Saluki Athletics inducts six into Hall of Fame
01/31/2014 | 12:00:00 | General
Jan. 31, 2014
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Six all-time greats were inducted into the Saluki Hall of Fame during a ceremony Friday evening at SIU Arena, which was emceed by Saluki Hall of Famer and Voice of the Salukis Mike Reis.
Hall of Fame plaques were unveiled for Jerry Kill (Football Head Coach), Mark Gagliano (Football), Mickey Maule (Tennis), Brittany Riley (Track & Field), Joe Schley (Baseball) and Amarachi Ukabam (Track & Field).
Kill (2001-07) resurrected Saluki Football during his seven years at the helm. The failing program had posted 11-straight losing seasons and had not made a playoff appearance since winning the National Championship in 1983. That changed in 2003 when Southern went 10-2 and won its first of three-straight Gateway Conference titles, while making its first of five-straight I-AA Playoff appearances.
"What turned it around was when we beat Western Illinois (in 2002) and I guess you can call it the drive when Joel Sambursky took us down," Kill said. "It seemed like the tide switched at that time.
Kill was 55-32 overall, including 50-18 in his final five years at SIU. Among his many honors were winning Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (2004), Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year (2007) and Gateway Conference Coach of the Year (2003, 2004). The program spent 84 weeks in the Top 25 during his tenure, including 12 weeks at No. 1. Kill recently completed his third season as head coach at Minnesota. The Golden Gophers were 8-5 last year, their best record since 2003.
"There are so many memories of SIU," he said. "The best memories were the people, the players and the camaraderie we had with our staff. The kids and the coaching staff built this house, not me. The kids and the administration, they bought into it and they built it up."
Riley (2005-08) was a two-time NCAA Champion in the weight throw (2007, 2008) and six-time All-American between the weight throw and hammer. She is the current world record holder in the weight throw (83-10.50), which was set as a Saluki on Mar. 10, 2007. Twice, she was the NCAA runner-up in the hammer throw (2007, 2008). In 2007, the seven-time MVC Champion was named the NCAA Indoor National Athlete of the Year.
"The first time I broke a national record, I didn't know (that I'd broken it)," she remembered. "They took 15 minutes to come back with the results, because in order for it to be an official record they have to measure it. When they came back and announced it, I was pretty excited. "
After graduation, Riley competed as a member of Team USA at the Pan American Games, the North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships, and the World Games. She currently resides in Forest Park, Ill. where she works for BP as a technical expert.
"It means a lot to go in to the Hall of Fame," she said. "There are a lot of great athletes that are included here and it's just an honor for the school to recognize me."
Among the best punters in school history, Gagliano (1993-96) earned First-Team All-American status from Walter Camp, the American Football Coaches Association and The Sporting News in 1996, a year in which he averaged 45.04 yards per punt. He was a two-time All-Gateway Conference performer (1994, 1996) and three-time Gateway All-Academic Team selection (1994, 1995, 1996).
"It's been 22 years since my recruiting trip and 17 years since my playing career ended," he said. "I'm never going to forget the 1996 season. You hope your senior year is the best one. To lead the country, be an All-American and go out with a bang was really special to me."
Gagliano, who is currently working as a pilot for Federal Express and lives in Collierville, Tenn., ranks first in career punt attempts, third in career punting average and was named to SIU's All-Century team last fall.
"I looked it up on the SIU website all of the Hall of Famers, and it's so special to see all the different sport broadcasters, sports information directors, coaches, women, men and it's the best SIU has to offer," he said. "To be included in that is humbling."
In 1990, Maule became only the third Saluki in school history win the MVC's No. 1 singles championship, and no SIU tennis player has done so since that time. The league's 1990 Player of the Year and Region V Senior Player-of-the-Year led his team to a conference title and also participated in the NCAA Singles Championship that season. He ranks first in school history in both singles wins (112) and doubles wins (44).
"It's very special, very meaningful to come back here after so many years," Maule said. "I just want a chance to thank coach (Richard) LeFevre, who's an NCAA Hall of Fame coach that brought me here and passed away in 2010. I'd also like to thank my teammates that made me better when I was here."
Maule also won the MVC's No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles championships in 1988. He teamed with Fabiano Ramos to post a career record of 48-5 in doubles play, for a winning percentage of .906. Maule currently resides in Wayzata, Minn., where he serves as a national sales manager for Babolat, a company that produces world-class tennis rackets.
Schley (1996-99) is the school's career hits leader with 286 and posted a career batting average of .329. He ranks among the school's best in numerous categories, such as games played (6th), at bats (2nd), runs (2nd), doubles (4th), triples (2nd), walks (11th), total bases (1st) and stolen bases (2nd). He had a remarkable 1999 campaign, recording a .372 batting average with 52 runs, seven triples and 23 stolen bases to earn First-Team All-MVC honors.
"Back when I was playing for Southern, we had the worst buses you could probably have," he joked. "The air conditioning was broke or there'd be no heat. I remember when we were coming from a trip somewhere and the air conditioning did not work. It was so hot on that bus; guys were literally sitting on it in boxer shorts."
The speedy outfielder, who played for the late Dan Callhan, led the Salukis in stolen bases every year of his career and was a two-time Itchy Jones MVP Award Winner. He currently lives in Oak Forest, Ill. and works as a mortgage specialist for Marquette Bank.
"Coach Callahan was a great man on and off the field," Schley said. "He didn't treat anyone any differently. If he didn't know you, he would treat you as if he has known you for a thousand years. He taught me more about life, respecting your elders, how to conduct yourself on an everyday basis, and that's what I took out of most, other than his teaching of baseball. It's so sad that he's gone, but everyone has to go at one point. I know he's here today in some capacity, probably drinking a Keystone Light somewhere or he's somewhere in his Wrangler jeans and his boots."
Ukabam (2004-2006) was a six-time All-American at SIU in the shot put, weight throw and discus. She posted her best finish in 2006 by placing second in the nation in the weight throw. Ukabam won six MVC individual titles and took home All-MVC honors in both indoor and outdoor competition in 2005 and 2006.
In the storied history of Saluki track & field, she still ranks third all-time in the indoor shot put and fifth in the weight throw. In 2006, she added MVC Scholar-Athlete team honors to her resume. Ukabam is currently living in Houston and recently finished nursing school.
The 2014 Hall of Fame class will be introduced at halftime of Saturday's men's basketball game versus Loyola.
