Hall of Fame Induction Set for Homecoming

The Columbia Athletic Department announced last month that they will now give Lions fans an additional reason to attend Homecoming Weekend next year. In a statement released on Jan. 29, the department named the celebrated weekend to host the induction of the Athletics Hall of Fame class. The announcement was questionably delayed considering that the inaugural Hall of Fame class was inducted on Feb. 18, 2006. The biennial ceremony is slated to induct the 2008 class on Oct. 2 at a black tie event that will take place in the Low Library rotunda, with the successive inductions to occur every other year during Homecoming Weekend.

The Hall of Fame selection process is an open procedure that allows students, alumni, and faculty to nominate former student-athletes for the ballot. Lions fans are encouraged to fill out an online form in support of their favorite athletes through Mar. 17.

The inaugural class of 2006 included 27 former student-athletes, one former coach, one special category, and one team. Among the inductees were Jim McMillian, Marcellus Wiley, and Christina Teuscher. Wiley followed up a successful Columbia career playing tailback, defensive end, and kick returner with ten seasons as a defender in the National Football League. During his tenure as a Lion, Wiley was a first team All-American and an All-Ivy League pick, compiling a collegiate career that garnered him the 22nd pick in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft.

McMillian was the captain of the 1968 Columbia men’s basketball team, the last to win an Ivy Championship and appear in an NCAA tournament. The guard was a three-time All-American and All-Ivy Leaguer, being named All-East while becoming the first person in the history of the NCAA to earn the Haggerty Award in each of his three varsity seasons. McMillian currently ranks second in scoring with 1758 career points.
Teuscher made a name for herself as an Olympic-caliber swimmer. At the age of 18, the New York native competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta during her freshman year, capturing the bronze medal in the women’s 200-meter individual medley for the United States. Teuscher graduated with the Class of 2000.

The 2008 Hall of Fame class will include a maximum of 12 male student-athletes, six female student-athletes, two coaches, two teams, one administrator/support staff, and one special category. Each of the student-athletic groups as well as the coaching and team groups will consist of both Heritage era and Modern era players who will represent the Lions of old and new.