Athletics Hall of Fame Welcomes 60th Class

ix programs are represented in the 2019 Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame induction class, which consists of eight members. The is 60th induction class since coach Floyd Crow and baseball’s Ted Lyons were inducted in 1960. The Athletics Hall of Fame now includes 244 members.

John Adickes (football), Ryan Baca (men’s golf), Steve Beaird (football), Lisa Ferguson (softball), Robin Jones (football), Curtis Jerrells (men’s basketball) and Lauren Hagans Paquette (women’s track and field) constitute the 2019 class. The octet will be enshrined Nov. 22 in the Brazos Room at the Waco Convention Center.

Also recognized that weekend will be this year’s Athletics Wall of Honor additions — Mark Hurd, BBA ’79, and Jody Conradt, BS ’63, MSPE ’69. The Wall of Honor recognizes Baylor letterwinners and graduates whose meritorious achievements in public or private life following graduation have brought positive public recognition, credit and honor to Baylor and the athletics department.

Hurd, who played tennis at Baylor, is CEO of Oracle Corporation and a Baylor Regent. Conradt played basketball at Baylor was a 1998 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. She earned 900 wins in 32 seasons as women’s basketball head coach at the University of Texas at Austin, leading the Longhorns to the 1986 national title.

Adickes, BBA ’86, was a four-year starter at center (1983-86) and led the Bears to four bowl games. He was a two-time consensus All-Southwest Conference (SWC) pick, a two-time All-American and a member of Baylor’s All-Century Team. Adickes was a sixth-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears and played three seasons in the NFL. He joins his brother, Mark, in the Hall.

As Baylor’s first All-American in golf, Baca, BSEd ’06, still owns the program’s third-best career scoring average (71.91). He led the Bears to four NCAA Regionals (2002-06) and the NCAA Championships as a freshman. Baca won three individual titles as a senior and was a semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award, given annually to the nation’s best collegiate golfer.

Beaird was Baylor’s first player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He was named SWC Most Valuable Player by The Houston Post after leading the Bears to the 1974 conference title. Beaird finished his two-year career at Baylor fourth on the program’s career rushing list. He was a seventh-round pick of the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals and played two seasons in the Canadian Football League.

Ferguson was the ace of Baylor’s first Women’s College World Series team (2007), going 20-8 with a 1.96 ERA and nine shutouts en route to first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors. She remains among Baylor’s all-time leaders in several statistical categories, including a program-best 19 career saves. Ferguson was named National Player of the Week following a pair of wins against second-ranked Arizona in 2007.

Ford, BSEd ’05, was the starting catcher for Baylor’s 2005 College World Series team that won the Big 12 regular-season title. He led the Bears in average (.328), home runs (9), doubles (19) and RBI (41) that season, earning All-Big 12 and all-region honors. He was named National Player of the Week after hitting for the cycle against Texas Tech in 2004. Ford was a ninth-round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005.

Jerrells, BSEd ’09, was Baylor’s first men’s basketball All-American in 20 years and the first of the Scott Drew era. A 2006 Freshman All-American, he led the Bears to the NIT championship game as a senior in 2009. He spent time with the San Antonio Spurs NBA D-League team before a lengthy career abroad that included league titles in Serbia, Spain, Italy and Israel. Jerrells was twice named playoffs MVP.

Jones, BA ’91, was a two-time All-SWC and joined fellow Hall member Santana Dotson to compose arguably the best defensive line in Baylor history. Jones, affectionately known as “Big Cat,” earned All-America honors as a senior after a team-best seven sacks and leading the Bears to their first bowl game in five years. Post-graduation, he was an assistant for Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson.

One of the top distance runners in program history, Hagans Paquette, BSEd ’09, was a six-time All-American and two-time Big 12 champion. She retains school-record times in three events. In cross country, Hagans Paquette led the Bears to four consecutive NCAA Championship appearances and was an All-American in 2007. She still competes and is ranked second nationally and 17th in the world in the 5,000 meters.