SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The 2013 class of the Trinity Athletics Hall of Fame will be inducted on Saturday, October 12, at halftime of the Tiger football game.
The 2013 inductees are: the 2000 men’s and women’s tennis teams; the 2003 women’s basketball team; the 2003 men’s soccer team; James Broach, men’s tennis; and the late Leslie Robinson, men’s basketball coach and athletics administrator.
The ceremony will take place at halftime of the Trinity Tigers football game with MillsapsCollege. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. Central Time at the Trinity University Football Stadium. An open reception will be held in the lobby of the William H. Bell Athletic Center following the game.
The class of four NCAA Division III national championship teams and two individuals will be introduced by Trinity University President Dennis A. Ahlburg and King, who also serves as the Hall of Fame Selection Committee Chair.
The Tiger men won the NCAA National Championship on May 21, 2000, at Kalamazoo, Mich. Trinity defeated DePauw 4-0 in the quarterfinals, UC-Santa Cruz 4-3 in the semifinals, and Gustavus Adolphus 4-3 in the championship match. Ed Rahn clinched the title match at No. 4 singles. Assistant Coach Keith McKay was in attendance. The Tigers became Trinity’s first NCAA Division III Championship team.
The Tiger women captured the NCAA National Championship on May 21, 2000, at St. Peter, Minn. Their victory occurred less than 30 minutes after the men’s championship.Trinity beat Williams 6-3, in the quarterfinals, Washington and Lee 6-3 in the semifinals, and UC-San Diego 5-4 in the championship match. Abbe Ulrich clinched the championship match at No. 5 singles. The Tigers became the first Division III school to win two titles in the same year.
Butch Newman ’65 was head coach of both teams, and was present at the women’s championship tournament. He currently is Trinity’s director of tennis, and is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2005. The Butch Newman Tennis Center is named in his honor.
Trinity won the NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship on March 22, 2003, at Terre Haute, Ind. The Tigers beat the University of Rochester 63-54 in the semifinals, and edged Eastern Connecticut State 60-58 in the championship. Allison Wooley made the winning shot with 11 seconds remaining on the clock. The Tigers were coached by Becky Geyer, currently the director of athletics at San Antonio’s TMI-The Episcopal School of Texas.
The Tigers brought home the NCAA Men’s Soccer National Championship on Nov. 30, 2003, at Madison, N.J. Trinity edged Wisconsin-Oshkosh 3-2 in the semifinals, and then won the title with a 2-1 victory over Drew University. History was made, as the Tigers became the first team from Texas – in any division – to win a national soccer championship. Paul McGinlay still serves as head coach of the Tigers, and is one of the winningest coaches in the NCAA. The Paul McGinlay Soccer Field was dedicated in his honor.
Broach won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association men’s singles and doubles titles at the 1997 National Small College Championships. He became the first Tiger player to win a Division III National Championship, the first to capture an ITA title, and the only male to win both singles and doubles crowns. Broach, an All-American in 1998, was awarded a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship the same year. He also was elected the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 1998, and was a three-time All-SCAC honoree.
“Coach Robbie” coached the Tiger men’s basketball team for nine seasons during the Division I era, from 1956-1965. He broke the Trinity record for career wins (77), and currently stands fourth among coaching records. Robinson was the first Trinity coach to lead the Tigers to a 20-win season. That occurred during the 1960-61 campaign when the Tigers finished with a 20-6 record, and a third-place slot at the NCAA Southwest Regional. The previous year, Trinity went 18-9, and took third place at the NCAA Far West Regional. Among his many talented players was Jim Potter ’63, ’67, who became Trinity’s director of intramurals. Potter is a member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2003. Robinson also served as director of athletics, and worked in the residence halls office prior to retirement.
A special plaque of each 2013 honoree will be mounted on the Athletic Hall of Fame wall in the Bell Center, along with the other classes. Recent photos, along with photos of the honorees during their collegiate competition or coaching days, are included on the plaques, as well as athletic accomplishments.
Nominations were received from throughout the nation, and a selection committee chose the finalists.
The Trinity University Athletic Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 1999, and selections are made every two years.
