University of Houston Athletics
Athletics Department to Induct Nine into Hall of Honor
9/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | General
Sept. 29, 2010
HOUSTON - The University of Houston Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will recognize nine of its greatest during A Night with the Stars Hall of Honor Gala on Thursday, Nov. 4.
The Class of 2010 includes women's basketball guard Chandi Jones, diver Yulia Pakhalina, diving coach Jane Figueiredo, football offensive lineman Bill Bridges and running back Alois Blackwell, baseball centerfielder Ike Lucas, men's basketball forward Larry Micheaux, track and field and cross country head coach Johnny Morriss and golfer Kermit Zarley.
The group will be enshrined in the Athletics Hall of Honor during induction ceremonies beginning at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 4 at the Hyatt Regency - Houston (1200 Louisiana St.). Black tie is optional.
Following cocktails and a silent auction, a seated dinner will be served. Houston alumnus and longtime sports broadcaster Bill Worrell will lead the Gala's induction ceremonies as master of ceremonies.
"This class represents the rich tradition and history that is Cougar Athletics," Houston Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades said. "Each of these individuals has made an indelible mark on the University and brought recognition and prestige to the Cougars, our fans and this fine institution. Because of their achievements and accomplishments, all are deserving inductees, and we shall always hold each of them in high esteem in the annals of our history and be grateful for their contributions to our program."
TICKETS & RESERVATIONS
For persons interested in attending the Hall of Honor Gala, a variety of ticket and table options are available ranging from $175 for an individual ticket to the sponsorship of an entire table for 10 starting at $3,000.
A portion of the purchase price is a tax-deductible donation to Cougar Pride and helps fund student-athlete scholarships.
Reservations must be made by Oct. 28 to guarantee seating. Seating is determined in order by reservation date. Payment should be made to the University of Houston, 3100 Cullen Blvd., Suite 2011, Houston, TX 77204-6002.
For more information, fans can call Cindy Avery at (713) 743-4684.
HALL OF HONOR HISTORY
The Athletics Hall of Honor was created in 1971 to honor individuals and teams that brought distinction to the University of Houston through their endeavors as student-athletes, coaches, administrators and friends of the Athletics Department.
Since 1971, 87 individuals and one team have been inducted into the Houston Athletics Hall of Honor. The event is held every two years.
MEET THE CLASS OF 2010
Alois Blackwell
Football * 1975-77
As the Cougars' No. 1 running back during the 1976 and 1977 campaigns, Blackwell blasted his way to 2,467 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns in just three seasons of play. In 1976 as Houston was blazing its way to the Southwest Conference championship in its first year in the league, Blackwell collected 934 yards and eight scores while racking up four 100-yard rushing games. More impressively, three of those four century games came in the final three games of the regular season, when the Cougars needed three wins to capture the league title.
In his senior year in 1977, Blackwell racked up six more 100-yard games, finishing the year with 1,169 yards rushing, which at the time was the fifth-best rushing output in Cougar history. Again, it was his play down the stretch, when Houston was in the running for a post-season bowl berth, that brought the best out in Blackwell, as he rushed for 100 yards in each of the final four games of the season.
A fourth-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1978 NFL Draft, Blackwell played two seasons in the NFL. Blackwell later worked in the Houston Department of Intercollegiate Athletics as both an academic counselor and later an assistant athletics director before serving seven years as the athletics director at Texas Southern.
Bill Bridges
Football * 1968-69
Bridges was the second consensus All-American at the University of Houston. The key blocker in head coach Bill Yeoman's explosive Veer-T attack, he served as a pulling guard to open holes for running backs and dominated any potential pass rushing threats.
He was the Houston Chronicle Player of the Year following his 1969 All-America season and preceded that with a 1968 Honorable Mention All-America campaign. The Cougars averaged 339 yards on the ground and 537.8 total yards per game during his two years as a starter. The 1968 team remains the only team in NCAA history to average more than 300 yards rushing and 200 yards passing per game.
Jane Figueiredo
Diving * 1983-86
Few in collegiate athletics can boast of the resume as both a student-athlete and a coach as Figueiredo.
As a student-athlete, Figueiredo lettered at Houston from 1982-86. She was a five-time All-American and finished as the NCAA national runner-up on the 1-meter springboard in 1984. That same season, she captured the Southwest Conference championship on the 3-meter springboard and competed for Portugal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
When her diving days were finished, Figueiredo moved into the coaching ranks and quickly earned a reputation for guiding top divers every year. She was coached divers in the last three OIympic Games and last two World Championships. On the collegiate level, she has guided divers to the NCAA Championships with nine divers receiving 30 All-America honors.
During her coaching career, she has been named the NCAA Diving Coach of the Year four times and was named the Conference USA Diving Coach of the Year nine times, every year the league has presented that honor.
Figueiredo enters her 21st season of coaching at Houston in 2010-11, making her the longest tenured active head coach in the Department.
Chandi Jones
Women's Basketball * 2000-04
Jones, who closed out her collegiate career in 2004, is heralded as one of the best basketball players ever, male or female, to attend the University of Houston. The 5-10 guard from Bay City, Texas, led the Cougars onto the national stage during her four-year career. She was named Conference USA's Female Athlete of the Decade in 2005 as well as the league's basketball Player of the Decade and earned a slot on the C-USA All-Decade Team.
Jones was the school's first Kodak All-American in 2004 as well as three-time C-USA Player of the Year (2002, 2003, 2004). She earned First-Team All C-USA honors in each of her four seasons and is UH and C-USA's all-time leading scorer with 2,692 points. That mark is good for 15th on the NCAA career-scoring list. She led the NCAA in scoring average in 2003, averaging 27.2 points a game, while her career average of 23.6 points per game is the highest in C-USA history.
Jones reached double figures in an NCAA-record 114-straight games, scoring in double digits every game in which she played. Jones led UH to a nearly 70-percent winning percentage, as Houston was 88-38 (.698) during her career. She led UH to the 2004 C-USA regular season and tournament titles, both firsts for the Cougars. She earned MVP honors at the 2004 C-USA Championship.
Her jersey was retired on Feb. 5, 2005, the first such honor for a UH women's player. She also became the first UH women's player to be selected in the first round of the 2004 WNBA draft when she was chosen eighth overall by the Phoenix Mercury.
Ike Lucas
Baseball * 1965-67
Manning centerfield for the Coogs, Lucas led the 1967 squad to championship game of the College World Series. His superb play didn't go unnoticed as he was named to the CWS All-Tournament Team, one of only two ever in the history of the program.
The All-American set a then single-season record during his sophomore when he finished the season with a .398 batting average.
Johnny Morriss
Track and Field/Cross Country Head Coach * 1955-75
A native Houstonian, Morriss was the second track and field and cross-country coach at the University of Houston. He began the program in 1955 and retired in 1975. Morriss helped bring cross country to the region, and his teams excelled at the sport with the NCAA national championship in 1960.
The cross-country teams finished in the top 10 with regularity and were the powerhouse of the region. His track teams finished in the top 15 at the NCAA Championships four times during his reign. Morriss was an accomplished athlete in his own right.
Among the notable athletes Morriss coached was Olan Cassell the 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 4×400m relay, and 1972 Olympian and Cougar alumnus Leonard Hilton. During his tenure at Houston, Morriss also served as president of the track coaches association from 1969-70.
He was a 1928 U.S. All American and set the world record for the 70-yard indoor hurdles in 1929. He was a member of the 1932 Olympics and won the national AAU hurdle championship with a world record time of 14.3.
Larry Micheaux
Men's Basketball * 1979-1983
The Houston native was a stalwart of the Phi Slama Jama teams. Although he received less accolades than his high-flying brothers, Micheaux was a key cog of the dunking machine teams from 1979-1983.
He started 107 games during that span, which is good for seventh most in Houston history, and that stretch of time is unquestionably the strongest teams that Houston fans have ever seen. He was also the first player to start four years as a Cougar.
Micheaux was a valuable member of the Cougars postseason runs, being selected to the 1982 and 1983 NCAA Regional All-Tournament Teams. His most memorable performance in a Houston uniform happened as he propelled the Cougars past Villanova in the 1983 Midwest Regional Championship by setting career highs in points (30) and blocks (6) while also pulling down 12 rebounds.
The 6-9 center/power forward remains in the top-10 lists for field goal percentage (fourth - .587), blocked shots (ninth - 132), games played (ninth - 123) and minutes played (ninth - 3,418). Micheaux was chosen as a 1983 All-America Honorable Mention as well as Second Team All-SWC. His 1,324 points stands as the 18th most in Houston history.
Micheaux was selected as the 29th overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft.
Yulia Pakhalina
Diving * 2001-03
Pakhalina established herself as possibly the greatest female student-athlete in school history from 2001-03.
In three seasons at Houston, Pakhalina captured a school-record five NCAA individual national championships. She won 64 of the 66 collegiate diving events in which she entered as a Cougar with the only losses coming during the finals of the NCAA Championships.
From January 2001 to March 15, 2002, she won all 36 diving events in which she competed and she never lost on the 3-meter springboard during her career.
Talented in and out of the water, Pakhalina was the 2004 C-USA Women's Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete Award recipient and swept both the 1-meter and 3-meter events at
She has represented her native Russia in three Olympic Games, winning gold in the 3-meter synchronized diving in 2000, silver and bronze in 2004 and silver in 2008.
Kermit Zarley
Golf * 1961-63
Zarley was a leader of Cougar Golf during the program's early days. He captured the 1962 NCAA individual national championship and remains one of only seven players in school history to accomplish that feat.
He continues to rank among the Cougars' top-10 leaders in career scoring average.
