Lincoln University's 1958 Mineral Water Bowl-winning football team and seven individuals will highlight the the 2014 Lincoln Athletic Hall of Fame Class.
Herman O'Neil and Louis Vetter, both members of the 1958 team, join fellow football standouts Willie Dent, Harold Robinson and Larry Shears, as well as track stars Walter Walker and Albert Wheatfall as members of this year's Class.
"The Class of 2014 is one of our strongest induction classes yet," Lincoln athletic director Betty Kemna said. "The 1958 football team made history as the first to reach the postseason, and all seven athletes are very worthy of entering the Hall.
"Each of these outstanding individuals brought pride to the Blue Tigers, and we are looking forward to honoring them, and the members of the 1958 team this October."
The eight-member class will be inducted in a special ceremony in the Scruggs University Center Ballroom at 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17.
The Lincoln Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 2008 and will now be comprised of 47 members.
Listed below is a brief rundown of each inductee:
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THE 1958 FOOTBALL team is the only squad in program history to qualify for the postseason. That year, the Blue Tigers capped off a 7-1 record with a 21-0 win against Emporia State in the Mineral Bowl.
Despite only playing eight games after several opponents backed out of scheduled contests, the 1958 squad scored 242 points, the sixth most in school history.
Lincoln only allowed 58 points all season and won the Midwestern Athletic Association conference championship. The Blue Tigers were ultimately ranked as the No. 2 black college team in America.
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A THREE-TIME all-conference selection, O'Neil was one of the co-captains in 1958 and earned Historically Black College and Universities All-American honors from the Pittsburgh Courier and was awarded the Harry Stokes Outstanding Football Player Award that season.
The stalwart guard helped lead the Blue Tigers to 27 wins as a four-year starter. Following his college career, O'Neil served as a high-school coach in Tennessee, where he developed numerous NCAA Division I football players.
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VETTER ALSO ENJOYED a stellar career on the offensive line from 1956-58.
A three-year starter, Vetter helped Lincoln score 630 points during that span.
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A TWO-SPORT athlete who excelled in football and track, Dent compiled 1,870 yards rushing during a three-year career at fullback. Dent, who played for Lincoln from 1962-64, helped lead the Blue Tigers to 18 victories.
Dent was an All-MWAA selection as a sophomore, but recorded his best performance as a junior, where he compiled 224 yards rushing and scored three touchdowns on just 14 carries during Lincoln's 74-0 win against St. Mary's (Kan.). The Blue Tigers finished 8-2 that season and were ranked No. 5 in the country by the Pittsburgh Courier.
Dent was also a four-year member of Lincoln's track and field team from 1963-66 and helped lead the Blue Tigers to the 1965 NCAA Midwest Regional Championship.
In 1964, Dent competed in the decathlon of the 1964 Olympic Trials in St. Louis, where he finished fourth.
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ROBINSON, ANOTHER MULTIPLE All-MWAA honoree, split time at center, offensive tackle and linebacker during a four-year career at Lincoln in the mid 1960s. As a senior, he made 74 unassisted tackles while pacing the Blue Tigers to an eight-win season and a No. 5 ranking by the Pittsburgh Courier.
Robinson earned all-conference honors at linebacker as a sophomore and earned the all-league award again for his play on the offensive line in 1965.
After graduating from Lincoln in 1966, Robinson spent two seasons playing semi-pro football with the Johnson County Steers.
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SHEARS SPENT FOUR years starting at left corner for the Blue Tigers, where he helped lead Lincoln to three winning seasons. An iron man who only missed one game in his career, Shears was the captain and most valuable player for the 1970 squad, which went 7-3 in Lincoln's first season in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
Shears was selected as an 11th-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1971 National Football League draft and played in nine games during his rookie year.
After a two-year stint with the Falcons, Shears signed with the New York Stars of the World Football League, where he finished second on the team in interceptions in 1974 and first in 1975.
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ONE OF THE fastest runners in the history of Lincoln track, Walker was a three-time All-American with the Blue Tigers.
The speedster made a run at Bob Hayes' world record 60-yard dash time of 5.9 seconds, finishing one-tenth of a second back at 6.0. Walker's time of 9.4 seconds in the 100-yard dash broke the track record at Central Missouri.
Walker earned All-America honors in 1968, 1970 and 1971. After his career with the Blue Tigers, Walker joined the United States Air Force and continued his training. He eventually qualified in the 100-yard dash for the 1972 and 1976 Olympics.
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ANOTHER CHAMPION TRACK athlete for Lincoln, Wheatfall set school records in the 100- and 220-yard dash and was part of Lincoln's record-setting 4x100-yard relay team.
Wheatfield led Lincoln to the 1964 MWAA Track and Field Championship, giving the Blue Tigers their first league title in the sport since 1957. In the championship meet, Wheatfall set conference records with winning times of 21.2 seconds in the 220-yard dash and 40.9 in the 4x100-yard relay. He also won the open 100 with a time of 9.9.
The following year, Wheatfall helped Lincoln win the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship, setting meet records in the 100 (9.5) and 200 (21.3).