BALTIMORE – Coppin State University announced today the four individuals and former team that will comprise the CSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Ray Hale (baseball),
Nickie Peters (men's cross country/track & field),
Tywain McKee (men's basketball), head coach
Kenny Taylor (wrestling) and the
1989-90 men's basketball team make up the inductees.
Hale was the team's top slugger in both the 1986 and 1987 seasons and played on the team that finished as runner-up in the inaugural year of the MEAC. A two-time All-Tournament Team selection, Hale slugged a whopping .782 in his first season with the Eagles, a mark that still tops the school record books, while hitting .429 with nine home runs. This season included a game against Norfolk State where he hit a school-record three home runs along with five runs scored at Maryland just 11 days prior. Also, a prolific baserunner, Hale stole 21 bases as Coppin led the Nation in the category. Hale left Coppin as the school's all-time leader in home runs (14) and slugging percentage (.661) and still ranks second in slugging, third in batting average (.388) and sixth in home runs. Following his collegiate career, Hale served as Coppin's Associate Head Coach from 1991-97 which included the program's first-ever MEAC Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 1995. He served as a regional scout for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2003-21 and retired from the Maryland State Police in 2015 after 28 years of service. He's currently a judiciary security officer for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
A four-year standout on the track and cross country, Peters won back-to-back MEAC Cross Country Individual Titles in 2001 and 2002 after a runner-up performance in 2000. Peters also won five conference titles on the track - twice taking the indoor crown in the Mile (2000 & 2001) and the 1,500m outdoors (2002 & 2003). He also was victorious in the 800m at the outdoor championships in 2000 and earned all-conference honors in three other events. Peters still owns CSU records in both the Mile and 1,500m and was part of three relays that still hold the fastest times in school-history. Also, a star in the classroom, Peters received CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in both 2002 and 2003 and is the only Coppin State athlete to win the award twice. After representing his native Saint Vincent in the 2008 Summer Olympics, Peters got a Masters in Nuclear Physics from Indiana University and a PhD from University of Missouri in Radiochemistry/Nuclear Engineering. Peters is currently a reactor specialist at University of Missouri.
The all-time leading scorer in Coppin State men's basketball history, McKee led the Eagles to a 2008 MEAC Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance after being named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. McKee finished his career with 2,158 points and also holds career records in field goals, free throws and steals while ranking second in games played and 3-pointers, fourth in assists, fifth in scoring average and seventh in rebounds. Leading the team in scoring all four seasons, assists three times and rebounding as a senior, McKee was a 2009 Associate Press All-American and is the only men's basketball player to earn NCAA All-America honors. McKee also received Mid-Major All-America, All-Defensive Team and NABC All-District honors that season. Starting his collegiate career in 2006 where he was the MEAC Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-Conference selection, McKee earned First Team honors in each of the last three seasons and also took home 2009 MEAC Player of the Year accolades. After his collegiate career, McKee joined the Washington Wizards for the 2009 NBA Summer League and has played professionally overseas ever since in numerous countries.
Taylor served as Coppin's head wrestling coach from 1994 to 2001 and sent seven Eagles to the NCAA Wrestling Championships before passing away in August 2017. Prior to his hire, Coppin had never sent an athlete to the NCAA Tournament. Known for his energy and enthusiasm on and off the mat, Taylor sent Coppin's first NCAA participant, Clevans Robinson, to the 2005 national tournament. Hall of Famer Keno Brown went to nationals in both 1996 and 1997, taking 12
th overall seed Rob Neidlinger of Penn State to overtime in his first match in the 190-pound weight class. Kenny Hunter joined Brown at the tournament in 1997 and they were followed by Sidney Billups in 1998 and Marty Kusick in 1999. Cairo Moorman made history in 2000 by becoming the first Eagles wrestler to win a match at Nationals with a victory over Portland State's Eric Arbogast in 2000. In Taylor's final season as head coach, Sulieman Mumin was victorious over Jason Gilligan of Lock Haven at the NCAA Championship while falling to individuals from Nebraska and Boise State. Following his tenure at Coppin, Taylor worked on wrestling staffs at Loyola Blakefield and McDonough School.
Finishing 26-7 overall while winning a MEAC Regular Season Championship with a 15-1 mark in league play, the 1989-90 men's basketball team won its first MEAC Title with a victory over North Carolina A&T at the Greensboro Coliseum. Led by MEAC Coach of the Year Ron 'Fang' Mitchell and MEAC Player of the Year
Larry Stewart, the Eagles, along with Tournament MVP Reggie Isaac, advanced to their first-ever NCAA Tournament where they played #2 Syracuse in the First Round of the Southeast Regional. Other highlights from the season included a victory at University of Maryland along with non-conference victories against Creighton, Morehead State, Toledo and Cornell. Aside from Stewart, Coppin's current head men's basketball coach and Isaac, who both were named First Team All-MEAC, Phil Booth and Larry Yarbray received Second Team accolades. The 1989-90 men's basketball team consisted of Rodney Allen, Booth, Joe Hammond, Isaac, Michael Johnson, Larry McCollum, James Mitchell, Derreck Orr, Duane Reed, Stewart, Darren Woods and Yarbray. Joining Mitchell on the coaching staff are Hall of Famer Derek Brown and Curtis Chance.
The Hall of Famers will be inducted in an on-campus breakfast/ceremony during Homecoming Week on Saturday, February 24 at 9:00 am in Tawes Ballroom.
Click here for ticket information or contact Ruffin Bell at (410) 951-3742 or rubell@coppin.edu
