ARKADELPHIA, Ark.—Continuing the tradition of honoring outstanding student-athletes, Ouachita Baptist University will induct its newest members into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Feb. 26.
Ouachita’s 2010 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees include the 1964-65 men’s basketball team, OBU’s first team named to the Hall of Fame, as well as five individual athletes.
Ouachita’s 2010 Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet will begin Friday with a 5:15 p.m. reception in the university’s Walker Conference Center. The reception will be followed by a 6 p.m. banquet and induction ceremony.
Ouachita alumnus Rex Nelson, the voice of OBU Tiger football for 30 years, will serve as the evening’s emcee. Nelson, a popular conference and banquet speaker, is senior vice president of government relations and public outreach for The Communications Group, a Little Rock-based marketing and public relations firm.
The 2010 Hall of Fame class will join 31 other Hall of Fame members honored by Ouachita since 2003. This year’s Hall of Fame inductees include:
-The 1964-65 Tiger basketball team. Coached by Bill Vining, Sr., the team compiled a 27-10 season record and won the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference championship. The team also finished third in the nation in the 1965 NAIA Tournament.
-Carol Bollinger, women’s basketball and tennis, 1968-70. Bollinger, a graduate of Royal High School in Brookshire, Texas, was a key player on the Tigerettes’ basketball team which earned two Arkansas AAU championships.
-Robert Cornelius, men’s basketball, 1965-68. Cornelius, a graduate of Lincoln High School in Camden, Ark., broke the athletic racial barrier at Ouachita as the first African-American student-athlete to play at Ouachita and in the AIC.
-Larry Wooldridge, Tiger football, 1966-69. Wooldridge, a graduate of North Little Rock High School, was a three-time All-AIC defensive back.
Two Hall of Fame inductees will be honored posthumously:
-E.J. Outley, track, 1971-74. Outley, a native of Hughes, Ark., earned All-AIC track honors.
-Roger Patillo, baseball and basketball, 1967-69. Patillo, from Poplar Bluff, Mo., earned both All-AIC and All-America honors in baseball.
“Ouachita’s Hall of Fame committee feels these individuals and their performances effectively represent the era in which they played,” said OBU Athletic Director David Sharp. “We are honored to recognize them for their outstanding accomplishments.”
Tickets are available for the Feb. 26 Hall of Fame banquet and reception at a cost of $25 per person. To order tickets, contact Diana Barnes at (870) 245-5397 or barnesd@obu.edu.
Ouachita Baptist University, a top-ranked private Christian liberal arts university in Arkadelphia, is a member of the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference. The university currently sponsors 14 intercollegiate athletic teams for men and women, including men’s and women’s soccer, tennis and swimming & diving as well as men’s baseball, basketball, football and golf and women’s basketball, cross country, softball and volleyball. University officials have announced plans to add men’s wrestling and women’s golf this fall.
