Aggies announce HOF Class of 2009
LAWTON, Oklahoma (November 17) – Announced tonight were six more deserving individuals who will enter the Cameron University Athletics Hall of Fame this February as the Class of 2009. The announcement came at a Cameron Gold Club social event hosted by the Cameron Athletic Department at the Best Western Hotel and Convention Center. The Class of 2009 will be formally inducted on February 20, 2009 at the annual Hall of Fame banquet.
This year’s inductees to the Cameron University Athletics Hall of Fame are James “Bad News” Barnes, Jason Jeter, Joe Jones, Lonnie Nichols, Thomas O’Kelley, and Donald “Smokey” Torbert.
Barnes played men’s basketball for the Aggies from 1960-1962 while CU was still a junior college. Called one of the “most imposing players” in school history, the 6’9”, 240-pound post player averaged 28.8 ppg as a freshman and 30.6 ppg as a sophomore. During his sophomore season he was named to the NJCAA All-American team and scored 50 points when the men took on the Oklahoma Sooners freshmen team.
Barnes was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1964 and played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He appeared in 454 games for the Knicks, Bullets, Lakes, Bulls, and Celtics, and scored 3,997 for an 8.8 ppg average. Barnes also won an NBA Championship with the Celtics.
Jeter is the most recent of the six inductees, playing men’s golf for the Aggies from 1995-1999. Originally from Lawton, Oklahoma, Jeter was an All-American in 1996, 1998, and 1999. He was also named to the Academic All-America team in 1998 and 1999. In 1997 he dislocated his shoulder, holding him out of the season.
In 1996 he was named to the Division II National All-Freshman team and was runner-up for the Freshman of the Year award. Throughout his collegiate career Jeter received several Lone Star Conference awards for his achievements both on and off of the golf course.
Jones is the next Aggie to be inducted into the Class of 2009 thanks to his successes as CU’s head women’s tennis coach from 1976-1999. In his 23 years of coaching Jones was named the Coach of the Year an amazing ten times in total from the Oklahoma Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (OAIAW), NAIA District 9, the Lone Star Conference, and the NCAA Midwestern Region.
Additionally, Jones attended the NCAA National postseason tournament in 14 out of his 23 years as head coach. Four of his players went on to attain All-American status, and his players graduated at an incredible rate of 95%. Jones was the first coach the CU women’s tennis program ever knew.
Nichols served on the Cameron’s basketball coaching staff from 1973-1981, first as an assistant coach under Raymond "Red" Miller (1973-1977) and then as a head coach (1977-1981). During that time the Aggies won the only basketball national championship in school history, during the 1980 season. He was the first assistant coach in CU school history and compiled a record of 122-26 as the head coach.
In 1979 Nichols won the NAIA District 9 Championship, advanced to the NAIA National Quarterfinals, and was named the NAIA Coach of the Year. After winning the District 9 Championship and the National Championship in 1980, Nichols was given the Oklahoma Sports Headliner Award.
The lone football player in this year’s class is Thomas O’Kelley, who played for the Aggies from 1984-1988. O’Kelley started on the defensive line and started 44 consecutive games for then head coach Brian Naber. In the 1985-1987 seasons O’Kelley was named All-Conference and NAIA All-American, and led the Aggies to the 1987 NAIA National Championship.
O’Kelley was also named to the Small College All-Century Team of Oklahoma, and was named the Conference Player of the Year each season from 1986-1988. After his time playing for CU, O’Kelley coached the defensive line for the Aggies before coaching in the Lawton and Cache school districts.
The final member in the Hall of Fame Class of 2009 is Donald “Smokey” Torbert. Torbert was an influential athletics booster from 1948-2006 and had a tremendous impact on the Cameron University Athletics Department. He traveled to nearly every away basketball game Cameron played in during that time.
Smokey played football for the Aggies in the late 1940’s, and was the first Cameron player ever to play on the football team as well as attend pharmacy school. He was incredibly passionate about the Aggies and gave back as graciously as he could. His contributions to the Cameron Athletic Department are still felt today.
All of the aforementioned Class of 2009 Hall of Fame inductees will be officially inducted at the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony and banquet on Friday, February 20, 2009.
Aggie fans can visit the Hall of Fame page on the Cameron Athletics website (goaggies.cameron.edu) for more information on the Hall of Fame.
