1996-97 Men's Hoop Team Leads 20th Pacific Athletic Hall of Fame Class

One of the most successful Pacific men's basketball teams of all time and one of three to advance to a national tournament leads the list of four inductees to be enshrined in the 20th class of the Pacific University Athletic Hall of Fame.

The 1996-97 men's basketball is the first team inductee to the Hall of Fame. They join individual inductees Karry Cameron '80, Jill Remiticado '03 and Tom Thompson '59 as the Hall of Fame celebrates 20 years of honoring the top athletes in school history.  The ceremony will take place on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011, at 7:30 p.m., in the Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center on Pacific's Forest Grove Campus.  Admission to the ceremony is free.

1996-97 Men's Basketball Team

The most successful men's basketball team in school history, the squad finished with a 22-6 overall record and a No. 6 ranking in the NAIA Division II National Poll. The Boxers won the Northwest Conference regular season title with a 13-3 record and also won the NWC Tournament championship to earn Pacific's first invitation to the NAIA Division II National Tournament since 1940.  At the tournament, the Boxers beat Husson (Maine), 79-68, to earn the school's first ever men's basketball national tournament victory. The team set five Pacific single game and single season records, including marks for largest margin of victory, best record, points and points per game and rebounds.  Head Coach Ken Schumann was named NWC and Little All-Northwest Coach of the Year. Forward Brett Jefferies was named a NAIA Division II First Team All-American and NWC Player of the Year in addition to selections to the All-NWC and Little All-Northwest first teams.

Other players on the 1996-97 men's basketball team included Joe Casebolt, Kyle Dobashi, Sean Eaton, Colin Fitzgerald, Zack Hall, Will Kirkham, Wendell Krohn, Steve Meyer, Jason Morgenthaler, Toffer Palm and Colin Resch. Assistant coaches were Geoff Vernon, Doug Hofmeister and Tony Rocklin.

Karry Cameron '80, Football/Track & Field

A two-year member of the Pacific football and track & field programs, Cameron set the Pacific record in the 100 meters in 1979 (10.64 seconds). The time still ranks as the fifth fastest time in Northwest Conference history. He was the 1979 NWC champion in both the 100 meters and 200 meters and he advanced to the semifinals of the 1979 NAIA National Track & Field Championships at 100 meters. A 1978 First Team All-Northwest Conference selection in football at defensive back, Cameron led the 1979 Boxers with four interceptions and set the school record with an 84-yard interception return. A native of Oxnard, Calif., Cameron resides in Portland where he is a teacher and coach at Grant High School.

Jill Remiticado '03, Women's Wrestling

A pioneer in the sport of women's wrestling, Remiticado was Pacific's first female wrestler and the driving force behind the creation of Pacific's varsity program in 2001. A three-time United States Girls' Wrestling Association (USGWA) collegiate national champion at 121 pounds and a four-time All-American, Remiticado led the Boxers to a runner-up finish at their first national tournament, the 2002 USGWA Championships. On the national stage, Remiticado placed fifth in the 55-kilogram class at both the 2001 and 2002 U.S. World Team Trials. In 2003, she was a finalist for the prestigious Ad Rutschman Award, given to the top small college athlete in Oregon.

Tom Thompson '59, Football

One of the top offensive lineman in school history, Thompson earned First Team All-Northwest Conference honors as a guard in both 1957 and 1958. He was also named Second Team All-NWC as a sophomore guard in 1956. Thompson provided a bright spot in the 1958 season when he was selected to the Associated Press Little All-Northwest and Little All-America teams. A native of Springfield, Ore., Thompson is a retired school administrator. He splits his time between Tillamook, Ore., and Arizona.

Monday, March 3, 2014