Judson set to induct 5 into Hall of Fame
Judson University will be inducting its sixth Hall of Fame class on Friday, honoring this year's inductees Tom Kimble (1971), Elliott Anderson (1989), Hershell Gossett (1990), Sakis Brown (1993) and Jennifer Tynis Alderson (1996).
There will be a dinner and induction ceremony held at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites in Elgin beginning at 6:30 p.m. Each member will also be recognized at halftime of the Judson men's basketball game on Saturday.
Male Athlete of the Year for Judson in 1970-71, Kimble participated in four sports during his four-year career at Judson. Said to be a pioneer for the Judson athletic department, Kimble helped lay the foundation for much of today's success. A 2-year basketball player, 1-year cross country athlete, 3-year soccer player and 3-year baseball player, some of Kimble's accolades include NIIC all-conference honors in soccer with 23 goals and 10 assists as a junior, a career 4.17 ERA as a pitcher in baseball (ranking 9th best in career charts) which includeded 119 strikeouts which ranks 5th all time.
In addition to being a student-athlete, Kimble was the Sports Information Director, a role which he continued after graduation through the 1973-74 school year.
Competing for the Eagles from 1985-89, Anderson was a 4-year basketball and baseball player. As a point guard, Anderson holds current program records tallying 808 assists and 312 steals, including a single-season record in assists with 302. Anderson set a new single-season record with 105 steals as a defensive player. On the diamond, he consistently led his team in steals, and as a junior, led the team in RBI, setting a single-game individual record with 10 RBI in one game as a senior. Anderson was named a team MVP twice in basketball and once in baseball being named to the NCCAA All-district team during the 1987-88 baseball season.
Following his student years, Anderson spent six years as the Resident Director of Wilson Hall (1992-98) and later went on to become the Vice President of Student Development for six years (1998-2004) overseeing athletics. He also coached the men's basketball team (1998-2001) and baseball team (1998-2000) and is currently a Senior Pastor at the Elgin Evangelical Free Church.
Gossett is one of only five Judson men's basketball players to have 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds competing on the team from 1985-89. He scored 1,664 points while pulling down 1,114 rebounds to rank 3rd all-time in both categories. An NIIC all-conference selection as a freshman, Gossett was named to the NCCAA All-District team all 4-years and was an NAIA honorable mention All-District mention twice. He ranks in the Top 10 in a career with 702 field goals, 1,415 attempts, 260 free throws made in 366 attempted. Now an AAU basketball coach residing in Aurora, Ind., Gossett led his team at Judson with 332 rebounds as a junior (9th best single-season).
In just two seasons on the Judson men's soccer team, Brown became one of the best defensive players in program history. A member of the 1991 NCCAA National Championship team, Brown joined the team as a junior transfer from Houston, Tex. The team MVP that year, Brown was named an NAIA honorable mention All-American and the NIIC co-player of the year along with recognition on the NAIA all-area team, the NAIA All-District team and the NCCAA All-District team. He was a repeat selection to the NAIA all-area and All-District teams as well as the NCCAA All-District and NIIC all-conference teams. Brown scored 19 goals while dishing out 15 assists in two seasons. Now a health teacher and head boys soccer coach at Westside High School in Houston, Brown has received many teaching awards and was inducted into the Teacher's Hall of Fame at Stevenson Middle School in 1999. In 2005, he was inducted into the Friendswood High School Hall of Fame for his high school play.
The first-ever volleyball player to be inducted in the Judson Hall of Fame, Alderson was a four-year outside hitter for the program from 1992-95 who ranks third all-time with both her 1,213 career kills and 3,500 attempts. She ranks second all-time with 1,650 career digs and sixth all-time with 136 service aces. Competing in 494 games (2nd all-time), Alderson was named to the NCCAA All-District team as a sophomore and repeated that honor as a senior. A NAIA All-Sectional selection as a senior, she was honored on the NIIC All-Conference team and was chosen team MVP after leading them in kills, total attempts, hitting percentage, service aces and digs. She was also named Judson Female Athlete of the Year in 1995, and Alderson went on to work as an admissions counselor for 4 years at Judson. She recently coached the Judson volleyball team (2003-06) and recorded a winning record in three of her four seasons.