By SAMI MCGUIRE, Sports Editor
At 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 28 the 25th Hall of Fame inductees were honored at a luncheon in the Student Center Ballroom.
The 2017 inductee class was Steve Nunez, Gaylon Nickerson, Lee Brower and Falynn Burns.
The inductees were not only honored at the luncheon, but also at halftime of the men’s basketball game against Harding University at 3 p.m. in Percefull Fieldhouse.
Nunez was a baseball player for the Rangers. He started his time as a Ranger in 1979. He became one of Northwestern’s greatest players. In his first season he captured the homerun title, and lead the team in many other categories. In the coming seasons he kept his legacy by having many homeruns and leading the team.
Today Nunez still holds the record for the process. He won many awards in his time as a Ranger. Nunez is currently a PE coach, a proud dad and a husband.
Nickerson also created a legacy as one of Northwestern’s greats. In one season (1993-1994) he had one of the most prestigious seasons in Northwestern basketball history. He lead the Rangers to a 29-2 overall record. Still today he holds the record in points for a single season with 672 points with a 21.7 ppg average. Not only was he a star player, but also a team player. He also dished out 152 assists.
Nickerson’s stellar college career landed him a chance at the National Basketball Association where he was overall No. 34 pick selected by the Atlanta Hawks. He was a member of the NBA for four years. Now he has went on to become a successful business man as he was a player. He has four children, and a CEO of his own company.
Another player in the Northwestern greats is Burns. She was one of Northwestern’s first recruits for the softball program that started up in 2001. In her first year she won the honor of Newcomer of the Year for the Red River Athletic Conference. She started her year off with a bang by leading her team in several categories and each year she got better. Her fourth and final year was considered the best season of her career where she scored her highest batting average and most runs.
Burns is the most decorates softball player the Rangers have ever had. She is one of few players in Northwestern history to play all four years and remain at the top of the leaderboard in All-time statistics in about every category.
Burns is now an elementary teacher and a mother.
Not only players were part of Hall of Fame weekend, but also a coach. Brower was one of Northwestern’s most highly regarded football coaches of all time. He was the offensive coordinator for two years and the offense made a lot of progress under his direction. The offense lead the Rangers to a 7-3 record during his second season and a 3-1 conference record.
Brower lead the Rangers to their first ever conference championship. 1989 became one of the Rangers best seasons in Northwestern football history. Brower lead the team to the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference Championships and made the playoffs. Brower was also awarded OIC Coach of the Year.
Brower is now retired, has a wife and two children.