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| COURTESY FAMU ATHLETICS |
TALLAHASSEE, Florida – The Florida A&M University Sports Hall of Fame will induct seven new members during the 38th Hall of Fame Weekend, Friday and Saturday, September 6-7, 2013.
Five athletes will be enshrined, led by two-time NCAA three-point shooting champion Terrence Woods (2003, 2004), along with all-time softball pitching victories leader Amber Alford; stellar hurdler and sprinter Keshia King-Shields, along with a pair of gridiron greats, All-America receiver Cainon Lamb and star defensive end Jeff Grady.
Two supporters of athletics will be immortalized as well, retired Florida State trooper, Major Gilbert Brown, and long time university instructor and athletic events volunteer Lavada Tookes.
The enshrinement ceremonies will take place at the Alfred Lawson Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium on Friday, September 6 beginning at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the ceremony are $50 per person, and tables for eight persons can be purchased for $400.
On Saturday, September 7, the weekend continues with the President’s Hall of Fame Breakfast and Wall Of Fame Ceremony in the Lawson Center at 9:00 a.m., followed by a Pregame Reception at the FAMU Faculty Clubhouse at 3:00 p.m.
The seven honorees will be recognized during halftime ceremonies at the Hall of Fame Football Game between FAMU and Tennessee State at Bragg Memorial Stadium. Kickoff will be 6:00 p.m.
Founded in 1976 by the late athletic director Hansel E. “Tootie” Tookes, the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame has enshrined over 200 persons during the previous 37 years.
ALFORD, AMBER (Softball, 1997-2000) – A member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame (2010 Class), this Seattle, Washington native finished her career as the all-time pitching victories leader.
Alford won a school record 27 games in 1998, while compiling 17 victories on the mound as a freshman in 1997 and a junior in 1999, when she helped lead the Lady Rattlers to their first NCAA Regional appearance at Fresno State.
A two-time Black College All-American, a three-time All-MEAC selection and MEAC Rookie of the Year in 1997, Alford completed her career with 116 complete games in 140 starts, winning 75 games, while hurling 29 shutouts with 487 strikeouts and a 2.19 earned run average in 333.2 innings.
GRADY, JEFF (Football, 1974-77) – Jeff Grady was a star defensive end whose singular play helped the Rattlers to their last undefeated season and a Black College National Championship in 1977.
A native of DeLand, Florida, where he was the 1973 DeLand High Defensive Player of the Year in football, while earning letters in basketball and track, Grady came to FAMU and became a feared defensive end/outside linebacker.
In 1975, Grady cemented his reputation as a devastating defender, recording 15 solo tackles against archrival Bethune-Cookman and two quarterback sacks, earning Defensive Player of the Week from Jet Magazine.
He finished his career with over 250 total tackles, 20 quarterback sacks, five recovered fumbles, three interceptions, two returned for touchdowns.
Grady earned Pittsburgh Courier Black College All-America honors in 1977; was a two-time All-SIAC selection (1976, 1977); was twice named FAMU’s Defensive Player of the Year (1976, 1977) and was team Co-Captain of the 1977 undefeated championship team.
He was a starter in the first Canadian-American All-Star Football Game in 1978, then advanced to professional football, playing for the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns in the NFL, and Ottawa Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.
LAMB, CAINON (Football, 1997-99) – The wing man for Hall of Famer Jacquay Nunnally, FAMU’s all-time receiving leader during the Gulf Coast Offense Era, Miami native Cainon Lamb was a largely under appreciated part of the prolific Rattler attack.
In three seasons, the deeply religious Lamb finished with 204 receptions for 2,909 yards, catching 25 TD passes alone in his final two seasons.
Lamb led the club in receiving in 1999, with 65 catches for 1,032 yards and 13 TDs, to earn first-team All-MEAC and All-American honors. He was MVP of the 1999 Florida Classic, when he recorded 183 receiving yards, catching 3 TDs against the Wildcats.
Against Appalachian State in the Rattlers’ opening round NCAA playoff upset, Lamb had a team-high 10 receptions, as FAMU won, 44-19.
In 1998, Lamb helped lead the Rattlers’ high-flying offense to number one national rankings in scoring offense and total offense, when he made 74 catches for 1,131 yards and 12 TDs, finishing with 207 receiving yards against Southern, and 157 yards against North Carolina A&T.
His 32-yard, fourth down reception against South Carolina State in 1997, helped spark a fourth quarter 22-20 comeback win which led to the Rattlers eventually earning an NCAA playoff invitation.
SHIELDS, KESHIA KING (Women’s Track and Field, 1988-92) – A stellar performer for the FAMU Women’s Track program, Keshia King Shields was a three-time MEAC champion in the 55 meter hurdles and the 100 meter hurdles.
As a freshman (1988), the Orlando, Florida native set a conference record in the 55 meter hurdles indoor, blazing to victory in 7.57 seconds. She also won the 100 meter hurdles at the MEAC Outdoor championships, as well as the FAMU Relays, while running on the victorious women’s 4x100 meter relay team.
In her sophomore year in 1989, she swept the 55 meter indoor and 100 meter outdoor hurdles at the MEAC Championships, while defending her FAMU Relays title in the 100 meters.
As a junior in 1990, she won her third straight 100 meter hurdles title at the FAMU relays, while finishing a close second in the 55 meter indoors and 100 meter outdoors in the MEAC Championships.
King-Shields served a one-year stint in the Armed Forces from September of 1990 to August of 1991, before returning to competition for her senior year in 1992.
In that sizzling senior campaign, she recaptured the MEAC titles in the 55 meter hurdles indoors and the 100 meter outdoors, as well as winning the 100 meter hurdle title for the fourth time at the FAMU Relays, setting a meet and Pete Griffin Track record with a 12.83 clocking.
She also finished second in the 55 meter dash at the MEAC Indoor Championships and third in the 100 meter dash at the Outdoor Championships, where she was part of the 4x100 meter relay championship team.
In addition, King-Shields also competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning All-America honors after a sixth-place finish in the finals of 55 meter hurdles. She also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 100 meter hurdles, and was a quarter finalist in the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100 meter hurdles.
The 1995 graduate of Florida A&M, also had a lengthy professional track career, running 12 seasons both nationally and internationally.
WOODS, TERRENCE (2002-04) – A two-time NCAA single-season leader in three point shooting, Terrence Woods, a sharpshooting Tennessee native, helped lead the Rattler Basketball team to the 2004 MEAC Tournament championship and an opening round win over Lehigh University in the NCAA Tournament.
A transfer from the University of Tennessee, Woods knocked down 279 three-pointers in his two seasons (2003, 2004) at FAMU, hitting 139 triples in 2003 and 140 in 2004, both single-season school records.
Woods led the Rattlers in scoring both seasons, scoring at a 20.5 per game clip in 2003, and 20.3 per game in 2004, earning first team All-MEAC both seasons. He finished his two-year career with 1,203 points, for a career 20.4 per game scoring average.
His desperation three-pointer defeated Hampton University, 68-67 to propel the Rattlers to an opening round win in the 2004 MEAC Tournament, which they eventually won.
In 2003, he knocked down a school record 12 three-pointers in one game against Coppin State in Gaither Gymnasium, after scorching the University of Florida for nine (9) triples earlier in the season.
Following the 2004 season, Woods was invited to the NCAA Skills Festival as a participant in the three-point shooting contest. He captured the men’s title and the overall title, against the winner of the women’s division.
BROWN, GILBERT T. (Supporter * 1986-2008) – A tireless and dedicated law enforcement officer as a member of the Florida State Troopers, Major Gilbert T. Brown (ret.) served as the lead security officer for the Rattler Football team under three head coaches – Ken Riley, Billy Joe and Rubin Carter.
Brown provided personal security for the head coaches at all football games, traveling on road trips and staying with the coaches on the sidelines.
He made arrangements for police escorts for the teams to games, especially the Classic events, and was a trouble shooter who was ably capable of handling crisis situations when they arose.
Often, Major Brown covered his own expenses to insure that the football team had a proper security presence for away events.
TOOKES, LAVADA (Supporter of Athletics) - Lavada Jones Tookes has been a loyal supporter of Florida A&M University and FAMU Athletics for many, many years.
A Life Member of the FAMU National Alumni Association, she is a charter member of the South Dade County Chapter of the FAMU National Alumni Association.
She spearheaded a drive to raise $10,000 for FAMU Athletics in 1996, and assisted her late husband, Sports Hall of Fame founder and former Athletic Director, Hansel E. Tookes in completing a $20,000 pledge to the university.
Ms. Tookes also assisted in the establishment of a $100,000 endowment for Athletics and Health, Physical Education and Recreation at FAMU.
She has also served on the university faculty in health and physical education; served in the Athletic department’s academic advisement center; worked for one season as office manager for men’s basketball, while providing tireless and dedicated service for over 30 years at various FAMU sports events, particularly track and field.
COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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