University of the District of Columbia Announces 7th Annual Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Class; Induction Ceremony and Dinner to be Held February 16th, 2018 in Student Center Ballroom

WASHINGTON, DC – The University of the District of Columbia Department of Athletics is proud to announce the 7^th Annual Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Class. The celebration will be held on February 16^th, 2018 at the UDC Student Center Ballroom.

Event Details

Date: Friday, February 16^th, 2018

Time: 6:00 p.m. Reception; 7:00 p.m. Dinner and Induction Ceremony

Location:

UDC Student Center Ballroom

4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20008

Tickets: To purchase tickets, click here

Parking:  Parking is available at the University garage off of Van Ness Street

Metro:  UDC Student Center is located adjacent to the UDC-Van Ness Red Line metro station

*For more information, please visit the Hall of Fame page on the UDC Athletics Website.

University of the District of Columbia 7^th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Class:

Bennie F. Adams, Jr.

District of Columbia Teachers College – 1966

Baseball and Football Student-Athlete & Coach

Bennie Adams, Jr. played varsity baseball from 1963-1966 and two years of football for the Cougars. He excelled in baseball, captaining the team and earning Team Most Valuable Player honors in both his final two seasons. He played three different positions over his career, including pitcher, shortstop and catcher, and his claim to fame was his one-hit shutout he pitched against Howard University in 1964.

Phillip Stevens

District of Columbia Teachers College – 1976

Basketball and Football Student-Athlete

A dual-sport standout in football and basketball at District of Columbia Teachers College, Phillip Stevens earned five varsity letters (three in football, two in basketball) and was the last DCTC student-athlete to win the Reslyn Woodruff Henley Award in 1976. An outstanding quarterback, Stevens completed 17 touchdown passes over his three-year career (1971-73) and ran one in himself during his freshman season as well. He started at quarterback the final five games of the season as a freshman and carried his team to five straight victories – the program's longest ever win streak. He also played two seasons of basketball from 1974-1976.

Carolyn Wells

UDC – 1980

Track & Field Student-Athlete

Carolyn Wells represented the University of the District of Columbia in several track meets from 1977-1980, including: the North Carolina State Invitational, William & Mary Invitational, CYO Invitational, Richmond Invitational, AIAW Championship, University of Maryland Invitational, and the Howard University Relays. She ran in the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon in 1976 where she was a semifinalist in the 400 meter, and she won the 400 meter Intermediate Hurdles at the 1978 Penn Relays.

Alice Butler

University of the District of Columbia - 1984

Basketball Student-Athlete

A transfer student-athlete from American University who competed for UDC Athletic Hall of Fame head coach Bessie Stockard, Alice Butler was instrumental in lifting the young University of the District of Columbia women's basketball program to prominence in the early 1980's. A top-10 nationally-ranked performer in the points per-game and rebounding statistical categories, she was considered the most outstanding intercollegiate women's basketball student-athlete in Washington, DC. As outstanding as she was on the basketball court, she was equally as outstanding in the classroom, becoming UDC's first ever College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American in 1981.

Edwin B. Henderson

Miner Normal School - 1904

Basketball Student-Athlete & Coach

Known as the "Father of Black Basketball" because of his efforts at making Washington, DC known as the "Birthplace of Black Basketball", Edwin Bancroft Henderson was a prolific basketball athlete. Well-known for his leaping ability, he played center – which, at the time was a critical position because each basket was followed by a jump ball. He graduated first in his class at Miner Normal School in 1904, then went on to attend Howard University Medical School until it closed and he ultimately enrolled at Harvard University. He was the first black man certified to teach physical education in the United States, formed the first African American Athletic Conference (ISAA), organized the 12^th Street Colored YMCA (where his team won the 1909 Black National Championship), and coached the first Howard U. varsity basketball team to an undefeated and World Basketball Championship season in 1910. He also co-edited the Spalding Official Handbook from 1910-1913, formed the Public School Athletic League in 1914, founded the Eastern Board of Officials, and he helped integrate AAU boxing.

Later, in 1918, he formed the first Rural Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Falls Church, VA. He authored two books: The Negro in Sports (1938), and The Black Athlete: Emergence and Arrival (1968).

Henderson was inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame in 1974, and in 2013 he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.