June 9, 2006
ORLANDO - Five former Golden Knight greats, including Lucy McDaniel, the volleyball coach that led UCF to a national championship, have been chosen to make up the 2006 class of the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame. Baseball player Jason Arnold, football coach Alan Gooch, football player Rick Hamilton, McDaniel and basketball player Sinua Phillips represent nearly every era in the history of UCF athletics from the 1970s through the early 2000s and will be enshrined at a ceremony hosted by the UCF Alumni Association and the Golden Knights Club at the Fairwinds Alumni Center on campus Oct. 12.
Arnold pitched for UCF from 1998-01 before being drafted in second round by the New York Yankees. He was a four-time first-team All-Atlantic Sun performer. He earned freshman All-America honors in 1998 and was named All-American in 2001. He helped UCF win back-to-back regular season A-Sun titles and make back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances in 2000 and 2001. He is UCF's all-time leader in appearances, relief appearances and saves and is second all-time in wins, strikeouts and ERA. He is the school single-season record holder in strikeouts per nine innings and is second in season strikeouts, wins and saves.
Gooch began his 25-year tenure at UCF as defensive back in 1981 and then spent 21 seasons as an assistant football coach, starting in 1983. He finished his UCF coaching career as the Golden Knights' interim head coach at the end of the 2003 season. He earned AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 1995 for his coaching work with Dwight Collins, who was deaf. He also coached two All-American running backs and UCF Athletics Hall of Fame members - Willie English and Marquette Smith. After leaving coaching, he spent one year as the head of the Golden Knights Club before entering private business.
Hamilton played linebacker from 1989-92 and is the school's all-time leader in tackles with 443. He recorded more than 100 tackles three of his four seasons and has the second-highest single-season tackle total with 149. He holds the school record for the longest interception return (97-yard touchdown). He is tied for third in career interceptions with eight. He was drafted in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins and played for the Redskins and several NFL teams, including the New York Jets. He is a former member of the Orlando Predators and was named MVP of the Arena Bowl in 1998.
McDaniel was the first coach in UCF volleyball history, leading the Knights to an impressive 236-34 (.795) mark from 1975-79. She coached some of the best teams in school history, including the 1978 squad that finished a perfect 55-0 and captured the AIAW Small College Championship. The 1977 team (56-6) and the 1979 club (54-5) also reached the AIWA Small College Championship games. McDaniel has the most victories in school history and owns the best winning percentage of any UCF volleyball coach. She also formed and coached UCF's first softball team in 1975 and led the team through the 1978 season, registering nearly 100 wins.
Phillips played point guard from 1990-94 and was an integral member is UCF's first NCAA Division I Tournament team in 1994, when the Golden Knights posted a 21-9 record and won the A-Sun Tournament. He led UCF in assists each of his four years at UCF and holds the single-season and career records for assists with 183 and 531, respectively. He also scored 1,028 points and is the only player in school history to score more than 1,000 points and dish out more than 500 assists.
A nine-member hall of fame selection committee, comprised of representatives of the UCF faculty, Golden Knights Club, Alumni Association, local media and the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame, trimmed the original list of 56 nominees to 16 finalists. Ballots were then sent to all current UCF Athletics Hall of Fame members and their votes were combined with the votes of fans from an online poll and the selection committee and to determine the 2006 class of the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame.
The UCF Athletics Hall of Fame was formed in 1998 to honor those individuals who, through their demonstrated athletics achievement or service, have distinguished themselves and the University. Since then, a total of 36 people have been inducted. Eligible categories for inclusion are former UCF athletes, coaches and administrators. Athletes must wait four full academic years from the completion of their eligibility, while coaches and administrators are immediately eligible upon the completion of their tenure at UCF.
The induction ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. The cost is $45 per person for Golden Knights Club donors and UCF Alumni Association members and $50 for all guests. For more information or to reserve a seat, interested parties can call the UCF Alumni Association at (800) 330-Alum or (407) UCF-Alum (4653).
UCF Athletics Hall of Fame Members
Member, Sport(s), Class of
Michelle Akers, Soccer, 1998
Amy Allmann, Soccer, 1999
Jason Arnold, Baseball, 2006
Tim Barker, Baseball, 1999
Sean Beckton, Football, 2000
Bo Clark, Basketball, 1998
Mike Clark, Basketball, 2001
Torchy Clark, Basketball Coach, 1998
Tamika Coley, Basketball, 2001
Daunte Culpepper, Football, 2002
Robert Damron, Golf, 2002
Winston DuBose, Soccer, 2000
Willie English, Football, 2003
Tim Foskett, Baseball, 2002
Rony Francois, Soccer, 2005
Gerry Gergley, Wrestling Coach, 2003
Bill Giovanetti, Football, 2000
Alan Gooch, Football Coach, 2006
Franco Grilla, Football, 2005
Mike Gruttadauria, Football, 2004
Rick Hamilton, Football, 2006
Tyra Harper, Volleyball, 2004
Shawn Jefferson, Football, 2002
Dennis Kamrad, Rowing Coach, 2003
Ken Leeks, Basketball, 2004
Cal Lingelbach, Basketball/Baseball, 2001
Lucy McDaniel, Volleyball/Softball Coach, 2006
Renata Menchikova, Volleyball, 2002
Susan Patz, Basketball, 2000
Sinua Phillips, Basketball, 2006
Tari Phillips, Basketball, 2003
Jerry Prather, Basketball, 1999
David Rhodes, Football, 2003
Karen Richter, Soccer, 2000
Heikki Ritvanen, Soccer, 2004
Frank Rohter, AD, 2005
Johnny Rouse, Wrestling, 2005
Jim Rudy, M&W Soccer Coach, 2001
Scott Ryerson, Football, 2002
Laura Smith, Volleyball, 1999
Marquette Smith, Football, 2005
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