DURHAM, NC - North Carolina Central University will induct 11 individuals and three teams into the Alex M. Rivera Athletic Hall of Fame during a banquet on Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Millennium Hotel in Durham, N.C. 
     The NCCU Alex M. Rivera Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2006 includes Melvin Bassett (Track - 1971-74), a seven-time track All-American and four-time National Champion; Evangela Booker (Cross Country/Track - 1991-94), an eight-time track All-American and two-time CIAA cross country champion; Ron Draper (Track), a five-time track All-American and member of the 1971 NAIA National Champion 440-yard relay team; Gerald Patton (Football - 1982-85), a three-time All-CIAA offensive lineman; Joe Simmons (Football - 1990-93), NCCU's all-time leading rusher with 2,840 career ground yards, including a school record 1,699 yards rushing in 1993; Richard Wilkins (Football - 1954-55, 1959-61), an All-CIAA and All-American running back who holds the school record for the longest kickoff return (102 yards vs. Shaw, Oct. 28, 1961); John Barbee, a four-year football starter and 1972 All-MEAC selection as a defensive tackle; Kevin Holloway, a business leader and contributor to NCCU Athletics; Tony Medlin, an award-winning equipment manager with the NFL's Chicago Bears who served in the same capacity at NCCU from 1978-86; Eric Montgomery, a three-year NCCU football team captain who is the president of the Charlotte NCCU Alumni Association and a contributor to Eagle Athletics; and Kyle Serba, a four-time recipient of the CIAA Sports Information Director of the Year Award who is now in his 13th season as SID at NCCU.
     The three teams to be inducted are the 1954 football team, winners of the CIAA Championship and the Black College National Championship; the 1974 track and field team, winners of the MEAC Championship and the fourth place finishers at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships; and the 1975 tennis team, winners of a third straight MEAC Championship.
     On Saturday, Oct. 21, the new inductees will be introduced during halftime of the football game between NCCU and Langston University at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. Kickoff is 1:30 p.m.

North Carolina Central University 
Alex M. Rivera Athletic Hall of Fame
Induction Class of 2006

ATHLETES

MELVIN BASSETT
Track (1971-74)
1971 - Ranked #5 in U.S. among 400 Intermediate Hurdlers
1972 - Ranked #10 in U.S. among 400 Intermediate Hurdlers
1974 - Ranked #9 in U.S. among 400 Intermediate Hurdlers
1971 - National Champion NCAA Division II 440-Yard Intermediate Hurdles (51.3)
1971 - Runner-up NCAA Division I 400-Meter Hurdles Championships (50.3 seconds)
1974 - Runner-up NCAA Division I 400-Meter Hurdles Championships (50.71 seconds)
1972 - Winner, NAIA 440-Yard Intermediate Hurdles (50.5 seconds)
1971 - Placed 5th in U.S. Track & Field Championships 440-Yard Hurdles (50.5 seconds)
1972 - Placed 4th in U.S. Track & Field Championships 440-Yard Hurdles (50.7 seconds)
1972 - Penn Relays Participant in World Record Sprint Medley Relay & Collegiate Record Mile Relay
1972 - NAIA Mile Relay Championship

EVANGELA NIKO BOOKER
Cross Country/Track (1991-94)
CIAA Cross Country Champion (1991, 1992)
Eight All-CIAA Citations in Indoor/Outdoor Track
Eight-time NCAA Division II Track All-American
NCAA Outdoor National Championships (Placed 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994)
NCAA Indoor Championships (Placed 1992, 1994)
Team MVP Track & Field (1992, 1993, 1994)
Team MVP Cross Country (1991, 1992)
Scholastic Award Cross Country (1991, 1992)
Ross E. Townes Scholar-Athlete Award
NCCU Captain's Award Cross Country (1991, 1992)
NCCU Captain's Award for Indoor/Outdoor Track (1991, 1992)

RON DRAPER
Track
1971 - Ranked #6 in World in 120-Yard Hurdles by Track & Field News
1970 - Ranked #9 in U.S. in 120-Yard Hurdles by Track & Field News
1970 - Placed 3rd  in NCAA Division I 120-Yard High Hurdles Championships (13.8 seconds)
1971 - Placed 2nd  in NCAA Division I 120-Yard High Hurdles Championships (13.7 seconds)
1971 - Placed 2nd at U.S. Track & Field Championships in 120-Yards High Hurdles (13.3 seconds)
1971 - Member of NAIA Champion 4x100-Meter Relay Team (40.4 seconds)
Graduate of NCCU Law School
Owns Law Firm in Chicago, Illinois

GERALD L. PATTON
Football (1982-85)
All-CIAA First Team Offensive Line (1984, 1985)
All-CIAA Second Team Offensive Line (1983)
Represented the CIAA in the 1986 Freedom Bowl (Atlanta, Georgia)
Signed Contract with Memphis (Tenn.) Showboats of U.S. Football League (June 1986)
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice

JOE SIMMONS
Football (1990-93)
Rushed for NCCU Single-Season Record 1,699 yards in 1993
Only Eagle to rush for more than 1,200 yards in one season
NCCU Single-Season Scoring Record (102 points/17 TDs; 1993)
Voted First-Team All-CIAA and Second-Team All-America in 1993
NCCU Career Record for Rushing Yards (2,840)
Only Eagle to run for more than 250 yards a game

RICHARD WILKINS
Football (1954-55, 1959-61)
1961 - Pittsburgh Courier All-American Halfback - Second Team
1961 - CIAA All-Conference First Team Halfback
1961 - Team's Top Scorer with 50 Points (8 Touchdowns, 2 Points after Touchdown)
Among School's All-Time Career Rushing Leaders with 1,049 yards
Holds Record for Longest Kickoff Return in School History (102 yards vs. Shaw, Oct. 28, 1961)
Co-Captain of 1961 Football Team
Assistant Football Coach at NCCU in 1963
 

MERITORIOUS SERVICE

JOHN A. BARBEE, JR.
Four-Year Starter as a Defensive Tackle, Special Teams (1969-73)
1972 - First-Team All-MEAC Defensive Tackle
1972 - Team won MEAC Championship
1972 - #1 in NCAA College Division in Rushing Defense
2002 Empire Who's Who Empowering Executives & Professionals
Vice-President of the Greensboro Alumni Chapter
Member of the $1,000 Eagles 

KEVIN HOLLOWAY
Who's Who Among University and College Students
C.T. Willis Business Administration Club
President, Monsanto Dairy Business
NCAA Orientation Panel - Indianapolis
Outstanding Business Leader Award - St. Louis, MO

TONY MEDLIN
1997 - Head Equipment Manager for the NFL Chicago Bears
1987 - Assistant Equipment Manager for the NFL Chicago Bears
2000 - Received the Whitey Zimmerman Award as the NFL's Top Equipment Manager
Head Equipment Manager for NCCU Football Team (1982-1986)
Equipment Manager for NCCU Football and Basketball Teams (1978-1982)
Graduated from NCCU in 1982 with a B.S. Degree in Therapeutic Recreation

ERIC A. MONTGOMERY
President, Charlotte Chapter of NCCU Alumni Association
American Bar Association; State Bar of Michigan; National Bar Association (Active Member)
1987 - Pre-Law Award Recipient
1987 - Graduated Cum Laude - Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
NCCU National Alumnus Scholarship Recipient
Duckwilder Memorial Scholarship Recipient
Gregory Newton Academic Scholarship Recipient
Douglas Airlines Scholar/Athlete Award
3-Year Captain of NCCU Football Team (Center/Offensive Line)

KYLE E. SERBA
Sports Information Director at NCCU (12 years at time of induction)
Four-time CIAA Sports Information Director of the Year Award (1997, 1999, 2000, 2006)
President, CIAA Sports Information Directors' Association (2000-04)
President, North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (2004-06)
CoSIDA National Publications Contest Award Recipient (2002, 2006)
Mentor to Aspiring Sports Information Directors
 

TEAM

1954 Football Team
1954 CIAA Champions - Repeat CIAA Champions from 1953
1954 National Black College Champions

1974 Track & Field Team
Placed 4th at 1974 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Won MEAC Track & Field Championship

1975 Tennis Team
Three Consecutive MEAC Championships (1973, 1974, 1975)

The NCCU Alex M. Rivera Athletic Hall of Fame induction class of 2006 is recognized during halftime of the 
"Hall of Fame Game" on Saturday (Oct. 21). From left to right are John Barbee, Evangela Booker, Ron Draper, Kevin Holloway, Tony Medlin, Eric Montgomery, Gerald Patton, Kyle Serba, Joe Simmons, Richard Wilkins, 
and members of the 1954 football team. (Photo by Robert Lawson)