At the annual Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony on Friday, May 5, six former SMU athletes will be inducted into the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame. The honored 2017 inductees include: George Hardie, Rod Jones, Krista Wilson Klein, Ricardo Prado, Oscar Roan and the late Richard Quick.
Hardie led the SMU tennis team to two Southwest Conference championships in 1973 and 1975. He was also an extremely decorated individual player. He was a four-time All-American singles player and finished runner-up in the NCAA singles championship match his senior year. After he graduated, Hardie competed professionally in the Australian Open.
Jones was a key member of both the men’s track and field team and the football team from 1982-1986. His collegiate track and field career included membership in the 1983 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championship team and the 1886 NCAA Outdoor Championship team. The four-time All-American track and field athlete obtained honors in the mile relay (1984), 1,600m relay (1983 & 1986) and the 400m (1986) before deciding to join the NFL draft. Jones was first-round drafted (25th overall) in 1986 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He continued on to play 11 seasons in the NFL.
Klein is one of the most decorated divers in all of SMU history. During her time at SMU (1987-91), Klein collected an abundance of accolades, including NCAA Diver of the Year and Texas Woman of the Year, both in 1991. The two-time NCAA champion, six-time Southwest Conference champion and eight-time All-American founded the G.C. Diving team in 1994. She currently coaches the G.C. team, the No. 1 ranked competitive dive team in the U.S., while both her sons compete on SMU’s swimming and diving team.
Prado earned 12 All-American honors and five SWC titles throughout his time on the SMU men’s diving team from 1983-86. He also won five NCAA Championships: three in the 400-yard medley (1983, 1984, 1986) and two in the 200-yard medley (1983, 1984). After his time at SMU, Prado continued on to represent Brazil in the 1984 Olympics. Prado competed in five events and won a silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley.
Roan was a member of both SMU’s football and basketball teams. As tight end on the football team, Roan scored eight touchdowns for the Mustangs and collected 888 receiving yards on 48 catches. Roan also played a single season of basketball for SMU and earned the Most Valuable Newcomer award for his efforts in the 1973-74 season. He went on to the NFL draft in 1975 and was drafted third round by the Cleveland Browns. He was nominated for Rookie of the Year in the 1975-76 season before continuing to play for the Browns until 1978.
Quick has played an extremely vital role in the history of SMU swimming and diving. The two-time All-American and three-time SWC champion was a member of the SMU swim team from 1963-65. After graduating, Quick returned to SMU to be the assistant men’s coach (1971-75) before leading the women’s team as head coach (76-77). Quick then went on to coach the U.S. team at six Olympics; he helped the women’s team acquire 16 medals in the 2000 Olympics. After coaching the women at Texas (1984-88) and Stanford (1988-2005), Quick concluded his coaching career as a five-time NCAA Coach of the Year with 13 NCAA national titles and an induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
SMU students, fans and alumni can look forward to the induction of these six accomplished student-athletes on Friday, May 5, at Moody Coliseum. Tickets are expected to go on sale sometime this month.
