TAMPA - The University of South Florida Department of Athletics announced the members of the 2010 Hall of Fame class during BullsFest on May 1 at the USF Marshall Center.
The 2010 class of inductees includes six-time women's tennis conference coach of the year Sherry Bedingfield, USF's most decorated women's track and field athlete Kerine Black, baseball All-American Ross Gload, USF's first men's soccer coach Dan Holcomb and national championship swimmer Joe Lewkowicz.
The 2010 USF Hall of Fame class will be inducted on Friday, De. 3 at the Pepin Center, and leading up to the ceremony, the voice of USF Athletics, Jim Louk, put down his radio headset and picked up the pen to share his perspective on the history of USF Athletics, and the newest members of the Hall of Fame.
| 2010 USF Hall of Fame Inductees |
| Sherry Bedingfield | USF Women's Tennis Player '70-'72 | USF Women's Tennis Coach '80-'02 | Letters From Louk: Sherry Bedingfield |
"The list of people who have made an impact at USF Athletics as both a player and then as a head coach is a short one. Certainly former baseball player and current softball head coach Ken Eriksen is at the top of that list. So, too, is Sherry Bedingfield, who will become a member of the second USF Athletics Hall of Fame class on Dec. 3 of this year.
Bedingfield came to USF from Miami Dade Community College in 1970 and was a multi-sport athlete, playing both tennis and volleyball for the Bulls. As a senior, she played number one singles on USF's undefeated women's tennis team.
[Bedingfield] took the head women's tennis job in 1980, and began one of the great coaching runs in USF Athletics history. For 23 years, she guided USF women's tennis through independent status, the Sun Belt Conference, the Metro Conference and Conference USA. Her teams finished first at least once in every league they competed in. In the Metro Conference, they finished first every year USF was in the league. "
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| Ross Gload | USF Baseball Player '95-'97 | Letters From Louk: Ross Gload |
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"In more than 40 years of USF Baseball, nobody has hit the ball quite like Ross Gload.
He first appeared on USF's radar when Coach Eddie Cardieri traveled to Long Island to watch him in a high school district game. In recruiting, like so many other things, timing can be everything.
It was to be a brief trip for the Bulls coach. Ross Gload had one baseball game to make an impression and earn an offer by USF.
Gload left the Bulls after the 1997 NCAA Tournament, after being selected in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. While a Bull, he was a member of three NCAA Tournament teams, and in addition to the USF home run record, he also remains USF's all time leader in runs batted in and extra base hits. He was an all-conference selection in each of his three seasons, and was the Conference USA Player of the Year in 1997."
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| Dan Holcomb | USF Men's Soccer Coach '65-'86 | Letters From Louk Dan Holcomb |
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"Throughout these writings we've had a chance to go back in time to re-visit important dates, games or events in USF history. We've also had a chance to meet some of the people who carved out the foundation of USF Athletics. Today, as we continue our profiles of the 2010 USF Athletics Hall of Fame class, we'll go back to the absolute advent of the Bulls Athletics program to meet the first coach ever hired at USF.
Dan Holcomb was a native of the midwest who was hired at USF to begin the soccer program. He coached the first true intercollegiate game at USF (a soccer match in October, 1965) and in the years prior to the beginning of the Tampa Bay Rowdies run he may have been the most visible and well known soccer expert in the entire Tampa Bay area. By the time his USF days ended in 1986, Holcomb had taken his team to six NCAA Tournaments in 22 seasons. He won eight Sun Belt Conference championships. While his overall record of 216-87-22 is impressive, his post season mark of 24-7-4 is close to astounding. He remains atop the all-time wins list for USF soccer coaches, and he says he takes pride in the continued success of the program under George Kiefer."
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| Joe Lewkowicz | USF Men's Swimmer '69-'72 | Letters From Louk: Joe Lewkowicz |
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"No matter how good of a Bulls fan you are, you may not know the answer to this question: What was the first national championship for USF Athletics? You have to go all the way back to 1969, and you have to go to a program that no longer exists. But the journey is worth it, because it will lead you to Joe Lewkowicz.
Lewkowicz was a swimmer, and was one of the true pioneers of USF Athletics in the infancy of the University's intercollegiate competition. When he came to Tampa, even the program nickname was still to be determined. Lewkowicz recalls a local sportscaster encouraging the team with an inexplicable “Go Falcons!” early in his USF days. Later of course came the Brahmans and later still, the Bulls. As for the trivia question, here is your answer. It was Lewkowicz who brought home a national championship in the 200 yard butterfly in 1969. Three years later, he did the same thing in the 400 yard medley relay with teammates Rick Morehead, Mike Sheffield and John Stevens."
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| Kerine Black | USF Track and Field '97-'00 | Letters From Louk: Kerine Black |
"The most decorated track and field athlete in USF history, Kerine Black was crowned C‐USA Champion in nine different events, she was named the C‐USA Athlete of the Year on three separate occasions and was most recently named to the conference All-Decade team in 2004‐05, still holding the C‐USA record in the triple jump.
Black competed in the triple jump, long jump and the 4x100 relay, earning an unprecedented five All‐America honors in the three events and posted 12 NCAA qualifying marks while being named the USF Athlete of the Year in 1999‐2000. She owns nine school records - more than any other track athlete to date - and ranks among the top five in three other events.
Black walked onto the track and field team in 1997 and was at the NCAA Championships by 1999. Black was part of the 4x100 relay team that finished eighth in the NCAA Championships in 2000." |
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