Riverside—The UC Riverside Athletics Hall of Fame grew its membership from 65 to 70 honorees on Saturday, March 21, as the Highlanders welcomed four individuals and one team into their hallowed halls in a celebration at the Mission Inn. A capacity crowd of 200 filled the Music Room to honor UC Riverside's athletics history.
Otis Allmon (
Men's Tennis), Sheri Benson-Rawlins (
Women's Volleyball), Maurice Pullum (
Men's Basketball) and John Wallace (
Football) gained entry as student-athletes, and the 1977 National Champion Baseball Team was honored under the Team category.
The Highlanders also honored long-time athletic trainer Vic DeLeeuw for his 30-plus years with UC Riverside's Sports Medicine Department, and his continued dedication to the Highlanders through his involvement in the Athletics Association and the Hall of Fame Committee.
View the Photo Gallery from the evening.
OTIS ALLMON(
Watch the video introducing Allmon at the Hall of Fame Celebration)
Otis Allmon,
Men's Tennis (1986-88), participated in the NCAA Tournament in each of his three seasons with the Highlanders. In 1987, he earned All-America honors in singles, and in 1988, he teamed with Fred Morris to garner All-America accolades in doubles.
SHERI BENSON-RAWLINS(
Watch the video introducing Benson-Rawlins at the Hall of Fame Celebration)
Sheri Benson-Rawlins,
Women's Volleyball (1984, '86, '88-89), is a two-time All-American who also earned a pair of CCAA Conference Player of the Year awards, and a National Player of the Year honor during her time with the Highlanders.
MAURICE PULLUM(
Watch the video introducing Pullum at the Hall of Fame Celebration)
Maurice Pullum,
Men's Basketball (1987-89), led UC Riverside to a pair of CCAA championships and its best record in program history—a 30-4 campaign in 1988-89, which ended with a third place finish in the NCAA Tournament. Named an All-American as a senior, Pullum is still the Highlanders most prolific three-point shooter in program history.
JOHN WALLACE(
Watch the video introducing Wallace at the Hall of Fame Celebration)
John Wallace,
Football (1956-59), joined the Football Team in the fall of 1956, and by graduation, he earned the unique distinction of being the Highlanders' first recipient of four varsity letters in a single sport. At various times during his career, Wallace was named the team's Best Tackler, Best Defensive Player and Most Valuable Player, and he served as one of the team captains as a junior and senior.
1977 BASEBALL TEAM(
Watch the video introducing the 1977 Baseball Team at the Hall of Fame Celebration)
The 1977 Baseball Team claimed the program's first national title while setting a new single season record for victories with a 43-19 mark. The Highlanders were led by Division II's top two hurlers, as Dale Reis went 16-1 and Steve Glaum was 13-4. At the plate, Jeff Carsley led the nation with 102 hits en route to a .416 batting average. Head Coach Jack Smitheran was named the Division II Coach of the Year
VIC DELEEUW(
Watch the video introducing DeLeeuw at the Hall of Fame Celebration)
Vic DeLeeuw,
Sports Medicine (1970-2002), was a member of the Athletics Training Staff for three-plus decades as the Highlanders won national championships in karate, volleyball and baseball, along with countless conference titles, ensuring that UC Riverside student-athletes were competition ready. In retirement, he has served on the Athletics Association Board and chaired the 2011 Athletics Hall of Fame Committee.
