Counselor, coach among new Athletics Hall of Fame members

Volume 13, No. 3/2005

Counselor, coach among new Athletics Hall of Fame members

Nine new members were named to the University of Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame during ceremonies in November at the Bob Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center.

One of the most accomplished swimmers in UD history, she earned All-American honors eight times during her career and was part of two of the most outstanding Fightin’ Blue Hens teams ever for then-head coach Edgar Johnson. A 1983 UD graduate, she led the Hens to a four-year dual meet record of 48-2, which included an all-time UD athletics record of 42 straight wins. Coy was a member of the AIAW national champion 200 freestyle relay team and the fourth place 400 freestyle relay team in 1981 and earned All-American honors in six other events.

Playing quarterback, Brunner led UD to the NCAA Division II national title in 1979. He was an American Football Coaches Association All-American and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year in 1979. That year, he threw for 2,401 yards and a then-school record 24 touchdowns in leading the Hens to a 13-1 record and a national championship game victory over Youngstown State. A 1980 UD graduate, Brunner was selected in the sixth round of the National Football League draft by the New York Giants and enjoyed a solid six-year professional career. He was inducted into the NCAA Division II Hall of Fame in 2002.

He led the Hens to national prominence in the 1940s, becoming the first UD player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a career (1,120). He still holds the school record for yards per carry in a season (12.2). Cole led UD to the 1946 national small college championship and earned a spot on the 1948 Associated Press All-American team. A 1949 UD graduate, he also was a standout in basketball and baseball and earned 11 varsity letters. He enjoyed an outstanding high school coaching career at William Penn High School in New Castle, Del., where he served as head football coach for 25 years.

One of the most exciting athletes in any sport in UD history, he was a high-flying forward in basketball and a record-setting high jumper. Known for his breathtaking dunks, Coles was a four-year starter for the men’s basketball team, leading UD to a 27-4 record, the North Atlantic Conference title and the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1991-92. He was a three-time All-North Atlantic Conference selection and finished his career ranked among the top five all-time UD leaders in points, rebounds and blocked shots, and set a still-standing school record with 146 dunks. In track, he set the school high jump record (7 feet, 3-1/4 inches) and went on to earn All-American honors with a fifth-place finish at the 1990 NCAA championships.

A member of the UD professional staff and faculty, the late Janice Jordan Coleman was a pioneer in the area of academic counseling for scholar-athletes. An assistant professor in the Department of Educational Development, she was appointed the first director of Student Services for Athletes program in 1990 and served in that capacity for eight years. She served as a counselor, mentor and friend to hundreds of scholar-athletes. She died in 1998 and her husband, Jesse Coleman, a substance abuse counselor at UD’s Center for Counseling and Student Development, accepted the award in her honor.

The fastest man in UD track and field history, McCreary was a record-setting sprinter during his four-year career with the indoor and outdoor teams. He still holds outdoor records in the 100 meters (10.33), 200 meters (21.00) and sprint medley relay (3:25.6), all set during the 1980 season. McCreary won four East Coast Conference sprint titles during his career, capturing the 100 meters in 1978, the 200 meters in 1980 and the 400 meter relay in 1978 and 1980. He led the UD outdoor team to three straight ECC team titles in 1978-80. A 1980 UD graduate, he is the only sprinter in school history to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

An outstanding athlete in the early years of UD women's athletics and later one of its most successful coaches, Perry played a major role in the growth of Blue Hen athletics. A 1973 graduate, she earned a master's degree in 1978 after serving as a two-year captain in basketball and lettering for the first tennis and field hockey teams in school history. Named UD’s second women's basketball head coach in 1978, she served for 18 seasons, the longest tenure in school history. Perry led the Hens to a record of 266-212, with six straight winning seasons from 1987-93 and three straight East Coast Conference titles in 1989, 1990 and 1991. Perry was named ECC Coach of the Year in 1984 (22-4) and 1989 (23-6).

A standout for the first UD women's indoor and outdoor track and field teams, she moved on to a stellar career as one of the top distance runners in America. A 1981 UD graduate, she competed at the AIAW outdoor nationals in the mile run in 1979 and 1980, placed fifth in the 1,500 meters at the 1980 EAIAW outdoor regionals and established still-standing school records in the indoor 880-yard run (2:17.9) and mile run (4:51.6) and in the outdoor 880-yard run (2:21.0) and 1,500-meter run (4:23.0). After her career at UD, she competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials three times. She won a gold medal in the 3,000 meters at the 1987 Pan Am Games and was national champion in the 3,000 meters at the U.S. Track and Field Outdoor Championships in 1986 and 1987.

A standout two-sport athlete, she led the UD women’s lacrosse team to three national titles as a dominating defender and was a three-year standout at forward for the field hockey team. A 1984 UD graduate, she helped the lacrosse teams win consecutive AIAW national lacrosse titles in 1981 and 1982 and the NCAA national championship in 1983. She earned Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association All-American honors in 1983, was a two-time All-East Coast Conference selection, twice was named to the national all-tournament team and was a member of the national team. In field hockey, she led UD to two ECC titles and a third-place finish at the NCAA championships in 1982.