ELON COLLEGE, NC -- Elon College announced Wednesday the inductees for the 2000 class of its Sports Hall of Fame. The honorees will be assistant football and head wrestling coach Mickey Brown, sports publicist Luther Byrd, tennis player Stefan Hager, soccer player Chris Pedalino and baseball player Steve Walker.
Brown served the football program as its defensive line coach for 18 years (1967-1978, 1991-96), helping Elon to a 126-68-3 record (.647), eight conference championships, five district titles and two national runner-up finishes. As the school's head wrestling coach for 10 seasons, he directed the squad to a 55-35 mark (.611) and a pair of district championships. Brown was honored twice as the district coach of the year in wrestling.
Byrd joined the Elon faculty in 1949, and for 20 years he directed all of the institution's publicity and public relations efforts. In 1969, he taught a full load of history courses for six years until his retirement in 1975. During his career at Elon, he served the school as its sports publicist and as the advisor of The Maroon and Gold, the long-time award-winning campus newspaper.
Hager was a first team all-American for Elon's 1990 NAIA championship tennis team. The 1990 graduate was a national doubles champion along with teammate Roland Thornquist. The two-time SAC player of the year was also a four-time all-conference and four-time all-district honoree.
Pedalino earned all-America status twice while taking turns as a midfielder and a defender on Elon's first four women's soccer teams. The 1990 graduate also earned all-region distinction. As a member of the institution's inaugural squad, Pedalino's leadership and contributions helped to pave the way for the program's foundation.
Walker, a 1949 Elon graduate, earned all-conference accolades three times and all-state recognition once. The two-year team captain made the transition from third base as a freshman to second base as a sophomore. Walker helped his sophomore and junior teams to conference runner-up finishes and his senior squad to the league title.
The 2000 Elon Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the campus' Fine Arts Center as part of Elon's Homecoming weekend activities.
-- ELON --