For Shepherd University, athletics have always been a point of pride. There is no better way to honor the past than by inducting select athletes into a hall of fame. It is an excellent way to recognize those who have achieved great things on the athletic field as well as in the classroom. Being a scholar-athlete is not easy, and is definitely something to be proud of. On Oct. 18, four new members will be enshrined into the Shepherd University Athletic Hall of Fame. The event will be held at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center, and the inductees will also be honored the following day during the football game against Notre Dame of Ohio. This years inductees are Mike Doran, Cassie Murray, Rob Bradford and Joel Gordon. Many consider Mike Doran to be the “father of Shepherd University Men’s Soccer.” The Estero, Fla. native has 50 career wins as head coach. These victories were accumulated between 1989 and 1997. Doran was named the WVIAC Coach of the Year in 1994 and 1996. Murray was a four-year First Team All-WVIAC standout for the women’s basketball squad between 1999 and 2004. She is the program’s all-time leader in three-point field goals with 161. Murray also recorded 224 steals. The Hagerstown native’s 1,494 points place her second all-time in the history of the program while her 768 rebounds land her in sixth place all-time. The third player to be enshrined into the Shepherd University Athletic Hall of Fame this year is Rob Bradford, a Seneca Valley High School graduate from Germantown, Md. Bradford played for the Rams between 1983 and 1986, playing on two WVIAC Championship teams. In 1983 and 1986 he played in the NAIA Playoffs, the same years that the Rams took home the WVIAC crown. He had a sensational year in 1986, hauling in 51 catches for a school record of 1,121 yards to go along with nine touchdowns. His nine touchdown receptions tie a Ram record. The final former Ram to enter the Athletic Hall of Fame is someone you can still see around campus almost every day. Current Shepherd football quarterback’s Coach Joel Gordon, a member of the graduating class of 2003, will be enshrined into the Shepherd University Athletic Hall of Fame. Gordon was a four-year starter as well as a three-year captain, and holds many Ram passing records, including passing yards with 7,236 completions and 522 of 977 pass attempts and 66 career touchdown passes. He helped lead the Rams to the 1999 WVIAC title. The Athletic Hall of Fame banquet will begin with a social hour at 6 p.m. followed by the dinner and induction ceremony at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35 and will be available for purchase Sept. 6 through the Shepherd University Office of Advancement by calling 304-876-5527 or 304-876-5524.
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