University of Richmond Athletics
UR Athletics Hall Of Fame Ceremony Set For Saturday
02/20/2015 | General
The induction ceremony and reception for the University of Richmond's 39th Athletics Hall of Fame class will be held Saturday beginning at 11am in the Jepson Alumni Center on campus. The four-person class and a Team of Distinction will also be introduced at halftime of Saturday's 4pm men's basketball game against George Washington at the Robins Center.
The 2015 class spans 70 years of Spider athletic achievement, and includes former athletic director Jim Miller (2000-2012), who helped pave the way to change the university's sports landscape; Westhampton College three-sport standout Jane Wray Bristow McDorman (field hockey, basketball, track 1941-1945); Paris Lenon (football 1995-1999), who went on to play in the Super Bowl, and Mike Skrocki, (men's basketball 2000-2004), a three-year starter who led the Spiders to the NCAA Tournament. The 2004 Atlantic 10 Champion Field Hockey squad, which set a school record for victories, will be enshrined as the Team of Distinction.
Jane Wray Bristow McDorman – Field Hockey, Basketball, Track '45
A Westhampton College Blazer and Seal recipient for her achievements in three varsity sports during the early 1940's, Jane Wray Bristow McDorman excelled in field hockey, basketball and track.
While earning athletic letters for three consecutive years, it was her senior season that capped her brilliant career. In 1944-45 Jane Wray was named First Team All-State in field hockey, captain of a 13-2 basketball squad and champion at the All-City Quad Track Meet, where she ran the 50, 75 and 100 yard dash.
She personified a Blazer winner, awarded for unusual skill and achievement in athletics and a Seal honoree for school spirit, enthusiasm and interest. Jane Wray also found time to be on the board of the Westhampton College Athletic Association in 1944-45.
Following graduation, she umpired field hockey at the high school, college and club level and returned to her alma mater to teach physical education for six years.
Jane Wray is helping organize her 70th class reunion during Reunion Weekend in May, and she will celebrate her 91st birthday on Hall of Fame Induction Day, Feb. 21.
Paris Lenon Football '00
As a Richmond Spider, Paris Lenon was part of an Atlantic 10 football championship team in 1998. Fifteen years later, at the conclusion of his 12th NFL season, he appeared in Super Bowl XLVIII with the AFC Champion Denver Broncos.
At Richmond, Lenon was a four-year regular and three-year starter, appearing in 45 games for the Spiders, excelling at linebacker and on special teams. He was named first team All-Conference following his junior season in 1998 and second-team All-Conference following his senior season in 1999, when he was also named a team captain.
Lenon recorded a career-high 15 tackles in a game in 1998, finishing the year with 95 tackles, five for loss and six quarterback sacks. He returned a blocked punt 80 yards for a touchdown in 1997, when he also amassed a career-best 104 tackles, with five for loss and six quarterback sacks.
His time in professional football began with stints in the XFL and NFL Europe, before he landed in the NFL for a career that spanned from 2002-2013. He played with Green Bay, Detroit, St. Louis, Arizona and Denver.
Jim Miller - Athletic Director 2000-2012
Jim Miller's bold strokes have left an indelible mark on Richmond Athletics with unprecedented athletic and academic success during his 12-year tenure from 2000-2012.
Miller spearheaded the move to the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2001, which resulted in 44 league titles in the A-10 and CAA Football. There were three men's basketball NCAA appearances, including the 2011 Sweet 16; four football titles capped by a national championship in 2008, plus multiple conference titles in swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, field hockey, lacrosse and women's cross country. Head coaches hired during his tenure won 28 coach-of-the-year honors.
More than 1,000 student-athletes passed through the Robins Center during his time, and they excelled in the classroom as well, with every team recording its highest annual GPA.
Every athletic venue was enhanced, including the recently-completed phase of the Robins Center renovations project. Miller was instrumental in bringing Spider football to campus after 81 years off campus, with the opening of Robins Stadium in 2010. Spider Club membership and donations, as well as corporate partnerships, reached an all-time high.
During his tenure, Miller served on various NCAA and conference committees, including the NCAA FCS Football Committee, NCAA Leadership Council and acting as chairman of the Atlantic 10 Finance Committee.
Miller transitioned from Athletic Director to Special Assistant to the President in 2012, focusing on athletic alumni relations and raising funds to address athletic priorities. He held that position until his retirement in October 2014.
Mike Skrocki – Basketball '04
Mike Skrocki was not only a three-year starter and 1,000 point scorer on the men's basketball team, but was part of four post-season teams that accumulated 80 wins, culminating in an NCAA appearance his senior year in 2004.
He led the team in scoring his junior and senior seasons after finishing second on the squad his sophomore year. Mike finished with 1,408 points, 16th on Richmond's all-time list.
His 78 three-point field goals in 2004 are sixth on the single-season list and his 220 three-pointers are fifth on the career list. Mike also holds the seventh-best single-season free throw percentage (.839) and the fourth-best career free throw percentage (.814) in Richmond history.
A team captain in 2004, Skrocki averaged 16 points per game, helping the Spiders earn their second-ever at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. He was named All-State by the Richmond Times Dispatch and Virginia Sports Information Directors Association, and earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors.
Team of Distinction – Field Hockey '04
In the midst of five consecutive Atlantic 10 titles and NCAA berths from 2002 through 2006, the 2004 Richmond field hockey team distinguished itself with record-setting performances, many of which still stand ten years later.
No other Spider hockey squad has won more than the 18 games captured by Coach Ange Bradley's team in 2004. Richmond was 18-3, 6-0 in the Atlantic 10, extending an A-10 winning streak to 24 games spanning three years. An .857 winning percentage still stands as the best in program history.
Out of conference, the Spiders signature win came with a 2-1 triumph over tenth-ranked and state rival Virginia. All three losses came to nationally-ranked teams, and the Spiders themselves earned a No. 10 national ranking, the program's highest ever.
Richmond standouts dominated A-10 accolades. Holly Cram earned Offensive Player of the Year; Allie Howard Defensive Player of the Year; Michelle Swartz Student-Athlete of the Year and Ange Bradley Coach of the Year for the second time in four seasons. Howard and Cram earned All-America honors. Howard also was named MVP of the Atlantic 10 tournament.
In the Spider record book, Swartz posted a school-best eleven shutouts, a mark that still stands. She had two streaks of more than 300 consecutive scoreless minutes in goal and stills sits at the top for individual goals against average at 0.73. The 2004 squad remains first or second in six team categories - wins (T1); winning percentage (1st), fewest losses (T2); longest win streak (T2); most goals (2) and shutouts (1st).
