University of Richmond Athletics
Newman, Casey Named CAA 25th Anniversary Silver Star
02/09/2010 | Baseball
Feb. 9, 2010
RICHMOND - As the finale to the Colonial Athletic Association's celebration of its Silver Anniversary, the conference has selected a group of 25 student-athletes who have had the greatest impact on the league over the last 25 years. Spider greats Johnny Newman and Sean Casey were selected to that group of "Silver Stars."
"The process of selecting the Silver Stars was an ominous task for our committee with the incredible accomplishments of not only those selected, but also the final nominees who were not selected," CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager said. "The synopsis speaks for itself. Millions of fans have witnessed some of the nation's greatest athletic accomplishments by this outstanding group of individuals who have set the bar for those that follow."
More than 50,000 student-athletes have competed in the Colonial Athletic Association over the past 25 years. There have been thousands of all-conference performers, hundreds of All-Americans and numerous athletes who have gone on to compete and excel at the professional level and in the Olympic Games.
A committee of administrators from each of the CAA's 12 member institutions was given the daunting task of selecting 25 CAA "Silver Stars." There are 14 males and 11 females among the 25 Silver Stars and they represent 15 different sports and come from 11 CAA institutions. There are eight athletes who were National Players of the Year in their respective sports and seven athletes who competed in the Olympic Games. The group includes 15 athletes who competed professionally in their respective sports, including All-Stars from the NBA, WNBA and Major League Baseball.
The process for selecting the Silver Stars was an extensive one. Earlier this year, Silver Anniversary teams were selected in each of the CAA's 21 championship sports by a panel of current and former coaches. From that group of 525 Silver Anniversary team members, over 100 athletes were nominated for consideration for Silver Stars. A panel of administrators from each of the CAA's 12 current members then went through the difficult task of narrowing the list to 25.
Making the cut were Spider legends Johnny Newman and Sean Casey. Only Richmond, VCU, George Mason, Old Dominion, James Madison and Hofstra had multiple Silver Star selections
Newman, whose retired number hangs in the rafters at the Robins Center, played basketball at Richmond from 1982-86 and graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer. His 2,383 career points also ranks third all-time in CAA history. A member of the Spiders' Hall of Fame, Newman went on to a successful NBA career that saw him amass 12,740 points over 17 seasons.
Casey played at Richmond from 1993-95, earning CAA Player of the Year and All-America honors on the heels of his 1995 season that saw him lead the nation in hitting at .461. Known as "the Mayor" during his 11-year major league career due to his popularity among fans, teammates and opponents, the Richmond Hall of Famer was a three-time National League All-Star and currently works for the MLB Network as a studio analyst.
For more on the entire CAA Silver Star selections, CLICK HERE.
