Six Standouts Selected for Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame
Oct 29, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Aug. 6, 2004
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Five stellar former student-athletes, including quarterback Shaun King, who led Tulane to a perfect 12-0 football season in 1998, All-Americans Robert Samuelsson (tennis) and Chad Sutter (baseball), and the late Kathy Trosclair, coach of the most successful volleyball teams in Green Wave history, headline the 2004 class of the Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame announced Friday.
Women's basketball great Barbara Farris and 1970s football star Glenn Harder round out the class, with the induction ceremonies scheduled in conjunction with Homecoming Weekend festivities October 22nd-23rd in New Orleans.
In addition to Trosclair, who will be inducted posthumously, and the five former student-athletes, Tulane Athletics Director Rick Dickson announced the creation of the Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the Hall of Fame. The award, which will be named after its first recipient, William A. "Billy" Slatten, will be presented to an individual outside of the department who has contributed to the advancement of Tulane Athletics and supported the program in loyal fashion.
Slatten, a New Orleans native and 1961 graduate of Tulane, is a longtime supporter of the university whose contributions include serving on the Tulane Board of Administrators since 1992. He was a co-chair of the Committee for Athletic Giving from 1987-92 and was a vocal supporter of the athletics department during last year's board review and subsequent "Think Green" campaign.
"I'm very pleased to announce the creation of the William A. "Billy" Slatten Lifetime Achievement Award and even more pleased that we will be able to honor its namesake and first recipient this year," Dickson said. "This award will allow us to recognize some of the many people who have contributed to Tulane Athletics in critical ways off the field of play, beginning with a person who has given so much to the university and the athletics department during his lifetime."
King, Samuelson, Farris and Sutter all made their marks at Tulane in the mid to late 1990s while achieving individual and team success while Harder was a linebacker on one of the best Tulane defenses in modern history.
A native of St. Petersburg, Fla. currently playing for the Arizona Cardinals, King is the first member of Tulane's 12-0 Liberty Bowl and Conference USA championship squad selected to the Hall of Fame. King was twice named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year and started at quarterback for the Green Wave for four straight seasons. In 1998, he was a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award and for Football News' Offensive Player of the Year trophy while setting an NCAA single season record for pass efficiency. He threw for 36 touchdowns and was intercepted only six times, including 166 pass attempts without being picked off. King was drafted in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Robert Samuelsson, who came to Tulane from Boras, Sweden, was a two-time All-American (1998, 1999) and three-time Conference USA Player of the Year (1997, 1998, 1999) who led Tulane to its first C-USA Championship in 1997. He was ranked as high as second nationally in the fall of 1998 after achieving a ranking of #10 the previous spring. In addition to his on-the-court excellence, Samuelsson was a first-team Academic All-American in 1999 who won the Rafael Osuna Award for Sportsmanship his senior year.
Barbara Farris, who won a WNBA Championship with the Detroit Shock last season, played on the first Tulane team to make it to the NCAA Tournament after being named Metro Conference Freshman of the Year in 1995. She proceeded to help the Wave to NCAA appearances in each of her next three seasons. Farris helped lead Tulane to its first Conference USA Championship in 1997 and earned first team All-Conference USA honors in the process. She was also named an honorable mention All-American that year. A center from Harvey, La., Farris' career field goal percentage of 63.7 still leads Tulane and she ranks third all-time in rebounding.
Chad Sutter's name is familiar to Tulane fans as the former Green Wave slugger and assistant coach recently rejoined the Tulane coaching staff as the team's pitching coach. A consensus first-team All-American as a senior in 1999, Sutter was also the Conference USA Player of the Year that season. He earned all-conference honors in each of his four seasons with the Wave and was on C-USA All-Tournament in 1996 and 1999. Sutter, who came to Tulane from Kennesaw, Ga., finished his career as the school's all-time leader in home runs (75) and RBI (280). He helped lead Tulane to a 179-73 record as a four-year starter at catcher, to a pair of C-USA regular season titles (1997, 1998) and to three C-USA tournament championships (1996, 1998 and 1999). Tulane made three trips to the NCAA Regionals during his career.
Lafayette's Glenn Harder was a linebacker for the Green Wave from 1970-72 who captained the team his senior season. He was the only sophomore to start on a Tulane defense that ranked 10th in the nation in total defense in 1970. He started every game during his Tulane career, helping the Green Wave to the 1970 Liberty Bowl title and ranking second on the team with 108 tackles a year later. He was an honorable mention choice to the 1971 All-South Independent team. Harder has had a successful professional career since leaving Tulane that has included posts as Chief Financial Officer of Carolina Power & Light and Vice President and Treasurer of Entergy. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of the Southern Baptist Convention of North Carolina.
One of the most successful coaches in Tulane history, the late Kathy Trosclair served as Green Wave women's volleyball coach from 1981-87, compiling a record of 174-90 and a winning percentage of .662. She led Tulane to 20 or more wins in six of her seven seasons, while her 1987 team posted a school record 33 wins. A member of the Louisiana Coaches' Hall of Fame, Trosclair was the Southeastern Region Volleyball Coach of the Year and was Louisiana Coach of the Year in 1987. Diagnosed with brain cancer in 1988, Trosclair passed away less than a year later.
The 2004 Hall of Famers or their representatives, will be introduced Friday night, Oct. 22nd, during the Tulane Athletics' "Helluva Hullabaloo," while the Hall of Fame Breakfast on Saturday, Oct. 23rd will honor their accomplishments. Class members will also be invited to ride in the Homecoming Parade and will be honored on the field during the Homecoming game between Tulane and UAB, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m. at Tad Gormley Stadium.
The Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 1977. This year's inductees were chosen by the Hall of Fame Committee, made up of members of the University's letterwinners' organization (the T-Club), alumni, faculty, local media, current coaches, student-athletes and athletics staff.
Tickets to the 2004 Homecoming game, as well as season tickets and all other 2004 contests, are available by calling the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE. Further information on the Hall of Fame Breakfast and other Homecoming activities will be made available in the coming weeks.
