Members of the Wayland Baptist family gathered Saturday morning during the university's homecoming weekend to induct four former athletes and coaches into the Athletic Hall of Honor and recognize the 2012 recipient of the Harley Redin Coach's Award.
Hall of Honor inductees included former track star Vivian Bell-McAdoo, former Pioneer player and coach
Rick Cooper, former Flying Queens MVP Marie Kocurek-Montgomery and former Flying Queen and coach Cathy Wilson. Former Flying Queen and highly decorated high school basketball coach Chris Kennedy was awarded the Harley Redin Coach's Award.
Held in the newly renovated McClung University Center, the ceremony brought together former Flying Queens and Pioneers coaches and players, current coaches and players, alumni and family and friends of the honorees. Danny Murphree, a member of the Hall of Honor Class of 1994, led the invocation before opening remarks by Director of Athletics
Greg Feris, who introduced each honoree and listed off their numerous accomplishments and accolades.
Tom Hall, who was also induced into the Hall of Honor in 2007, provided the welcome and spoke of the memories that were brought back by seeing so many former athletes back on campus.
“It's overwhelming to see this group today and it takes me back to our glory years,” Hall said. “These people being inducted today treated us to some great moments and they were so fun to watch. I think they will find that being inducted into this group is a tremendous honor and a humbling thing.”
Wilson, who helped the Flying Queens to the last two of their AAU championships, was honored for her leadership on the floor as a player and then later as the first female coach of the team.
“I am so touched and humbled to be here and especially honored to be recognized by an institution that not only made women's basketball history, but women's history as well,” she said. “This was a place where women could come and make their dreams come true.”
Wilson recalled her Wayland journey, first as a fan growing up in Petersburg, then as a player from 1971 to 1975, a coach from 1979 to 1983 and then finally as a fan again.
“I am proud of Coach (Tory) Bryant, who is a fine Christian man and outstanding coach, and the current group of Flying Queens,” she said. “I am just honored and so blessed to be a part of all of this.”
Bell-McAdoo was recognized for her contributions to the Wayland track and cross country teams from 1990 to 1994. She was an 18-time all-American and still holds the school record in the 400-meter hurdles.
“I prayed this week that I would decrease and that God would increase,” Bell-McAdoo said, before reminiscing on her years at Wayland. “I loved getting to know the other girls in the dorm and meeting all of the foreign students. I think I fit in with them because I was far away from home, too. As an athlete, I was able to go places I'd never been before. I'm thankful for my coaches and the professors I had. I enjoyed my time here at Wayland and I thank God for being here with me today.”
Kocurek-Montgomery was a member of the Flying Queens from 1975 to 1978 and picked up four all-American honors. She left Wayland having scored 1,417 points, ranking fourth in the team's history at the time. Today, it's 13
th.
“Being at Wayland taught us lessons about how to work hard, to never give up and remember your friends,” she said. “If I hadn't learned those things, I would probably be dead today.”
Kocurek-Montgomery said that after a horrific bicycling accident several years ago, she fought her way back to health with the inner strength and determination she learned at Wayland.
“Because of the lessons I learned here, that discipline came through and I was able to recover,” she said. “Wayland is a safe place and the people here are grounded. It's nice to know there are people and towns still like that. I'm honored to be a part of it.”
Cooper, who played for the Pioneers from 1977 to 1981 and coached the squad from 1982 to 1993, is 21
st on the team's all-time scoring list. He compiled a 152-47 record and .764 winning percentage at the helm of the Pioneers, which remains a program best. He was also awarded the Harley Redin Coach's Award in 2002.
“When I was coaching here, we'd take recruits in and out three or four doors of the same building so they'd think the campus was bigger than it was,” Cooper joked. “The campus is growing and looks so beautiful. I'm so grateful to Wayland and it's impossible to overstate the influence this university has had on my life. I met my wife here, we received our degrees, our children were born here, we made many lifetime friends and I worked with some amazing coaches. It's an honor to be here today and I'm so proud to be a graduate of this university and to be part of this family.”
Kennedy, who became only the sixth recipient of the Harley Redin Coach's Award, still holds the record for career assists from her years as a Flying Queen from 1979 to 1983. She became the head coach at her alma mater, Slaton High School, at the age of 24 and led the Tigerettes to 17 district titles and 19 playoff appearances, as well as six regional and two state appearances. She hung up her whistle 10 years ago with a career coaching record of 532-114.
“I learned so much about being on the inside of a huddle during my time here and it led me to do exciting things in my career,” Kennedy said. “I've been out of coaching basketball for 10 years, but the only change now is the audience. I manage 500 people every day (as the Slaton High School principal) and the challenges bring me back to the lessons I learned way back then. I am able to touch a lot of lives in the education setting but I know I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for this university.”
All five honorees were awarded with plaques and awards, duplicates of which will hang permanently in the Wayland Athletics Hall of Honor in the lower level of the Hutcherson Center on campus.
2012 Hall of Honor Inductees Gallery
