CIAA introduces the 2003 Hall of Fame Inductees

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association announces the 2003 Class of the John B. McLendon Hall of Fame. Philanthropist, Tom Joyner; national acclaimed Baseball Coach powerhouse, Marty Miller; decorated Athletic Administrator, Dick Price and CIAA record holder and NBA Legend, Rick Mahorn are this year’s inductees. The honorees will be officially enshrined on Friday, February 28 at 11:30 am at the Marriott Crabtree in Raleigh, NC.

Marty Miller, Norfolk State University, Baseball player and coach
Marty Miller’s determination to succeed can first be measured by his outstanding accomplishments as a member of the Spartans Baseball Club. During his matriculation, not only did he lead the nation in doubles, but he was also named the All-CIAA Baseball Player of the Year (1967-68). In 1968 he earned the prestigious award of NCAA College Division All-American, the first Division II player in history to receive this award. Upon his graduation, he quickly signed with the professional baseball team, the Minnesota Twins in 1970.

Miller’s college baseball triumphs can only be surpassed by his present coaching record. He began his collegiate coaching career in 1973; he has led his teams to 12 post-season appearances, produced six All-Americans, and had 17 players to sign professional contracts. While in the CIAA, Miller earned 17 CIAA Baseball Championships and was named Coach of the Year 15 times. Miller is now in his 30th season as the Head Coach at Norfolk State University, maintaining a career record of 682-476-3. He is currently the 23rd winningest coach in Division II history and the holds the CIAA record at 584-374-3 as CIAA winningest Baseball Coach. For his exceptional achievements in coaching, he was honored with the Century Club Award in 1998 and the Louisville Slugger Award for Excellence in Coaching for five consecutive years (1993-97). The Louisville Slugger Museum located in Louisville, Kentucky, has Marty Miller’s name engraved on five Louisville Slugger bats located in the wood bat factory. In 1997, NSU honored Miller, making him one of the few coaches in the country to have a stadium named after him.

Dick Price, Norfolk State University, Football &Track Coach and Administrator
With a phenomenal record of 62-41-4, including three Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football championships as the head coach of the Norfolk State Spartan Football Program, Price became the school’s most successful football coach. Not only was he a successful leader in football, elevating 53 players to the professional level, as the Spartan Head Track and Field Coach, he also guided his team to two consecutive NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships, while developing Olympic Gold Medalist, Steve Riddick and other All-Americans.

In 1975, Dick Price was the first recipient of the Virginia Beach Sports Club’s “Director’s Award”, an honor only given to a sports personality in the Hampton Roads area who demonstrates integrity and a profound character. Named “Sports Figure of the Decade”, Price was honored by the Virginian-Pilot Sports Writing staff in 1979.

In 1989, Price, who has dedicated over 35 years to cultivating youth into successful adults, became the Athletic Director of Norfolk State University, where his name currently distinguishes the university’s football stadium. It was in this year that his NCAA Division II colleagues deemed him CIAA Athletic Director of the Year. In 1997, Price was an Inaugural Inductee of the Hampton Roads African-American Sports Hall of Fame and was named Sportsman of the Year of the Norfolk Sports Club. In 2001, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.

Tom Joyner, Philanthropist
Joyner's success as a radio personality and philanthropist has earned him several awards and honors, including four Billboard Magazine's Best Urban Contemporary Air Personality Awards and Impact Magazine's Joe Loris Award for Excellence in Broadcasting. Joyner was named Impact's Best DJ of the Year so many times that this honor has been renamed the Tom Joyner Award. Other notable honors include the congressional Black Caucus' Mickey Leland Humanitarian Award, 100 Black Men's Man of the Year Award, the NAACP's President's Award, and the Harold Washington Award for his tireless efforts in the Census 2002 campaign.

As Savoy Magazine's 2002 Person of the Year, Joyner uses his national influence to enlighten and empower African-Americans, as well as other minorities. The Tom Joyner Foundation, a charitable 501c3 non-profit organization, was started in 1997 for the sake of African American students in need at Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the nation. The foundation has raised more than $12 million to date for this single cause. Each month in 2003, the Tom Joyner Foundation focuses its fundraising efforts towards a different HBCU; including such CIAA schools as St. Augustine’s College, Elizabeth City State University, and Livingstone College.

Rick Mahorn, Hampton University, Basketball and NBA
Throughout his matriculation at HU from 1976-80, Rick Mahorn had proven to be a dominant force by breaking numerous records. The CIAA All-American broke various season and career records while playing for Hampton including most points scored (game 48 vs. St. Augustine’s College, season 865, career 2,418), scoring average (season 27.6, career 20.3), field goal percentage (season .567, career .535), free throws made (career 454), rebounds (game 28 vs. Winston-Salem State University) and games played (4 years- 119) just to name a few. His unmatched contribution to the team, and conference earned him 13 All-American team selections in one year. His honors include All-CIAA (3 consecutive years; 1977-80), CIAA Player of the Year (1978-79), All-CIAA Sportswriter’s Association (1977-80), Basketball Weekly All-American First Team (2 consecutive years; 1978-80), National Association of Basketball Coaches (DIV. II) All-American Second Team (1978-80), All-State First Team (1977-80), All NAIA District 29 (1977-78) and District 19 (1978-80), NAIA District Player of the Year (1978-80) and Associated Press All-American (1978-79). By 1980, Mahorn broke the field goal and rebounding record of former Washington Bullets’ star Bob Dandridge who at that time played for the Norfolk State Spartans.

Not only did he receive recognition for his dominance on the court from more than a few pro-scouts, he also earned a place in CIAA Tournament history for the most rebounds in a career (145, set in only 3 years) and the most field goals in a game (21). Throughout the tournament, Mahorn scored an amazing 79 pts and 35 rebounds; making it the second year in a row he led the tournament in both scoring and rebounding.

The three-time All-American’s contribution to HU did not go unnoticed. Rick Mahorn was the first player to get drafted out of Hampton.
His NBA career consisted of playing for the Washington Bullets, Philadelphia 76ers, and leading the Detroit Pistons to two National Championships as an essential player in the “Bad Boy Regime.”