ALICE LLOYD COLLEGE HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

 

Athletic Hall of Fame inductions began at ALC on October 11, 1980, when basketball players Kathy Sergeant and Eddie Salyers were inducted.  On November 14, 1981, basketball players Danny Johnson, Ronnie Slone and Denise Moore Davidson were inducted.  On November 13, 1982, basketball players Eddie Gibson, Jimmy Hopkins, Garry Fields, Jasper Sumner, Sonja Meade Holbrook and Karen Duff Hall were inducted. 

 

On October 11, 2003, ten more inductions were made.  Basketball players:   Robbie Russell, David Martin, Henry Webb, Rick Conley, Robert Marcum, Pam Valentine Cox, and Katrina Hacker Short ; Baseball players:   Bob Braden and Scott Cornett; and former men’s and women’s basketball coach Charlie Whitaker.

 

In addition to having an outstanding college career, inductees must meet several other criteria.  They have to have been out of college for at least five years.  They must have been in good academic and social standing at ALC.  They must be in good standing in the community.

 

This year we will be inducting twelve new members into the ALC Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

Our first inductee ran Cross Country at ALC from 1990 thru 1993.  She advanced to the NAIA National Tournament Championships for 3 straight years, a very notable accomplishment.  In addition, she was also named Scholar Athlete of the Year at ALC.  She is the first cross country runner to be inducted into our Hall of Fame.  Congratulations to Ms. Darla Anderson Whitehead (originally from Princeton, WVA).

 

Our next inductions are from the sport of baseball.  This gentleman played at ALC from 1983 thru 1987.  He was a .347 lifetime hitter.  He also won 12 games as a pitcher.  He pitched, played shortstop, third base and second base during his career and is considered to be one of the best defensive players ever to wear an Eagles uniform.  He finished his career in the top 10 in Hits, Runs scored, Doubles and RBI’s.  Congratulations to Mr. Randy King. (Originally from Kite, KY, Knott Co.).

 

Our next inductee played baseball from 1984 thru 1988.  He finished his career with the lowest earned run average in the Eagles history at 3.12.  He finished second in total wins with 18 and second in strikeouts in our school’s history.  He also threw the school’s first no hitter in 1988 against Clinch Valley College.  He also served an assistant baseball coach at ALC for several years after graduation.  Congratulations to Mr. Danny Rice (Leslie Co.).

 

Our next player inductees are from the sport of basketball.  Our first basketball inductee played for the Lady Eagles from 1990 thru 1994.  She was highly recommended by her former coach, John Mills.  During the ’91-’92 season she averaged 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists  per game while playing the  point guard position .  She finished her career with 1,704 points, which ranks her second on the all time points list.  She also had over 900 rebounds and around 400 assists.  Congratulations to Brenda Hamilton Curry (Teaberry, Floyd Co). Brenda’s plaque was presented by her former coach, John Mills.

 

This gentleman played at ALC from 1978 thru 1980 when we were still a junior college.  He was also named a NJCAA All-American while playing for the Eagles.  During the 79-’80 season, he scored 425 points for a 15.7 average.  In addition to being a very prolific scorer, he  was one of the most athletic players ever to wear an Eagles uniform.  He was Insurance Commissioner for the state of Kentucky for several years and currently serves on the ALC Board of Trustees.  Congratulations to Mr. George Nichols  (Bowling Green, KY).

 

Our next inductee played for the Eagles from 1982 thru 1985.  He was one of our best players during the early years of the transition from a junior college to a four year school in the very tough KIAC.  He finished his career playing in 96 games, scoring 1,651 points and attaining nearly 500 rebounds and over 200 assists.  Congratulations to B.B. King (Knott Co, Kite).

 

Our next inductee grew up on Caney Creek and played basketball for the Eagles from 1987 thru 1991.  His speciality was his three point shooting, but his stats proved that he was also a very good all around player.  He holds the school record with at least one three pointer in 72 straight games.  He led his team in assists in ’88 and in scoring in ’89 and was named team MVP in ’89.   He played in 105 games, scored 1636 points, had 536 assists and over 400 rebounds in his career. Congratulations to Mr. Daryl Slone (Pippa Passes, KY, mention Elmer as well).

 

Our next inductee played basketball from 1992 thru 1996.  He was a true point guard with exceptional leadership skills.  He always made the big play.   He finished his career playing in 120 games.  He scored 1,544 points and had 311 rebounds.  He led his team in assists in ’95 and ’96 and is the Eagles All-time leader in assists with 698.  He also holds the school’s record for most assists in one game with 16.  He was named to the TVAC All-Freshman team in ’93 and All Conference in ’96.  In addition, his teams advanced to the NAIA National Tournament all four years of his career.  Congratulations to Mr. Shawn Hager (Belfry, KY).

 

These next three gentlemen were coaches at Alice Lloyd College.  They follow Charlie Whitaker, who was inducted last year, as the only coaches inducted into our Hall of Fame.

 

Our first inductee began working at ALC in 1977.  He began our baseball program in 1979.  There was no baseball field. His teams practiced at various sites including the Hindman Settlement School and at Caney Elementary.  The first few years all games were played on the road.  They then started playing home games at McVey Park in Hazard and were still playing there when he stopped coaching in 1986.  He put in the time and effort and laid the groundwork necessary to make our baseball program the successful program that it is today.  Congratulations to Coach Bill Melton (Galax, VA) for being inducted into the ALC Athletic Hall of Fame..

 

Our next two inductees were directly involved as coaches of the Eagles basketball teams for fifteen years, beginning in 1983.  Mr. Joe Stepp was head coach from 1983 thru 1985.  From 1985 thru 1989, Joe was the head coach and and his brother Jim was associate head coach.  From 1989 thru 1996, Jim was head coach and Joe was associate head coach.  After leaving the job for several years, Jim became head coach again from 1998-2000.  While coaching together from 1985 thru 1996, the Eagles had a record of 230 wins and only 117 losses while competing in the KIAC and the TVAC conferences.  Their teams advanced to the NAIA National Tournament Championships in 1992-93, 93-94, 94-95 and 95-96.  The Eagles were highly ranked in the country each year during these four seasons. Both of these gentlemen served as Athletic Director during their tenures.  Congratulations to Mr. Joe Stepp for being inducted into the ALC Athletic Hall of Fame (Inez).  Congratulations to Mr. Jim Stepp for being inducted into the ALC Athletic Hall of Fame (Inez).

 

 

--NEWS RELEASE—

                                                

ALICE LLOYD COLLEGE ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS

 

Alice Lloyd College Athletic Hall of Fame Inductions took place on October 8 as part of the annual Appalachia Day Homecoming festivities.  Five former athletes were inducted into the Hall of Fame representing the sports of baseball, men’s basketball and women’s basketball.

 

Todd Stevens and Jamie Couch were inducted from the sport of baseball.  Todd played at ALC from 1990 thru 1994.  He was a .362 lifetime hitter.  He hit .411 in 1993.  He is considered one of the best hitters to ever play baseball at ALC.  He played  the outfield  during his career and was considered to be a very good outfielder.  He finished his career with 48 stole bases, which is in the top ten in school history.  He scored 104 runs, which is third in school history.  He was a two-time Team MVP.  He was also 1st team All-Conference in 1993 & 1994.  Todd is originally from Ashland, KY and he attended Boyd County High school.  His plaque was presented to him by his former coach, Scott Cornett.                                                                       

 

Jamie played baseball from 1991 thru 1995. He finished  with a .331 batting career batting average.  He finished his career with 92 runs, which is fifth in school history.  He is presently third in school history in RBI’s with 111.  He was 1st team All-Conference in 1993 & 1995.  He won two gold gloves during his career. He also had 5 wins and 4 saves as a pitcher. He was a very good catcher, first baseman, shortstop, and outfielder.  He was a very versatile player.

Jamie is originally from Hindman, KY and Knott Central High School.  His plaque was also presented to him by Coach Cornett, his former coach.

 

Nehi West played baseball and basketball from 1987 thru 1991.  He is the first dual sport inductee into the ALC Athletic Hall of Fame. 

 

In baseball, he finished his career with a .310 batting average.  He presently holds the school record with 75 stolen bases.  He was Team MVP in 1990.  He was Honorable-Mention All Conference 1989 and 1990.  He is considered as one of the top defensive infielders in school history.  He  won two gold gloves during his career. 

 

In basketball, he finished his career by playing in 101 games.  His teams won 78 games and lost only 38 during his career.  He scored 676 points and had 277 rebounds.  As a point guard, he led his team in assists in 1989, 1990 & 1991.  He finished his career with 569 assists, which currently ranks third.  In 1991, he was voted as his teams best defensive player.   According to his former coaches, he also worked very hard to make himself into a very good three point shooter.  Nehi is originally from Salyersville, KY and  he attended Magoffin County High School.  His plaque was presented to him by his former basketball coaches, Joe and Jim Stepp and his former baseball coach, Coach Cornett.

 

 

 

 

 

Russell Clark and Rhonda Whitaker Sizemore were also inducted from the sport of basketball.

 

Russell played for the Eagles from 1990 thru 1994.  He played in 116 games during his career.  His teams won 95 games and lost only 33 during this time.  His teams advanced to the National Tournament during his last two years.  He scored 1,941 points at ALC, placing him sixth on the all all-time list.  He also had 478 rebounds and 235 assists.  He was an outstanding three point shooter.  He holds the school record for three point field goals made in a game with 11 and in three point field goals made in one season with 408.  In 1994, he led his team in scoring, was team Co-MVP, was an All-Conference performer and was named the TVAC Player-of-the-Year.  He was also an Honorable-Mention All-American in 1994. Russell is originally from Pikeville, KY and he attended the former Mullins High school.  His plaque was presented to him by his former coaches Joe and Jim Stepp. 

 

Rhonda Whitaker Sizemore played center for the Lady Eagles basketball team from 1984 thru 1988.   She was a four year starter who finished her career at ALC with 1,469 points, which currently ranks her fourth on the all time list.  She was a two year Team Captain. She led her team in rebounding two years. She was a two year Team MVP and a three year KIAC All-Conference and District 32 performer.  Rhonda is originally from Hyden, KY and she attended Leslie County High School.