Radford University Athletics has announced three new members to be inducted into the Radford Athletics Hall of Fame in October. The Class of 2017 will include Don Staley (men’s and women’s soccer), Chris Oliver (men’s basketball) and Tiffany Evans (track and field).
The three-member class is the 16th to be inducted in the Radford Athletics Hall of Fame. This year’s induction ceremony will again take place during Homecoming Weekend and will be held inside Kyle Hall on October 6.
Don Staley
Don Staley
Women’s Soccer | 1985-1993
Men’s Soccer | 1986-1993
A rare two-sport coach who helped build both of Radford’s soccer programs, Staley recorded a combined 182 wins for the Highlanders, posting a 97-64-9 record with the women’s team and compiling an 85-65-17 mark with the men. In his first season as the women’s coach, he led the squad to a 14-7-1 record and its first NCAA Tournament appearance.
During the program’s inaugural Big South campaign in 1993, he was named the conference’s Coach of the Year after guiding the team to a 6-1 league record and 15 overall victories, tied for second-most in program history.
On the men’s side, Staley won three Big South regular-season championships, one Big South Tournament Championship and went 37-16-2 in league play. He led the team to back-to-back program-record 15-win seasons in 1990 and 1991, earning Big South Coach of the Year honors in 1991 with a perfect 6-0 conference record.
During his tenure at Radford, Staley coached two All-Americans, a men’s U.S. Olympic Team member and a women’s Hermann Trophy finalist. Staley went on to become the women’s head coach at Alabama from 1994-2007, compiling a program-record 135 victories.
Chris Oliver
Chris Oliver
Men’s Basketball | 2003-2007
A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Oliver had a stellar all-around four-year career for the Highlanders and ranks second in all-time with 845 rebounds and fourth with 1,659 points. As a senior in 2006-07, he set the single-season program record for made field goals with 220, a total that now ranks second; while his 10.0 per game rebounding average in 2005-06 is tied for third-best for a single campaign. His 14.6 ppg and 7.4 rpg career averages stands sixth on the program’s lists, while he is also third in career field goals (639), fifth in free throws made (333) and seventh in blocked shots (104).
The 6-7 forward was a three-time All-Big South Second-Team member, claimed five Big South Player of the Week awards and still ranks eighth in the conference in total rebounds.
Oliver is also one of just eight players in Big South history to record at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 100 steals, 100 blocks and 100 assists. Oliver played for several professional teams at the international level from 2011-16.
Tiffany Evans
Tiffany Evans
Women’s Track and Field | 2003-2007
A native of Albany, Georgia, Evans finished her four-year career as one of the top throwers in both Radford and Big South track and field history, leaving her name all over the record books in both indoor and outdoor competition. She is the program record-holder in both indoor and outdoor shot put (owning the top 10 marks in each), as well as the weight throw and discus, and ranks second in the hammer throw.
In the Big South, Evans ranks second all-time in each shotput event (including the outdoor conference championship meet record) and fourth in the weight throw.
She swept the Big South indoor shot put and weight throw championships and outdoor shot put and hammer throw titles three straight years from 2005-07, while being named Most Outstanding Field performer in the meets a combined five times.
In addition, she was named both the Big South Female Track and Field Athlete and Female Athlete of the Year in 2006. Nationally, she earned indoor All-American honors in the shot put in 2006 and was a four-time outdoor NCAA Regional qualifier in the shot put and three-time in the hammer throw.
— Courtesy of RU Athletics
