NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State University Athletics Foundation (NSUAF) is proud to announce its nine-member NSUAF Sports Hall of Fame induction class of 2010. All nine members were former star athletes at NSU.
This year's class includes former football players Marty Conner, James Flowers and Steve Graeff, track athletes James Doughtie and Debbie Dunn, basketball players Charles Bonaparte and Suawana Taylor, volleyball player Angela Freeman and baseball player Mel Wearing.
In addition, the Virginia Lottery will receive the NSUAF 2010 Community Ambassador Award.
The NSUAF Sports Hall of Fame Brunch and Induction Ceremony is Saturday, June 12, at 11 a.m. at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott Hotel. Individual tickets are $50 and tables of 10 are $500. For more details, call (757) 823-2667 or 823-8152, or email NSUAF Executive Director Craig Cotton at jccotton@nsu.edu.
Following are brief bios on each inductee:
Charles Bonaparte, men's basketball, 1965-69 (posthumous)
Bonaparte was an integral part of the 1968 CIAA title team and played for two other teams which finished as runners-up. The Spartans went 88-16 in his four years. Bonaparte was a third-round draft choice of the San Diego Rockets in the 1969 NBA Draft. He still holds the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (PIT) single-game record of 59 points.
Marty Conner, football, 1993-96
Conner ranks fourth in school history in receptions, with 120, and is fifth in receiving yards, with 1,661. He was a CIAA All-Rookie Team member as a freshman in 1993, and teamed with fellow inductees Aaron Sparrow (QB), James Roe (WR) and Darius Blount (WR) to form the most prolific passing attack in school history.
James Doughtie, men's track, 1974-78
Doughtie ran a leg on NSU's NCAA Division II national championship 440-yard relay team in 1976 that set a new meet record at the time, of 40.44 seconds. He helped the Spartans win three consecutive CIAA team titles.
Debbie Dunn, women's track, 1997-2000
Dunn was the school's first-ever Division I female track & field All-American. In 2000, she was the NCAA indoor runner-up in the 200 meters and was sixth at the NCAA outdoor meet in the 400 meters. Dunn has gone on to a lengthy professional career with USA Track & Field, and recently won the gold medal at the 2010 World Indoor Championship in both the 400 meters and the 4x400 relay.
James Flowers, football, 1974-77
Flowers, who played defensive back, was named a Pittsburgh Courier, Associated Press, and Mutual Black Network All-American in 1976. He also earned All-CIAA honors that year, helping NSU to the last of its three consecutive CIAA titles. Flowers also played basketball for NSU.
Angela Freeman, women's volleyball, 1980-84
Freeman was NSU's first-ever scholarship recipient in volleyball. She was a first-team All-CIAA selection her last two seasons and was also selected Miss NSU in 1982.
Steve Graeff, football, 1973-76
Graeff, who played quarterback, helped lead the Spartan football team to three consecutive CIAA football championships from 1974-76. He was an All-CIAA performer in 1974 after throwing 11 touchdowns for a run-oriented squad. Graeff was also an All-CIAA catcher for the Spartan baseball team.
Suawana Taylor, women's basketball, 1998-2002
Taylor ranks sixth all-time in program history in scoring (1,584 points) and rebounds (884). She was named to the All-MEAC first team and named MVP of the MEAC Tournament as a senior in 2002, when she led the Spartans to their first MEAC title and NCAA Division I Tournament berth.
Mel Wearing, baseball, 1986-89
Wearing was a three-time CIAA MVP who owns a slew of school records, including best career batting average (.431), most home runs (35) and most RBI (167). He was a two-time NCAA Division II All-American (1987 and '89) and was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 24th round of the 1989 MLB Draft.
