 585 yards and six touchdowns. In 1937, Hamilton made 29 receptions. Following his collegiate career, he went on to play in the NFL for Cleveland, Detroit and Los Angeles.

Harold E. “Sonney” Henson, Jr.

Harold E. “Sonney” Henson was a three-year letterman for the Hogs (1945, 1947-48) and scored four touchdowns on interceptions during his time with the Razorbacks. Following his football career, Henson served on the Board of Directors for the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame for 30 years and was president from 1984-1986. He is currently serving as chairman on the Board of Directors of the UA Hall of Honor and was the past president of the Arkansas Letterman’s Club and the Arkansas Bankers Association. Henson was also the mayor of Little Rock in 1965-66.

Deane Pappas

Deane Pappas lettered in golf from 1989-92 and was a two-time All-American. He earned All-America honors in 1990 and 1992, All-Southwest Conference honors in 1991 and All-Southeastern Conference first-team honors in 1992. His best finish was at the 1992 NCAA Tournament when he finished in a tie for 10th with a score of 285 after shooting rounds of 74, 71, 69 and 71. Pappas won individual championships at three tournaments in 1992 and had 22 top 10 finishes during his career. He had a 71.6 stroke average for his career.

Rick Schaeffer

For 24 years, Rick Schaeffer served in UA’s sports information office, including 21 as director. Schaeffer graduated from Oklahoma State in 1973, joined the Razorback staff in July of 1976 and was named director in 1979. Schaeffer was better known by fans as the color ****yst for Razorback football and basketball radio broadcasts, beginning his first year at Arkansas and continuing through 2000. During his tenure at UA, Schaeffer worked 16 bowl games, 21 NCAA basketball tournaments, including Arkansas' 1994 national championship, and the 1979 NCAA College World Series. He contributed significantly to the development of the Jerry Jones/Jim Lindsey Hall of Champions and the Tommy Boyer Hall of Champions, both interactive museums of Razorback athletics. Schaeffer resigned in July of 2000 to accept the position as the Northwest Arkansas Regional Director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He currently hosts the Thursday night television program "Sportsline Live" with Grant Hall and works with “Drivetime Sports.”

Amber Nicholas Shirey

The 1990 Southwest Conference Tournament MVP, Amber Nicholas Shirey lettered from 1989-92 and was a two-time All-SWC selection. The career leader in assists at Arkansas prior to the 2002 season, no point guard has matched her team's run of back-to-back conference titles and three consecutive NCAA appearances. The only 1,000 point-500 assist Lady'Back, she was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, was NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Arkansas and received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Becoming an assistant coach in 1993, she was an assistant for the 1998 NCAA Final Four team.

Ronnie Underwood

Ronnie Underwood was a wingback who lettered for the Razorbacks from 1954-56. He rushed 106 times for 432 yards and five touchdowns. In 1956, Underwood was Arkansas’ leading receiver and the third-leading rusher with 268 yards on the ground, seven catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown in 1955 against LSU. He went on to play for Chicago in the NFL and has had a long, illustrious career as a college football official since his playing career ended.

Good group of Hogs to be inducted this year. Where could I find the list of those who have been inducted before?