The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/223560
What They Said At The Hall Of Fame Ceremony Tommy Burleson, Men's Basketball "What means so much to me is the opportunity to go into the Hall of Fame with my coach, Norm Sloan. He was such an inspiration to me. He pushed me. He made me better. I was very blessed to have some great coaches in my career, like Roger Vance and Bruce Daniels in high school, Coach Sloan here at NC State, Henry Iba in the 1972 Olympics, along Don Haskins, Don Bock and Ed Badger. In the NBA, I had Bill Russell in Seattle, Cotton Fitzsimmons in Kansas City and Hubie Brown in Atlanta. I don't know a player who has been that blessed ever to be associated with that many great coaches. I owe a lot of my career and development to those coaches, and Norm was a big part of that." Mike Caldwell, Baseball "It's a tremendous honor individually for me to be the first baseball player inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. I will accept any honor from the university as recognition, not just for me, but for the teams I played on. That's especially true of the 1968 club that was the first NC State team to go to the College World Series, because it was certainly a group effort. I think baseball is becoming a premier sport at NC State, as it is around the ACC. It's one of the places that high school players who don't sign pro contracts are interested in going to hone their skills before they go on to professional baseball. That was certainly true for me, because I grew so much and gained so much valuable experience while I was here that helped me in my professional baseball career." her sport, no matter the competition. The former Miss Basketball in the state honed her skills at both Reynolds Coliseum and Carmichael Gym, where she competed not only against her teammates but also against some of the best men's basketball players in school history. "To be able to be out there to play the way we knew how to play, to have the guys welcome you as a player, not a women's basketball player but a basketball player, was a great learning experience for me," the longtime WNBA star said. "That gave me the edge over the other women. I am thankful for every moment of them knocking me down and picking me up and pass- Steve Gregg, Swimmer "It's really quite a humbling honor. I think there are 12 NC State swimmers who were among the ACC Top 50 Silver Anniversary team, so to be the first Wolfpack swimmer to be inducted into our hall of fame really is almost overwhelming. I feel a great deal of responsibility for it, because there are so many other people, like [coach] Don Easterling and [former NC State swimming coach and athletics director] Willis Case, who made it possible. It's really humbling." Torry Holt, Football "Being inducted into the second class of the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame means so much to me. What I got at NC State was a chance, when others weren't really willing to give me one. NC State stuck with me when I went to prep school and had a place for me when I was ready for college. They gave me an opportunity to do that when a lot of people didn't think I was going to get my scores and get into school. I'd like to think that I worked hard and made the most of the opportunity the school gave me." Betty Springs Geiger, Women's Cross Country/Track And Field "Being at NC State when I was here [1979-83] was such an exciting time.We won the national championship as a team when I was a freshman, and I was just so happy to be part of that team. No one really expected us to win, and then we repeated it the next year. I treasure all the memories I have of being on those teams. There are so many great athletes that have competed at NC State, it is a great honor to be included in this select few. I am so glad the school started this Hall of Fame. It's been exciting to get out the scrapbooks and remember all the things we went through. I appreciate the friendships I made during that time more as I get older." Andrea Stinson, Women's Basketball "Being a female athlete back then was harder, but very rewarding.We were still in a time where we had to go out every day and earn respect. Coach [Kay] Yow helped with that because so many people respected her and what she did here at NC State. But we had to prove ourselves, too. I think we earned the respect of the people here on campus, whether it was the guys on the men's team or the fans. There were times — like the game we played against Tennessee and the triple-overtime game we played against Virginia — that Reynolds Coliseum was full to the rafters. That showed me we had earned the respect of the people here. To be in the Hall of Fame, following Coach Yow and [inaugural inductee] Genia Beasley means a lot to me." Sylvester Terkay, Wrestling "If you asked me 20 years ago, I couldn't even tell you that I was going to be on the team, much less be an ACC or NCAA champion. But going into the Hall of Fame is a testament to Coach [Bob] Guzzo, who helped me develop. I can't express my gratitude to be able to stand here with so many great athletes and great people. It's like coming home after being gone for 20 years. It's a humbling experience." Torry Holt, shown with chancellor Randy Woodson and athletics director Debbie Yow, explained how much being inducted into the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame meant to him. photo courtesy nc state media relations ing me the ball and allowing me to play. "They respected me as an athlete, and that's about the best thing you could ask for as a women's college player." Springs earned immediate respect as a member of back-to-back Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national championships. When the NCAA took over as the governing body for women's athletics, Springs won the 1981 NCAA cross country title, in the first women's championship the NCAA ever hosted. For Springs, though, all the individual awards paled in the opportunity to accomplish something with her teammates, which included inaugural NC State Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Julia Shea Sutton and her sister Mary Shea. 22 ■ the wolfpacker 20-22,24.Hall Of Fame.indd 22 12/5/13 3:35 PM