University of Richmond Athletics
Richmond Announces 2014 Athletics Hall Of Fame Inductees
01/21/2014 | General
From the field, to the court and into the pool the University of Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2014 left its mark on Spider Athletics. They will receive the highest recognition for their accomplishments when they are inducted Saturday February 15, 2014.
The five-person class, announced today by Director of Athletics Keith Gill, includes a national champion, Eric Ward (football 2006-2009), two basketball standouts, Bill Flye (1981-1984) and Jackie Isreal (1981-1984), a champion diver, Diana Robinson (1984-1987) and an athletics administrator, Ruth Goehring, whose time at Richmond spanned more than a quarter century (1981-2007).
The induction ceremony and reception is scheduled for Saturday February 15, 2014 at 3 p.m. at the Jepson Alumni Center on campus. The 38th Hall of Fame class will be introduced at halftime of the men's basketball game against Fordham at 6 p.m. in the Robins Center.
Ticket information for the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Reception can be obtained by calling Megan Dooley at (804) 289-8694 or by email at megan.dooley@richmond.edu.
Bill Flye – Men's Basketball '84
Bill Flye was an integral part of two historic “firsts” for the Richmond men's basketball program. He was a member of the school's first-ever post-season tournament team when the Spiders participated in the 1982 NIT during his freshman season, and he was a starting member of the first-ever NCAA tournament during his senior season in 1984, a squad that laid the foundation for future Spider teams by beating Rider, followed by the memorable triumph over heavily-favored Auburn.
Flye is a member of the Spiders' 1,000 point club, finishing his career with 1,062 points, currently 34th on Richmond's all-time list. His 85% free throw percentage in 1984 is the sixth highest figure in school history. A three-year starter for Hall of Fame coach Dick Tarrant, Flye was named a captain his senior season, when he averaged 14 points per game. He was named to the ECAC South All-Tournament Team in 1984.
Flye becomes fifth player from the 1984 NCAA Tournament team to be inducted into the Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame, joining John Newman, John Davis, Greg Beckwith and Kelvin Johnson.
Ruth Goehring - Athletic Administration
A mainstay in the Richmond Athletic Department for more than a quarter century, Ruth Goehring served in various roles to assist Spider student-athletes, coaches and administrators from 1981 until she retired in 2007.
These roles and titles included Coordinator of Women's Athletics, where she was a driving force to promote women's sports, Senior Woman Administrator, and Associate Athletic Director for Sports, Events and Facilities. Ruth also oversaw all non-revenue sports programs in addition to serving as director of the Robins Center. In addition, she coordinated conference championships and NCAA events hosted by Richmond in her role as tournament director.
A native New Yorker who has been listed in Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities, Ruth graduated from SUNY-Cortland in 1971 where she was a four-year letter winner in field hockey, volleyball and basketball.
Her professional collegiate athletics career began at Colgate University, where she was charged with initiating a competitive women's intercollegiate program as the school tranisitioned to co-education. She is also well-known for her work as a high school and college basketball referee and serves on the Board of Directors of the Richmond Police Athletic League and Henrico Master Gardeners Association.
Jackie Isreal Thomas - Women's Basketball '85
Jackie Isreal made her presence known at both ends of the court during her four-year career on the Spider women's basketball team. Offensively, she scored 1,067 points, good for 18th on the all-time Spider scoring list. But it is at the defensive end of the court where Jackie left her legacy.
Her record 10 steals in a game against Georgetown in 1984 is still the most ever by a Spider women's basketball player and she has four of the top eight marks for steals in a game. In her four seasons, she finished 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th for steals in a season. She is second on the school's all-time steals list with 289.
During her freshman season, the Spiders went 22-8 and captured the VAIAW State Championship. She went on to be part of three winning teams during her four years. Along with Hall of Famer Karen Elsner, Jackie was selected captain for her senior season in 1984-85.
Diana Robinson - Women's Swim & Dive '87
Diana Robinson set the standard for Spider women's diving during a record-setting, highly-acclaimed four year career as a varsity standout. She was a four-time CAA Diving Champion, including being named CAA Diver of the Championship Meet twice, in 1986 and 1987. She was co-captain for the swim & dive team her senior season in 1987, when she became Richmond's first-ever qualifier for NCAA Division I Zone Championships.
She became the school record holder for the one and three meter boards in 1987 (11 dives) and set four diving records while at Richmond, two of which still stand today.
Aside from her records, accolades and championships, Diana became a part of Spider swimming & diving lore when she participated in an exhibition at the Robins Center pool with Olympian Greg Louganis in 1986.
Eric Ward - Football '09
Eric Ward guided the Spider football program through the most-successful four-year run in team history, including two CAA Football Championships (2007, 2009) and the 2008 National Championship. Ward was 41-12 in his career as Richmond's starting quarterback and owned every career passing record when he graduated. His name still appears in the Top 10 in 12 passing categories, and he currently remains tops in career passing yards (8,969), completions (784) and touchdown passes (61).
The 2008 national semifinal game at Northern Iowa may be remembered as Ward's shining moment. Trailing by six, Ward engineered “The Drive,” starting at the Spider 38 yard line with 1:44 remaining and no timeouts. He completed six passes, including the game winner to Joe Stewart with 14 seconds remaining. He also threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Grayson and scored on a 1-yard sneak. He finished 28-of-35 for a career-high 280 yards and no interceptions. The following week in the national title game, Ward completed the journey by throwing a touchdown pass and catching a touchdown pass in the convincing 24-7 triumph over Montana, securing the school's first national title.
Ward began his record-shattering career by being named CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2006 and finished it as one of three finalists for the Dudley Award, symbolic of the top college football player in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
