The USF’s Athletics Hall of Fame committee made an exception to its rule for choosing inductees for this year’s class.
The guideline says that no more than four people, three of whom must be student-athletes, can be chosen in any year. This year’s group has five members, including the late Amir Abdur-Rahim.
He may have only coached the Bulls men’s basketball for one season, but it was one for the ages. He had more impact on and off the court than any of the 13 previous head coaches who preceded him.
USF basketball was perceived as perpetually mediocre before Coach Amir arrived, but he proved what it could be. Without the season he and his staff put together, it’s questionable whether new head coach Bryan Hodgson would have been so eager to come here.
So, yes, he belongs because, as a head coach here, he was the exception to the rule that said USF could never win. If it took bending the rule about inductee limits for a year to make that happen, so be it.
This year’s class is filled with star power. We talked about the founding football coach, Jim Leavitt, on Monday. The three athletes chosen were stellar.
Scott Hemond was an All-America catcher with top defensive skills. He was selected 12th overall in the 1986 Major League Baseball Draft by the Oakland Athletics and played seven seasons in the big leagues.
USF retired his No. 11 jersey.
Kitija Laksa was a two-time All-American on the women’s basketball team.
An injury cost Laksa her senior season, but she still ranks 6th all-time for USF in points scored. Her 13 games with 30 or more points is a program best, and she is the only Bull with a pair of 40-point games.
Linebacker Kawika Mitchell was relentless in bringing down ball carriers. His career mark of 367 tackles was a program record that stood for 15 years.
In 2003, he was drafted in the second round by Kansas City and played eight seasons in the NFL. He was part of the New York Giants team that won the 2008 Super Bowl against New England.
Each inductee this year is worthy of the honor.
I’ll admit one thing, though. In looking over all the inductees since 2009, I’m surprised that only two softball players are in the Hall.
A pair of pitchers -- Sara Nevins and Monica Triner – are the only softball players chosen. Nevins is the only softball player inducted in the last 14 years.
With 18 NCAA appearances, including the 2012 Women’s College World Series, softball has consistently been one of USF’s most competitive sports. The team has seven outright conference championships and two tournament titles.
There must have been more Hall-worthy players along the way than just two, don’t you think?
Maybe next year.
By the way, the inductees are chosen by a nine-member committee that includes Michael Kelly, USF’s Vice President for Athletics.
Former Athletic Director Doug Woolard started the Hall as a way to honor top athletes and coaches. After he left, Mark Harlan took over, but I suppose he had higher priorities, as no one was inducted during his tenure.
Kelly brought it back in 2019 when he succeeded Harlan.