 
|
Dec. 16, 2003 The University of Maryland Eastern Shore has nominated thirty-two candidates for the 2004 Athletics Hall of Fame Induction, to be held during this year's Homecoming festivities the weekend of February 21st. Among the nominees are some very notable ex- Hawk athletes, including: Kirkland Hall (Baseball - Princess Anne, MD) who lettered in both baseball and basketball during his four years at UMES. Hall was an All-MEAC baseball selection his junior and senior years. In basketball, Hall played point guard for 3 ½ seasons during which time his teams amassed a record of 72-19. Kirkland Hall's 26-year coaching career at UMES is the longest tenure of any coach, and he is currently the schools all-time winningest baseball coach with 125 wins. He was the first UMES athlete to be selected as a member of the MEAC Sports Hall of Fame, and has served as a student, athlete, coach, administrator and instructor at the institution. Kenny Simmons (Basketball - Bronx, NY) was selected to the All-MEAC basketball first team as a freshman in 1976, as well as in 1977 and 1978. He was also selected as an AP-All American, All NAIA, All American District 19, and NAIA All American Honorable Mention, all in his sophomore year. Ira "Dude" Smith (Baseball - Chestertown, MD) was a two-time NCAA batting champion and was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1991. He had a career batting average of .330, and was selected to the All-MEAC baseball team twice during his career. He was considered the most consistent hitter ever to don a Hawk uniform. Ralph Esquillan (Football - Millville, NJ) accumulated 1652 yards with 483 attempts for a total of 3.4 yards per carry. He is still listed as one of the MEAC All-Time rushing leaders. Jack Bryant (Basketball - Philadelphia, PA) was selected to the 1971-72 All-MEAC basketball team, and was a member of the 1968-69 team that finished 2nd in the nation in the NAIA tournament. He was a career double-double athlete who averaged 16 points and 13 rebounds per game. The 1973-74 UMES Men' s Basketball Team was MEAC Champion, an N.I.T. Quarterfinalist, and the first Historically Black College Team to be invited to the N.I.T.
Below is the complete list of the nominees for the 2004 UMES Hall Of Fame Induction (listed alphabetically): |
