The Troy University Sports Hall of Fame board of advisors named its eight, newest members on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
The third class is composed of both former student-athletes and coaches and will be inducted on Saturday, March 29. Prior to the ceremony the Trojan football team will be playing their annual T-Day spring game, and the softball team will be hosting Georgia State on Saturday and Sunday, March 29-30.
Athletes Danny Cox, Perry Griggs, Ted Horstead, Anthony Reed, Osi Umenyiora and Paul Word along with coaches Mike Griffin and Rick Rhoades have been named as Trojans who are distinguished individuals with outstanding accomplishments or contributions in the field of athletics.
Baseball player Danny Cox set the school record in 1981 with his pitching by winning 13 games in a single season with 6 shutouts. He also set an NCAA record with 43 consecutive scoreless innings as he posted a 1.30 ERA and led the country in wins. His ERA still ranks as the third best in a season in Troy history. Cox finished his Trojan career with a 17-7 overall record and a 2.31 ERA, which still ranks as the third best mark by a Troy player.
Mike Griffin led Troy’s men’s golf team to three NCAA Division II National Championships in 1976, 1977 and 1984, nine straight appearances in the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament and seven Gulf South Conference Championships. He had 32 golfers earn All-America honors during his time as coach. Griffin was named the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year four times, the Region II South Coach of the Year five times and was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame in 2000.
Football player Perry Griggs held the school’s all-purpose yards record for over 30 years after finishing his career with 4,079 yards. Griggs is currently second in Troy history in all-purpose yards, seventh in receiving yards (1,975) and fourth in touchdown receptions (19). He was the fifth Troy player to be selected in the NFL Draft when the New York Jets selected him with their fifth round pick in 1977. He played for the Jets, Atlanta Falcons and the Baltimore Colts.
Ted Horstead is one of the all-time great running backs in Troy history. His best season resulted in the 1984 National Championship where he rushed for 1,123 yards on 238 carries as the Trojans went 12-1 and won the NCAA Division II title. Horstead became the first Troy player to rush for over 1,000 yards in a career and his career total stood as the school record for 17 seasons. After his playing career was cut short by an injury he went on to coach youth football in Alabama and Mississippi.
Anthony Reed is Troy’s men’s basketball all-time leading scorer with a career total of 1,875 points, not to mention, 913 rebounds and 149 steals. During his rookie year, he earned the league’s Freshman of the Year award after averaging 13.8 points and 5.3 rebounds. As a senior, Reed averaged 24.4 points a game.
He also holds the Troy career records for free throws made (363) and free throws attempted (671) in addition to the single-game record of 21 free throws attempted.
Head football coach Rick Rhoades is one of the three Troy coaches with the honor of having won a national championship. He led the team to a pair of Gulf South Conference titles along with the 1987 NCAA Division II National Championship. Rhoades went on to serve as the head coach at Southern Illinois for one season before taking over as the offensive line coach at Alabama for one season and the offensive coordinator at Kentucky for two seasons. He has spent the last seven season coaching in Austria, Sweden and France.
Defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora’s senior year at Troy was one of the best in school history as he finished second in the country with 15 sacks, a total which ranks tied for fifth best in a season in Troy history. He recorded 20.5 tackles for loss during that 2002 season to establish a new single-season school record. Umenyiora was selected by the New York Giants in the 2003 NFL Draft. He has gone on to win a pair of Super Bowl titles and has been selected twice to be in the NFL Pro Bowl. He currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons.
Paul Word is one of the early trailblazers of Troy men’s basketball. He helped lead the Trojans to several Alabama Collegiate Conference regular season championships and the 1962 Alabama Collegiate Conference Tournament Championship.
Word ranks 15th all-time in Troy history with 1,113 points over his three year career and is one of just 22 players in Troy history to top the 1,000-point mark. He led the Trojans in scoring and rebounding during his final two seasons. After graduating with honors, Word went on to become a high school coach and was awarded Alabama Coach of the Year in 2002.
Seats for the ceremony to see all of these distinguished people be recognized are $100 each and $800 a table. For more information or to purchase tickets contact the Troy Athletic Department at 334-670-3482.
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