Hall of Fame
The NSU Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 2007 as part of the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of NSU Athletics. The inaugural class was enshrined in a gala banquet ceremony on May 2, 2007.
NSU Athletics Hall of Fame Criteria
The NSU Athletics Hall of Fame Criteria (PDF) can be reviewed through the link.
To nominate someone for the NSU Athletics Hall of Fame, please click here.
Class of 2009
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| Class of 2009: (L to R) Christian Goffi, Craig Smith, Ryan Cobb, Kim (Eason) Needle |
Ryan Cobb
Men's Golf 1998-2002
Cobb was a member of the NSU men's golf team and helped lead the team to a Florida Sun Conference Championship in 2001. In 2002, he was named Florida Sun Conference Player of the Year and Region XIV Player of the Year. He was also named an NAIA All-American and captured the Regional Championship in that same year. Cobb holds the record for all-time wins with three. His top-10 all-time records include a 75.31 scoring average (2nd), a 79.9% finishing percentage (2nd), 13 par or better rounds (3rd), and 48 rounds played (7th). His individual season records include a 93.8% finishing percentage (1st), three wins (1st), 73.46 scoring average for 24 rounds (2nd), No. 22 national rating (2nd), and 10 par or better rounds (3rd). He owns the individual event records for best score-54 holes with a 3-under par (213) and best finish-54 holes with a 3-under par (70-72-71=213), both at the NAIA Region 14 Championship. His lowest round (3) score of 69 ranks 3rd. Ryan graduated from NSU with a degree in accounting. He is currently playing professional golf on the Nationwide Tour, which operates throughout the United State and internationally, including Panama, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. He resides in Vero Beach with his wife Sarah.
Kim (Eason) Needle
Softball, 1995-1998
Eason was a four-year first baseman/pitcher on the Knights softball team. She helped the team capture the Florida Sun Conference Championship and the NAIA SE Region XIV Championship in 1997 and 1998. Her 1997 team is tied for the program record with 24 consecutive games won. She was named Florida Sun Conference Player of the Year in 1998. She was a four-time FSC All-Conference Team player (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998), and a two-time NAIA Southeast All-Region Team selection (1997 & 1998). She captained the team and was named Most Valuable Player in 1997 and 1998. Eason owns the records for all-time walks with 94 and 1,116 putouts. She also ranks in the top-10 all-time with a .382 batting average (3rd), 137 runs (4th), and 35 doubles (5th). Her single-season top-10 records include a .440 batting average (2nd), 19 doubles (T-2nd), 426 putouts (2nd), 5 triples (T-3rd), 28 walks (5th), and 102 total bases (6th). Kim graduated from NSU with a degree in elementary education. She is currently the Library Director at American Heritage School in Boca Raton. She resides in Boca Raton with her husband Brian, son Dalton and daughter Gracyn.
Christian Goffi
Men's Soccer, 1996-1998
Goffi was a forward on the NSU men's soccer team and helped lead the team to a Florida Sun Conference Championship in 1997. He was named Florida Sun Conference Player of the Year in 1996. He was a three-time FSC All-Conference Team player (1996, 1997, 1998) and was named an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American in 1997. Goffi established himself as one of the top players in program history and is among the leaders on the single season list. He ranks first with 62 points, 28 goals, and 6 assists. He ranks amongst the top-10 with 98 shots (2nd) and 5 game-winning goals (3rd). He also holds the individual game records for most goals in a game (5) and most points in a game (12). His top-10 all-time records include 14 game-winning goals (1st), 128 points (2nd), 54 goals (2nd), and 20 assists (2nd). Christian graduated from NSU with a degree in computer information sciences. Following his career at NSU, he earned a master's degree in business administration at the University of Phoenix. He currently works as a Unified Communications Consultant at Nortel Telecommunications. In addition, he coaches youth soccer at the Weston Fury Soccer Club. He resides in Weston with his wife Natalie and daughters Samantha and Alexandra.
Craig Smith
Baseball, 1989-1992
Smith was four-year infielder for the Knights baseball team and helped lead the team to the NAIA District 25 Championships in 1991. In 1992, he was named an NAIA Academic All-American, NSU Athlete of the Year, and received the NSU Farquhar Award. He was also the recipient of the NSU Scholar-Athlete Award and the first recipient of the Craig H. Smith Programming Award from NSU Housing. Smith holds the record for all-time walks with 164.He also ranks in the top-10 all-time with 224 runs scored (2nd), a .502 on base percentage (2nd), 88 stolen bases (3rd), 671 at bats (5th), 229 hits (6th), and 8 triples (8th). His single-season top-10 records include 49 walks (3rd), 34 stolen bases (4th), 69 runs scored (4th), and 56 games played (7th). Craig graduated from NSU with a liberal arts degree. Following his career at NSU, he pursued a law degree at The Ohio State University, where he graduated cum laude. In 2007, he served as General Counselor for Florida's Agency for Health Care and as a special health care legal and policy advisor to Governor Charlie Crist's Administration. He was recently awarded Florida Trend's Legal Elite Award. He is currently a partner with Hogan & Hartson law firm. He resides in Tallahassee with his wife Joy, daughter Emma and son Michael.
Class of 2008
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| Class of 2008: (L to R) Claude Love, Sherri Waddell, Sherard Hernandez, Thomas Rongen |
Thomas Rongen
Head Coach Men's Soccer, 1991-1995
While at NSU, Thomas Rongen amassed an overall coaching record of 50-35-6, which at the time, made him the winningest coach in NSU men's soccer program history. He coached three NAIA All-Americans and a Florida Sun Conference Player of the Year and directed the Knights to the 1995 Florida Sun Conference Men's Soccer Championship.
He left NSU for an opportunity to become a head coach for the inaugural year of Major League Soccer in 1996. In his first MLS season, Rongen led the Tampa Bay Mutiny to a regular season title and was honored as MLS' Coach of the Year. He later became head coach for the New England Revolution for two seasons, before moving to the nation's capitol to become the head coach for D.C. United. He led United to the pinnacle of American soccer success, as they captured the 1999 MLS Cup Championship with the league's best regular season record of 23-9.
After a stint as head coach for MLS' expansion C.D. Chivas USA club, he was appointed head coach of the Under-20 United States men's national soccer team, whom he currently coaches. He guided the United States U-20 team to a 3-1-1 record at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2007.
Claude Love
Baseball Player, 1993-1997
Outfielder
Plantation High School
NSU Major: Business Administration
Claude Love was a four-year outfielder on the Knights baseball team and helped lead the team to Florida Sun Conference Championships in 1995 and 1997.
He was an NAIA First-Team All-American, and was named to the NAIA Southeast Region and Florida Sun Conference First-Teams in 1995, while also being chosen First Team All-District and First Team All-FSC in 1994.
Love established himself as one of the top players in program history and is among the leaders on the all-time list in numerous categories. He ranks first all-time with 299 hits, 63 doubles, 216 RBI, 477 total bases, 824 at bats and 226 games played.
He also ranks in the top-10 all-time with 21 triples (2nd), 200 runs scored (3rd), 26 sacrifice hits (3rd), 25 HR (4th), 116 walks (4th), 84 SB (4th), a .579 slugging percentage (6th) and .363 batting average (7th).
Love's single-season top-10 records include 226 at bats (2nd), .421 batting average (3rd), 61 games played (T-1st), 82 hits (T-5th), 19 doubles (T-3rd), 6 triples (T-4th), 67 RBI (2nd), 128 total bases (4th).
After graduating from NSU, Love played professional baseball for the Huntington Rail Kings Independent League team, and also served as an assistant baseball coach for the Knights and head coach Sonny Hansley.
Sherard Hernandez
Basketball Player, 1995-1998
Forward
North Miami Senior High School
NSU Major: Business Administration
Sherard Hernandez was a forward on the NSU men's basketball team from 1995-1998 and played in 121 games during his four years with the Knights. Hernandez was a four-time All-Florida Sun Conference selection and was named to the NAIA All-American Third Team in 1998-99.
In the 26-year history of the NSU men's basketball program, Hernandez ranks as the all-time leader with 1,882 career points and 832 career rebounds. He also holds several individual game records, as his 39 points, 17 total rebounds and 14 defensive rebounds rank as the top individual game outputs in men's basketball annals.
He also holds several top-10 single season records with 175 defensive rebounds in 1997-98 (3rd), 245 total rebounds (4th), 125 free throws (4th) and 169 defensive rebounds in 1998-99 (4th).
Sherri (Griffin) Waddell
Volleyball & Softball Player,
1995-1999
Volleyball Middle Blocker & Softball Centerfielder/First Baseman
St. Thomas Aquinas High School
NSU Major: Elementary Education
Sherri Waddell was a two-sport athlete for the Knights, as she excelled as both a volleyball middle-blocker and a softball centerfielder/first baseman from 1995-1999.
Her volleyball teams were Florida Sun Conference Champions in 1995 (24-8), Florida Sun Conference runners-up in 1996 (27-6) and SE Region runner-up in 1997 (27-11). She was an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American in 1996-97, Florida Sun Conference Player of the Year in 1996 and the NAIA Southeast Region Player of the Year in 1997. Waddell was a two-time FSC All-Conference Team player (1996 & 1997) and a two-time NAIA Southeast All-Region Team selection (1996 & 1997).
She is the NSU volleyball programs all-time leader with 135 block solos, 213 block assists and 348 total blocks. She also holds the single match record with 6 block solos.
On the softball diamond, her 1997 team was 33-13, the 1998 team was 49-7 and the 1999 Knights won a program-record 53 games (53-7), while all three years capturing the Florida Sun Conference & NAIA SE Region XIV Championships.
Waddell was named to the FSC All-Conference Team three times (1997, 1998, & 1999) and to the NAIA Southeast Region Team twice (1998 & 1999).
She ranks in the top-10 in the all-time softball record books with 11 homeruns (T-5th), 111 RBI (T-5th), 59 walks (4th) and 746 put outs (3rd). Her single-season top-10 performances include 448 put outs (1st), 50 RBI (3rd), 109 total bases (3rd), and 16 doubles (T-5th).
Class of 2007
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| Inaugural Class of 2007 from L to R: David Riley, Sonny Hansley, Dr. Abraham S. Fischler, Shannon Sawyer and Teofilo Cubillas, Jr. |
Teofilo "Coquito" Cubillas
Teofilo "Coquito" Cubillas, Jr. was a forward and team captain for the NSU men's soccer team for two seasons, after transferring from Division I power N.C. State. He was twice named First Team All-Florida Sun Conference (1999 & 2000) and NAIA First Team All-Southeast Region (1999 and 2000). Cubillas was named an NAIA All-American in 2000 and an Honorable Mention NAIA All-American 1999, as well as the Florida Sun Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Year in 2000. He was the team's leader in scoring, totaling 29 goals (4th all-time), 18 assists (3rd all-time) and 76 points (5th all-time), as he led the 1999 and 2000 men's soccer teams to NAIA Region XIV Championships, as well as two National Tournament Appearances. He holds the single-season record for game-winning goals with seven decisive strikes in 2000 and his 10 career game-winners ranks second on the all-time list. His 118 shots in 2000 are also a program record for a single-season. After his collegiate career came to a close, he became the first NSU player to be drafted by a Major League Soccer team when the Miami Fusion selected him in the 2001 MLS Super Draft. Teofilo graduated from NSU with a psychology degree and is a Coral Springs native.
Abraham S. Fischler
In the early 1980's, President Abraham S. Fischler and the Board of Trustees decided to try something new, establishing a sports program at Nova University. Men's basketball became the first intercollegiate athletic program at Nova University and competition began in the winter of 1982. Dr. Fischler served as NSU's President for over two decades, and was instrumental in nurturing the Athletic Department during the founding years. He recognized the importance of athletics and the formation of an athletic department as an integral component in the building of Nova Southeastern University. After 40 years at NSU, Abe still remains an active supporter of our Athletic Department, as a booster, athletics scholarship gold tournament participant, and an avid NSU sports fan.
Charles "Sonny" Hansley
As the first Director of Athletics and first Baseball and Men's Basketball Coach for Nova Southeastern University, Charles "Sonny" Hansley was a pioneer and key administrator in the development and growth of the NSU Department of Athletics. Sonny guided the athletic department for 12 years, as it grew from one sport to nine sports. NSU Athletic teams cemented themselves as top competitors in the Florida Sun Conference and garnered numerous accolades and titles during his tenure. Sonny served as President of the Florida Sun Conference from 1992-1994, and was named as the NAIA Male Athletic Administrator of the Year in 1992. He led the men's basketball team for six seasons as head coach and was head baseball coach for 12 seasons. As a baseball coach, his 1994 and 1997 teams were FSC Regular Season Champions, and his 1995 club was Florida Sun Conference Tournament Champions. Sonny was twice named FSC Baseball Coach of the Year (1994 and 1997) and compiled an overall baseball coaching record of 448-258-3 (.632 winning percentage).
David Riley
David Riley was a standout guard on the NSU men's basketball team, after previously playing at Broward Community College. Riley averaged 20 points per game and helped lead Nova Southeastern to a "Sweet Sixteen" appearance in the 1995 NAIA National Tournament. The 1994-95 squad finished with a #11 ranking in the final NAIA national poll, and was the only NSU men's basketball team to ever advance to the NAIA National Tournament. David was twice named FSC First-Team All-Conference (1993-94 & 1994-95), as well as being honored as the FSC Men's Basketball Player of the Year and NAIA Third-Team All-American in 1994-95. He ranks first all-time for points scored in a season with 711 and first all-time in free throws made in a season with 157; both during the 1994-95 season. His junior-season total of 619 points is third on the all-time list and his two-year total of 1,330 career-points ranks fifth on the NSU men's basketball all-time scoring list. To date, David's 1994-95 team holds the record for consecutive games won (9), and for the most wins and highest winning percentage (22-12 .650) of any team in the 25-year history of the NSU men's basketball program. David graduated from Nova Southeastern with a degree in psychology and hails from the Boca Raton area.
Shannon Sawyer
Shannon was a starting pitcher/infielder on the NSU softball team. She was an FSC All-Conference selection all four years and was named to the NAIA All-Region Team in 1996, 1997 and 1999. In 1999 she was team captain, team MVP, was named the FSC Softball Player of the Year and was selected as an NAIA First Team All-American. Shannon established numerous NSU softball pitching and hitting records that still stand. Her amazing single-season earned run average of 0.34 in 1999 and career era of 1.28 are the lowest in the 13-year history of the program. She ranks second all-time with 55 victories and 20 career shutouts. Shannon is NSU's all-time leader with 213 hits and 145 RBI, while ranking second all-time with 13 home runs and 44 doubles. In 1999 she established single-season standards with 77 hits, 57 runs, 122 total bases and a 453 batting average. Shannon graduated from NSU with both a bachelor's and a master's degree in accounting and hails from Pembroke Pines.
