Living in the hall of fame
Andrew Davidson, Staff Writer
You could be the greatest. You could be the best. You could be the king kong banging on your chest. North Greenville University has a hall of fame, and it is possible for you to be on it.
This year, NGU celebrated 50 years of being part of NCAA Division II and for many sports, competing in the Conference Carolinas. Looking back at the history of NGU athletics, students can appreciate awards granted and records broken by athletes. Many students, however, do not know that NGU has its own hall of fame.
Located on the athletics website, the NGU hall of fame is dedicated to recognizing all the athletes who went above and beyond in their careers. Each year a handful of students are inducted each year and presented with the award of a place in the hall of fame for their accomplishments.
Regardless of their graduating class, those inducted into the hall of fame are joined as the hall of fame class of that year. For example, the hall of fame class of 2019 consisted of seven former athletes, the oldest being class of 1969. Their induction has been archived in an article.
Each class is inducted via a ceremony hosted by the president where they are awarded the promotion.
To be considered for the NGU hall of fame, an athlete must have excelled in their sport and stood out among not just their team, but all other athletes in the school.
As an example, 2019 inductee Freddie Martino was a multisport athlete who broke many school and national records both in high school and in college.
Martino was a quad-sport athlete in high school. He excelled in football as well as track and field at NGU, where he put his name in the record book more than any other name.
According to an article written by LaVern Howell, Martino has the most receptions in a single game and single season. He has the most single season receiving yards gained with 1,680.
Each year athletes are inducted into the hall of fame and although it is not easy, it is still possible for current students to be chosen after their career.
For students who are interested in NGU athletics championship history, the athletics website has every game, tournament and championship archived.
Trophies are visible for all to see in the lobby of Hayes Gymnasium as well, showing all the tournaments NGU athletics have won throughout the years.
Many coaches keep trophies in their offices and for students who are interested, coaches love to show off their wins.
For all NGU athletic fans, the hall of fame is an excellent way to see the history of the best athletes to have played, and why they made it.
