Cameron Athletics opens Hall of Fame
LAWTON, Oklahoma (April 2) - The Cameron Athletic Department and Athletic Director Jim Jackson have announced the official launch of the first ever Cameron Athletics Hall of Fame. As Cameron gets ready to celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2008, the addition of an Athletics Hall of Fame seems to come with perfect timing. "I'm excited about the Hall of Fame because of the excitement it will generate as past memories are brought up," Athletic Director Jim Jackson said. "We are going to document the history of Cameron athletics because history truly is important. We need to know where we've been in order to get where we want to go."
The H.O.F. was established by Jackson who hopes it will pay tribute and honor all those who have contributed to Aggie Athletics over the years. Inductees into the Hall can be any student-athlete, coach, booster, media representative, or anyone else who has made a difference in Cameron Athletics. "It's necessary to honor those people that have been a big part of Cameron Athletics, as well as this institution," Jackson said. "The Hall of Fame is about giving something back to those people that have made Cameron Athletics what they are today. We want to give something back that they can be proud of. Any time you can stir up fond memories it is a good thing."
Nominations can be submitted by any Aggie fan and will be taken from today until October 1st. Nominees will be informed of their selection on November 1st. Student-Athlete nominees must have been an Aggie for at least two years (or just one year if they competed when CU was still a junior college) and will only be eligible five years after his/her athletic eligibility has expired.
Nomination forms can be found at the official H.O.F. page on the Aggie Athletics website (goaggies.cameron.edu). The activation of the webpage accompanies the official launch of the H.O.F., and includes the new H.O.F. logo, By-Laws, list of committee members, and the aforementioned nomination form. "I encourage people to take the time to make nominations of the people you think are worthy of being in Hall of Fame," Jackson said. "The biggest problem for our committee over the first couple years will be selecting a limited number of inductees. Not everyone can go in each year which makes it a hard decision. I encourage people to remember back and nominate their favorite Aggie to see if we can get them in the first class."
The inaugural H.O.F. class will most likely include up to ten inductees, but all subsequent classes will be limited to five. Each year's H.O.F. class will be accompanied by a banquet and induction ceremony. At the same time a past-team reunion will be held with the hall of fame induction. This year for instance, the 1987 National Champion Aggie football team will be honored with a twenty-year reunion at the banquet. An annual fundraising H.O.F. golf tournament will be scheduled in August of each year.
"The golf tournament will serve as a fundraiser to help with the Hall of Fame, to buy the awards, to put on the dinner; we need financial resources to put these events on,? Jackson said. "The dinner banquet is something we want to do every year to honor the inductees as well as a past Aggie team." The classes will be officially inducted during the Alumni/Homecoming Weekend each February. Next year?s Alumni/Homecoming Weekend takes place on February 23rd, 2008.
Future plans also include the construction of a new building which will house the Athletics Hall of Fame. Until construction is completed, fans will be able to view the Hall of Fame in the Lobby of Aggie Gym. Long after the final whistle of each season, when senior athletes graduate and the new recruits come in, Aggies will be honored and remembered in the Athletics Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame will serve as a reminder to all Aggies of those who came before them, and those who helped make the Aggies what they are today.
For more information on the Athletics Hall of Fame, visit goaggies.cameron.edu and check out the new Hall of Fame webpage. All other questions or concerns can be directed to Athletic Director Jim Jackson at jjackson@cameron.edu or (580)581-2306.
