ATLANTA, GA - The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ("SIAC") will induct Fort Valley State University Wildcats Lonnie Bartley, Greg Lloyd and Tyrone Poole into its first Hall of Fame class since 2000, and honor a heralded group of more than 15 former student-athletes, coaches and administrators.
THE HALL OF FAME CENTENNIAL CLASS:
Lonnie Bartley (Fort Valley State): As the head women's basketball coach, Bartley took the Lady Wildcats basketball program to new heights. In his 28 seasons as head coach, Barley led FVSU to 11 SIAC Championships, which included a conference record 28 wins in one season. With over 600 wins on his resume, Bartley is the all-time winning women's basketball head coach in black college history.
Greg Lloyd (Fort Valley State): A standout at Fort Valley State from 1983-86, Lloyd was a three-time All-SIAC selection and was also named SIAC Player of the Year in 1986. Lloyd was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round of the 1987 draft, and played 10 seasons with the storied franchise. During his career, Lloyd was named AFC Player of the Year in 1994, while earning numerous Pro-Bowl selections from 1992-1996.
Tyrone Poole (Fort Valley State): As a member of the Wildcats football team, Poole was an All-SIAC First Team selection during his junior season and senior seasons in 1993 and 1994. In addition, he was named SIAC Defensive Player of the Year in 1994, and was named All-American by the Associated Press and the American Football Coaches Association. A first round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers, Poole started 12 out of the 14 seasons he played in the NFL. The Division II football Hall of Fame member also is a two-time Super Bowl champion as a member of the New England Patriots.
"In conjunction with the one hundredth anniversary of SIAC, and on behalf of the SIAC Council of Presidents, we are pleased and honored to announce this Hall of Fame Class which features some of our most renowned former student-athletes who have distinguished themselves both on and off of their respective fields and courts of play."
The group will be inducted at the SIAC Centennial Hall of Fame Gala on March 5th, 2014 in Birmingham, Alabama. The event will take place the week of the SIAC Centennial Basketball Tournament, which will also be played in the Magic City the week of March 3-8, 2014.
The inductees were selected by the SIAC Hall of Fame Selection Committee, a body of athletic administrators representing former and current member institutions.
Shannon Sharpe (Savannah State) and Deacon Jones (South Carolina State), a pair of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees, along with Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Andre "The Hawk" Dawson (Florida A&M), and former Temple University head basketball coach John Cheney, headline the class of inductees that will be introduced as the SIAC's centennial Hall of Fame Class.
Other Inductees include: Betty Austin (Alabama A&M), Hampton "Hamp" Smith (Albany State), Clemon Johnson (Florida A&M), Willie "Galloping Gal" Galimore (Florida A&M), William Nicks (Morris Brown), Donn Clendenon (Morehouse), Harold Ellis (Morehouse) and Samuel "Herc" Goodwin (South Carolina State).
