VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., January 13, 2010 - The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced today the five members of its’ 2010 Hall of Fame Class that will be honored during a banquet on Friday, March 12, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the M.C. Benton, Jr. Convention Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Former SC State running back Rickey Anderson (1974-77) will be among the enshrinees. A Kingsland, Georgia native, Anderson was the first 1000-yard rusher for the Bulldogs in 1977 when he ran for 1,195 yards and 18 touchdowns on his way to All-America and All-Conference honors. He is an SC State Hall of Famer and a member of the Bulldog Centennial (1907-2007) Team.
Also to be inducted are former wide receiver Jacquay Nunallay of Florida A&M, baseball standout Ira Smith of Maryland-Eastern Shore, quarterback Ted White of Howard and Ed Hill, sports information director at Howard.
“We are excited to recognize another outstanding class of inductees, persons who have made a significant impact on their institutions and our conference during their collegiate days and beyond,” said Dennis E. Thomas, MEAC Commissioner. “I’d like to congratulate the 2010 MEAC Hall of Fame Class for all of its achievements both athletically and professionally.”
The Hall of Fame Class will be honored in conjunction with the 2010 MEAC Basketball Tournament, held March 8-13 at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (LJVM) in Winston-Salem.
Enshrinees were selected by an 11-person committee made up of administrators from each member institution. The MEAC Hall of Fame includes former student-athletes, coaches, university and/or conference administrators as well as special contributors, who have enriched the legacy of the conference since its inception in 1969.
The MEAC Hall of Fame inducted its first class on May 29, 1981, during a 10-year anniversary banquet in Greensboro, North Carolina. Since its establishment in 1981, the Hall of Fame has enshrined 103 people, including the Class of 2010.
The 2010 MEAC Hall of Fame Inductees are:
Inducted as a Student-Athlete:
Rickey Anderson, South Carolina State: was the first South Carolina State football player to surpass the 1,000 yard mark with 1,195 total yards. In 1977, he guided the Bulldogs to a 6-0 conference mark en route to their fourth consecutive MEAC title. That same year, he earned All-MEAC First-Team accolades and was named the MEAC Offensive Player of the Year. The 1977 Associated Press College Division All-American holds the school record for career averages per carry (6.5; 1974-77). Anderson was a third-round draft choice by the San Diego Chargers in the 1978 National Football League (NFL) draft. He was inducted into the South Carolina State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 and was a member of the South Carolina State Centennial football team in 2008.
Jacquay Nunnally, Florida A&M: was a three-time football Division I All-American at Florida A&M, who led the Rattlers to the NCAA Division I FCS (formerly I-AA) playoffs in 1997-2000. He is second all-time in NCAA Division I FCS football record books in career pass receptions with 317 for 4,239 yards and 38 touchdowns. Nunnally holds the NCAA Division I FCS record for most yards gained by a freshman during a game in his 284 yard performance on October 11, 1997 against North Carolina A&T. He caught 13 passes in the victory. Nunally led the FCS in 1998 in receiving with 96 receptions for 1,316 yards and 12 touchdowns. The four-time All-MEAC First-Team honoree (1997-2000) was named the Black College Player of the Year in 1998 and 2000. He concluded his collegiate career with 362 catches and was inducted into the Florida A&M Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
Ira Smith, Maryland Eastern Shore: led the nation and was the NCAA Division I batting champion in 1989 (.488) and 1990 (.519). Smith is sixth all-time in the NCAA Division I record books with the highest season batting average of .519 (1990) and 14th all-time with a .431 batting average from 1986 and 1988-90. Smith was Maryland Eastern Shore’s Valuable Player in 1989 and had a career batting average of .330. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1991 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft and played professionally up until 1999. He was inducted into the Maryland Eastern Shore Hall of Fame in 2004.
Ted White, Howard: served as quarterback for the Howard football team from 1995-1998 and was named the MEAC Offensive Player of the Year in 1996. He holds the MEAC and school record for passing completions (638), passing yardage (9,908) and touchdown passes (92) during his tenure at Howard. White set the MEAC record for a single-game best mark in passing yards with 561 and eight TD’s against Florida A&M on October 17, 1998. He leads the MEAC with 1,169 passing attempts and 9,845 total offensive yards in his four-year career. White played professionally in the NFL for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1998 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 1999.
Inducted as a Conference Administrator:
Ed Hill, Howard: has served as the Sports Information Director at Howard for over two decades (1983-present). The talented writer’s stories have appeared in USA Today and the NCAA News. Hill is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and Black College Sports Information Directors of America (BCSIDA). He is also active in the Washington, DC community where he served as head coach and co-founder of the DC Warriors basketball program and as a counselor for the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP). Hill is also an adjunct professor at Howard where he teaches a course on Sports and the Media. He has worked 283 consecutive Howard football games and has not missed a game since the 1984 season. In 2005, Hill was honored by CoSIDA as the Bob Kenworthy Award recipient for his community service outside the profession. He was honored by CoSIDA again in 2009 when he was presented with the 15-Year Service Award. Prior to his appointment at Howard, Hill was a staff writer for the Winston-Salem Chronicle and the Black College Sports Page. He has also worked as a news aide and freelance writer for the Washington Post.
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