SHIPPENSBURG, PA -- It was learned today that Elon University head football coach Al Seagraves will be one of seven people inducted into the Shippensburg University Athletic Hall of Fame on October 11, 2002.

Seagraves, who graduated from Shippensburg in 1975, was a standout football player for the Red Raiders from 1971-1974. In his senior season, he was elected team tri-captain and proceeded to lead Shippensburg to its first winning season in six years. The squad went 7-4 and challenged for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division title. He set a team single-season record for tackles that year with 156. That number is now the seventh highest total in Shippensburg football history. He also intercepted two passes for 12 return yards and led the team in fumble recoveries with three. His career total of six fumble recoveries is the fourth highest in team history.

After the season, Seagraves earned many post-season honors. He was named first team All-PSAC Western Division and first team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference at linebacker. The ECAC embraced dozens of teams from Maine to Virginia. He also was a first team selection on the Associated Press' All-Pennsylvania team. That all-star team consisted of mainly major college players and Seagraves was rated with the best players from Penn State and Pittsburgh.

Seagraves lettered as a freshman tailback and then played both fullback and halfback in Shippenburg's wishbone offense in 1972. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry on 53 attempts (221 yards total) despite missing two games with an injury.

In 1973 Seagraves switched to linebacker and quickly established himself as one of the top players in the PSAC. He was named first team All-Conference for the first time in his career as he collected a team-high 105 tackles. He also intercepted two passes and was team co-leader in fumble recoveries with three.

Since taking over the Elon program, Seagraves has compiled a 35-32 record.

--ELON--