UM Sports Hall of Fame to Induct Class of 2008
Dec. 6, 2007
Coral Gables, Fla (www.hurricanesports.com) – The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame will welcome eight new inductees at its 2008 banquet to be held Wednesday, February 13 at Jungle Island. This year’s class includes President’s Cup golfer Woody Austin, basketball stars Octavia Blue and Mike Wittman, football’s Jeff Feagles, Randal “Thrill” Hill and K.C. Jones, Golden Spikes winner Pat Burrell and Olympic diving medalist Wendy Williams.
Tickets for the banquet are $85, or $850 for a table of 10. Tickets can be purchased by calling Ken Lancaster at 305-666-6000.
Biographical information on the Class of 2008 follows:
Woody Austin, Men’s Golf, 1982-1986
Woody Austin recorded the lowest tournament average score in all four seasons at Miami. He was named captain his Junior and Senior years. In 1984 he won the Florida State Intercollegiate Championship and was MVP of the USA-Japan All-Star matches, which he won by 10 shots with a tournament record 13 under par. In 1985, he teamed with fellow Hurricane Ronnie McCann to win the Blue Bonnet Bowl Two-Man Invitational. He recorded 19 top-ten finishes in his collegiate career. Was twice named Honorable Mention All-American and was selected 3rd team All-American in his junior year. After graduating with a degree in business administration, Austin was the medalist at the 1994 PGA Qualifying Tournament and was named the 1995 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. In his PGA career, he has won three tournaments– the 1995 Buick Open, 2004 Buick Championship, and the 2007 St. Jude Championship. He also finished second at the 2007 PGA Championship and played on the U.S. President’s Cup team.
Octavia Blue, Women’s Basketball, 1994-1998
Octavia Blue led Miami to the 1998 NCAA Tournament in her senior year, averaging 19.2 points and 5.7 rebounds and shooting a UM school record 45 % from 3-point range, earning her First Team All-Big East honors. She was also twice named All-Big East Third team, and to the First Team All-Big East Freshman Team. For her career, she averaged 15.8 points and 6.2 rebounds, and four times was named Big East Player of the Week. She scored 1,724 points to rank fifth all-time, and is fourth in career field goal attempts, fifth in career field goals made, sixth in career free throws made, eighth in career games started and ninth in career rebounds. She scored 40 points versus Florida Atlantic in November 1997, tying her for the fourth best all-time single game mark in school history. Selected by the LA Sparks in the second round of the 1998 WNBA draft, she also played professionally for the Houston Comets, and in Turkey, Sweden and Israel.
Pat Burrell, Baseball, 1996-1998
Pat Burrell is the only Miami baseball player to win the coveted Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur baseball player, winning the honor in 1998. He finished his UM career with the best batting average in school history hitting .442 over three seasons and is also first in slugging percentage at .886. He finished second in career home runs (61), second in total bases (465), fifth in RBI (187) and fourth in walks with 170. As a freshman, he had one of the greatest seasons in college baseball history hitting a school record .484 with 23 home runs and 64 RBI as the Canes finished second at the College World Series, where he was named the MVP. He became Miami’s first number one overall pick when the Philadelphia Phillies took him in the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft. He joined the big league club in 2000 and was fourth in Rookie of the Year balloting. He has played for the Phillies his entire career.
Jeff Feagles, Football, 1985-1987
Jeff Feagles came to Miami from Scottsdale Community College in 1985, and became a valuable member of Miami’s 1987 National Championship team. That year, he averaged 40.8 yards per kick but, thanks to his impressive hang times, opponents were only able to return 12 of 34 punts for less than 100 total yards. He still holds the Miami record for highest punting average in a bowl game, when he kicked for a 46 yard average against Penn State in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl. Signed as a free agent by the New England Patriots, Jeff made the NFL All-Rookie team in 1988. In his NFL career, he has played for New England, Philadelphia, Arizona, and Seattle and is currently with the New York Giants. This year marks his 20th year in the league. Feagles has never missed a game in pro career and owns the NFL record for consecutive games played…288 going into the 2007 season.
Randal Hill, Football, 1987-1990
Randal Hill came to UM out of Miami Killian High, already possessing the nickname “Thrill Hill”. As a true freshman on the 1987 National Championship team, he set a Miami single season record for kickoff return yardage with 497 yards on 19 returns. In 1989, Randal hauled in QB Craig Erickson’s pass against Notre Dame on 3rd and 43 for a 44 yard completion that broke the back of the Irish and helped Miami to another National Championship. He was on the receiving end of a 48-yard touchdown pass from Craig Erickson in the 1991 Cotton Bowl that helped the Canes crush Texas 46-3. He still holds the UM record for career kickoff return yards with 1,169 yards on 54 returns. He ranks in the top ten in career receptions (107), career yards (1,643), and career Touchdowns (10). He was a first round draft pick of the Dolphins (23rd overall) and played eight seasons in the NFL with Miami, Arizona and New Orleans.
K.C. Jones, Football, 1993-1996
K.C. Jones was a first team All-American at center in 1996, and a three-time All-Big East selection. He was a semi-finalist for the Lombardi Award for the nation’s top lineman and the Outland Trophy for the nation’s top interior lineman. A four-year starter, he battled injuries to start 41 games in his career. A fierce, intense competitor who once ripped the face mask off the helmet of a defensive teammate in practice, he was certainly one of the best linemen to ever play for the Hurricanes. A native of Midland, Texas he was signed as a free agent and spent four seasons with the Denver Broncos.
Wendy Williams, Women’s Diving, 1985-1989 Wendy Williams came to Miami from Mission Viejo, California as the top high school diving recruit in the country and did not disappoint, finishing second in the 3-meter springboard at the NCAA Championships as a freshman. From there she only got better becoming a three time All-American and winning the 1989 10-meter National Championship. In 1988, Wendy captured the bronze Medal in 10-meter platform diving at the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.
Mike Wittman, Men’s Basketball, 1964-1967
As a sophomore Wittman teamed with Rick Barry to lead the Hurricanes to a then NCAA record scoring average of 98.4 points per game. Scored 1,319 points in his career. Averaged 22 points a game both his junior and senior years. In his final campaign, shot 80 percent from the free throw line and 48 percent from the field. He still ranks in UM’s top ten list for career field goal percentage (10th), free throw attempts (10th), field goals made (9th), and free throws made (8th). In his junior year, he led the Hurricanes in scoring and rebounding. In his UM career, Wittman averaged 17.4 points per game and had 33 games of 20 points or more, ranking 6th all-time. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 1967 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks and also in the 12th round of the ABA draft by the Anaheim Amigos.
