Sports

Sports Highlights

TVCC announces 2011 Hall of Fame class
Special to The Monitor
ATHENS–The Cardinal Hall of Fame at Trinity Valley Community College will see five new members inducted this fall.
“The great tradition of Cardinal athletic teams continues to provide us with outstanding nominees (for the hall of fame),” assistant vice president of student services and co-chairman of the hall of fame selection committees Michael Landers said.
The 2011 induction class is another example of the fine young men and women who have achieved huge successes on the fields and courts while wearing the Cardinal uniform.
“We are proud to call them our own and look forward to being able to recognize them for their great careers,” he added.
The 2011 class, which will become the fourth to join the shrine, is scheduled to be inducted at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1.
Tickets for the induction luncheon are $10 and will be available at the door at the Student Union Building ballroom.
Inductees this year are:
• Marshall Crawford, Men’s Basketball (1967-69): Following an all-state, record-setting career at Brownsboro High School, Crawford kept his talents close to home and helped the Cardinal basketball team to a pair of winning seasons.
Teaming with Ron Thomas, also a member of the Cardinal Hall of Fame (2008), he played a key role in a conference championship and ninth-place national ranking his sophomore season.
Crawford consistently scored between 15-25 points a game and was called “HCJC’s Big Gun.”
He finished his playing career at Centenary College after two stellar seasons for the Cardinals.
• Anthony “Champ” Dickerson, Football (1975-76): Called “the team leader in every aspect” by Cardinal head football coach Jim Owens,
Dickerson was recruited by every school in the Southwest Conference after a brilliant two-year career at linebacker. He was twice named all-conference.
SMU won the recruiting battle for his services and was elected a captain by his teammates before ever playing a game.
In one season for the Mustangs, he had 136 tackles (62 solo and 74 assisted), one safety, one caused fumble, six tackles for losses and one blocked kick. He was in on 32 tackles in a game against Ohio State.
He played six seasons in the NFL – five with the Dallas Cowboys during 1980-84 and one with the Buffalo Bills in 1985.
• Michael Stokes, Men’s Basketball (1997-99): Stokes had a sophomore season to remember for the Cardinal basketball team.
He led the Cardinals to Region XIV title and a seventh-place finish at the national tournament.
As a sophomore, he was named the conference’s Most Valuable Player and helped the Cardinals make a 17-win improvement from the previous year.
In two years, he averaged 17.6 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds.
He went on to be a two-year starter at Southeast Missouri University, where he was twice named All-Ohio Conference.
In his career there, he averaged 13.9 points, 4.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Stokes also averaged 35.4 minutes per game in two seasons.
• Alton Tompkins, Special Contributor (1946-71): Instrumental in organization of the college, Tompkins played a big role in the formation of the athletic program.
He was the first athletic director and men’s basketball coach until 1952.
He continued to be a supporter of the athletic program after moving into administration to become vice president and academic dean.
Tompkins and wife Jewell served as second parents to many students after his 25-year career at the college and also held an annual fish fry for basketball players.
Tompkins, who was a basketball player at Lon Morris College, was founder and president of the Texas Basketball Hall of Fame.
He died March 6, 1991, at the age of 86.
• Jennifer (Sposato) Wilcox, Women’s Basketball (1994-96): Wilcox gave new meaning to “taking one for the team” in the 1995-96 season.
In leading the Lady Cardinal basketball program to its second national championship, she drew 47 charges, including 12 in the national tournament.
Her toughness did not go unnoticed. She was named Most Valuable Player at the national tournament.
She was 63-6 in two years as floor leader for the Lady Cardinals, never losing a conference game and playing in two national championship games.
Wilcox went on to play two seasons at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she led the team in assists and steals both seasons.
She had 148 steals and averaged 2.7 steals per game for her career, which ranks seventh in school history. She is also seventh on the all-time list for steals in a season with 79 in 1998.
Note: The hall of fame committee is scheduled to make another announcement of other honors in September.