Shockey, Edwards & Meier Among UM Sports Hall Of Fame Inductees
For a school with the kind of rich sports tradition like the University of Miami, any athletes that get inducted into its sports hall of fame have to be the best of the best.
The Hurricanes inducted nine new members Tuesday afternoon in its 49th Annual Induction Banquet at Jungle Island Miami.
The inductees were football players James Jackson, Jeremy Shockey and Darryl Williams; baseball's Ryan Braun and Dan Davies; basketball player Steve Edwards; tennis' Audra Cohen; Canes women's basketball coach Katie Meier and Valeria Tipiana – the first volleyball player ever inducted.
"The UM Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2017 is representative of the excellence displayed by the thousands of Hurricane coaches and athletes over the years," Athletics Director Blake James said. "The individuals to be honored achieved remarkable success during their time in Coral Gables and, for many, on fields and courts well beyond South Florida. On behalf of the Hurricane Family, I want to congratulate all of the inductees and to thank them for their contributions to The U."
The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization founded in 1966 by eight Dade County Circuit Court judges, all Miami alumni, who wanted to establish an organization that would recognize those student-athletes, coaches and administrators who excelled at their sport and brought acclaim to the University through their achievements and championships. With the addition of the Class of 2017, only 309 honorees have been inducted into the UM Sports Hall of Fame.
Braun was a two-time All-American (2003 & 2005) during his time at Miami. He was named the National Freshman of the Year in 2003 after he led the team in batting average (.364) home runs (17) and RBI (76).
Prior to becoming the No. 5 overall pick in 2005 MLB Draft, Braun capped his stellar Canes career by being named the 2005 ACC Player of the Year.
A former Florida "Mr. Basketball" and McDonald's All-American at Miami Senior High School, Edwards came to Coral Gables and became one of the most prolific long-range shooters in UM history. He still ranks No. 2 in the record books with 265 career three-point field goals, a mark that is still the BIG EAST conference record. He also still ranks 13th all-time on Miami's scoring list with 1,393 points.
Entering her 12th season at the helm of the Hurricane's women's basketball program, Meier guided the team to its seventh consecutive postseason appearance, a fifth trip to the NCAA tournament in the last six years and a sixth 20-plus win season in the last seven years, all extending program records.
Football players from two of the Canes' greatest football eras were in the class.
Williams was a defensive back on Miami's 1989 and 1991 National Championship teams – and was named a consensus All-American in 1991 before being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1992 NFL draft and playing 10 years in NFL.
Jackson and Shockey were teammates in 2000. Jackson was a workhorse back for the Canes, totaling 541 rushing attempts in his career. He ran for 2,953 yards – just 7 yards behind Edgerrin James for the third place – and scored 32 total touchdowns (29 rushing, 3 receiving), which is tied for third place in program history.
Shockey is considered one of the best tight ends to come out of The U. A member of the 2001 National Championship team, he led that star-studded squad with 45 receptions for 604 yards and eight touchdowns. Shockey went on to spend 10 seasons in the NFL and won two Super Bowls.