ROCK HILL, SC–Winthrop Athletic Director Tom Hickman has announced that three former student-athletes, a coach, and two college athletic administrators have been selected for induction into the second class of the Winthrop Athletic Hall of Fame during a dinner on Friday, Jan.  21, in McBryde Hall on campus.

The six honorees include the late Norma “DeDe” Owens, a 1968 graduate who went on to gain notoriety on the LPGA professional tour and later served as an accomplished golf instructor;  Frances (Burns) Hogan, class of 1943, who served as the first coordinator of women’s intercollegiate sports at the University of North Carolina; Judy (Wilkins) Rose, class of 1974, who served as team captain of the Winthrop women’s basketball team for three years and now serves as athletic director at UNC Charlotte; Nield Gordon, Winthrop’s first men’s basketball coach and athletic director from 1978 to 1986; Bob Steer, class of 1981, a  former baseball pitcher and a 1980 NAIA All-American; and Jeff Greene, class of 1994, who earned the distinction as  track and cross country and was Winthrop’s first NCAA Division I All-America selection.   

Tickets for the induction dinner and ceremony, priced at $25 each, are now on sale and must be purchased by  Friday, Jan. 14 To reserve tickets, contact Sharen DuBard, director of the Eagle Club, at 803-323-2129 ext. 6218, or email her at: dubards@winthrop.edu.

"We are honoring a very distinguished and accomplished group of individuals in our second class of Hall of Fame inductees," said Hickman. "Our Hall of Fame has been established to honor former student-athletes, past and current athletic and university administrators, current and past coaches, and supporters of the Eagle’s athletic program who have made a significant and lasting impact on the school’s sports and athletic programs.  The class that we will induct in January has brought great recognition both to themselves and to Winthrop University."

Here is a closer look at each of the selected inductees:

Norma (DeDe) Owens

 A member of the Class of 1968, she competed in golf and basketball at Winthrop before going on to earn her master’s degree from UNC Greensboro and her doctorate in education from Virginia.

• She joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour and later became a teaching professional where she gained national recognition as one of the most popular golf instructors in the country.
• She was twice named LPGA Teacher of the Year in 1993 and 1997.
• She was selected as the Midwest Teacher of the Year five times.
• In 1997, she received the Ellen Griffin-Rolex Award for Teaching.
• In addition to her teaching honors, she co-authored seven books on golf and wrote numerous research articles.
• She taught professionally at Cog Hill Country Club in Chicago and served on the research and development staff of Callaway Golf Company until her death in 1999.

Frances (Burns) Hogan

• A member of the Class of 1943, she was selected by the Winthrop Athletic Association as one of the best all-around seniors in 1943.
• Following graduation from Winthrop, she became an instructor at the school and later joined the faculty and athletic staff at the University of North Carolina where she remained until her retirement in 1985. 
• While at UNC she coached basketball, field hockey and tennis, and became its first coordinator of women’s intercollegiate sports before being named associate athletic director.
• She was considered a pioneer in the development of competitive tennis for women in the state of North Carolina.
• She has been inducted into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame and the Sumter, South Carolina Hall of Fame.
• She has held various leadership positions in AIAW, North Carolina AIAW and the NCAA, and has been a nationally rated official in field hockey, tennis, volleyball and basketball.
• The North Carolina AIAW Tennis Trophy was named in her honor in recognition of her contributions to the development of that sport.

Judy Wilkins Rose

• A member of the Class of 1974, she was a four-year member of the Winthrop basketball team and served as team captain for three years.
• She helped lead her Winthrop teams to one AIAW national tournament, three AIAW regional tournament appearances, and the South Carolina AIAW championship.
• Following college she entered the basketball coaching profession and served as an assistant coach at Tennessee while earning her master’s degree.
• She began her head coaching career at UNC Charlotte.
• In 1981, she was named assistant athletic director at UNCC and served in that capacity until 1990 when she was named athletic director, becoming just the third female in the nation to hold such a post at that time.
• She served as tournament director for the 1994 Men’s NCAA Final Four and the 1996 NCAA Women’s Final Four played in Charlotte, NC.
• She became the first woman ever selected to serve on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament committee.
• In 1996, she was named the Woman of the Year in Charlotte.
• She has served on numerous boards and committees and served as President of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) in 2003-04.

 

Nield Gordon

 He served as Winthrop’s first men’s basketball coach (1978-1986) and compiled a record of 160 wins, 100 losses and a .615 winning percentage.

• His Eagle teams averaged 20 wins per season and his first Winthrop team built a record of 25 wins and 10 losses.
• His 1978-79 team became the first team to ever qualify for the NAIA District 6 playoffs in its first year of existence.
• He guided the 1980-81 team to a 31-8 record, becoming just the third team in South Carolina collegiate history to win 30 or more games in a single season.
• He reached the 100-victory plateau in just four seasons as he led the Eagles to a 104-43 record during that span.
• He played a significant role in the planning and construction of the Winthrop Coliseum during his tenure as athletic director.
• Coached Newberry College to NAIA National Championship game in 1976-77.

 Bob Steer

 A member of the Class of  1981, he was selected on the 1980

NAIA All-American 2^nd Team and All-NAIA Area 7 team as a

pitcher after helping lead the Eagles to the NAIA World Series 

and a 32-6 record in Winthrop’s first season of baseball.

• He ranks among Winthrop’s Top 10 career pitching leaders in four categories including Most Complete Games, Most Victories, Lowest Earned Run Average, and Most Innings Pitched while playing for the Eagles in only two seasons.
• His 12 complete games on the mound during the 1980 season is still a school single season record and his 17 career complete games ranks 3^rd all-time.
• He won a total of 20 games in his two seasons (1980 and 1981) to rank 6^th on Winthrop’s career list.
• He ranks 4^th on Winthrop’s career list for lowest ERA at 2.77 and ranks 8^th in most career innings pitched with 237.2.

Jeff Greene

• A member of the Class of 1994, he was the first Winthrop student-athlete to earn NCAA Division I All-American honors in 1994 for his performance in the indoor 5,000 meter run.
• He qualified twice for the NCAA championships in 1994 for indoor 5,000 meter run and the outdoor 10,000 meter run.
• He captured the 1994 Big South Conference individual cross country championship and the indoor 5,000 meter run in track.
• He earned the Most Valuable Performer Award during the 1994 Big South Conference Cross Country Championships.
• He is the school record-holder for the indoor 5,000 meters with a time of 13 minutes, 55 seconds in 1994, and the outdoor 10,000 meters with a time of 29 minutes, four seconds in 1994.