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Dr. Jerry Falwell (Founder/Former Chancellor)
2009 Hall of Fame Inductee
Dr. Jerry Falwell will long be remembered as Liberty’s No. 1 fan, as the sports fanatic had a vision of Liberty Athletics competing alongside the nation’s best from the day he opened the doors at then-Lynchburg Baptist College.
Falwell’s presence at athletics events often spurred Liberty student-athletes to victory over the years, as the founder rarely ever missed a home event, while he traveled the country cheering Liberty’s best until he passed away. At his home-going celebration, 10 Liberty student-athletes served as honorary pallbearers, exhibiting Falwell’s passion for athletics.
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Arthur L. Williams (Athletics Financial Supporter)
2009 Hall of Fame Inductee
Arthur L. Williams, the founder of Primerica Financial Services, has long been one of Liberty Athletics strongest supporters since he was first introduced to the program by Dr. Jerry Falwell during the mid-1970s.
Williams’ financial generosity over the years helped a small NCCAA program quickly transition to the NCAA Division I level. Several athletics facilities around the campus still bear his name, including Williams Stadium and the Williams Football Operations Center, home to Liberty’s two-time defending Big South championship football program.
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Paul Annan (Men's Soccer: 1982-85)
2011 Hall of Fame Inductee
Paul A. Annan was a three-time All-American, earning such distinguished honors in men’s soccer, as the program’s goalkeeper during its formative years. He still holds five different program records, including the career marks for saves (634) and shutouts (28), along with the single-season shutout mark (12).
Annan was a co-captain of the Ghana National Academicals squad, a member of the Ghana National under-20 team and a member of the Ghana Amateur Junior National team before attending Liberty. Annan, known as the “black panther” for his agility, reflexes and diving ability, was a dominating force in the Liberty net during his four years, becoming the first Liberty student-athlete to be named a NCAA All-American.
In 1983, the Accra, Ghana native, earned the first of his three NCAA Division II All-America honors. He capped his career in 1985 by helping Liberty post 14 victories, which is a program record for wins in a season and his third All-America honor, to become the men’s soccer program’s only three-time All-American. Today, he still ranks second in career goals against average (0.98) and single-season saves in program history (205).
Annan currently works for Mercedes Benz U.S. International in the finance department. After graduating from Liberty, he earned his MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson in 1998 and became a certified public accountant in 2000.
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Fred Banks (Football: 1982-84)
2011 Hall of Fame Inductee
Fred Banks played a large part in the football program’s move to the NCAA ranks, becoming the third student-athlete from the era to be named to the Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame. The wide receiver was a standout on the gridiron during his three years at the school, finishing his career by being named an Associated Press Little All-American honorable mention in 1984.
The Columbus, Ga., native became Liberty’s first NFL Draft pick and one of only seven in program history, when he was drafted in the eighth round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.
Banks finished his Liberty career in 1984 by ranking No. 2 nationally among all NCAA Division II players in total receiving yards (1,029), the fourth most in the program’s all-time annuals. He also became only one of four student-athletes in the athletics department flagship sport to post three-straight 100-yard receiving games in a year and had eight touchdown receptions, the fifth most in program history.
After Liberty, he played eight years in the NFL. During his eight-year career, Banks played with the Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins. Banks came to Liberty from Chowan after his freshman season and was inducted into the Hawks Athletics Hall of Fame class in 2004.
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Bill Bell (Men's Soccer Coach: 1980-2000)
2011 Hall of Fame Inductee
One of two coaches in Liberty Athletics history to guide his program for 20 or more seasons, Bill Bell was integral in the men’s soccer program’s growth, as it moved from the NCCAA to NCAA Division I level competition and found conference affiliation in the Big South.
After 22 years playing professionally in England and Scotland, Bell, the longest tenured coach in program history, led Liberty to winning seasons in 12 of his 21 years as its head coach. Liberty posted a winning record in eight of its 10 Big South Conference seasons with Bell at its helm, reaching three Big South Men’s Soccer Championship games (1994, 1998 and 1999).
In 1985, he was named the South Atlantic Coach of the Year and was voted the Big South Coach of the Year in 1992 and 1999. During his tenure, he coached two All-Americans, 14 NSCAA South Atlantic All-Region players, Liberty’s only Big South Men’s Soccer Player of the Year and 22 Big South all-conference players.
After retiring from Liberty in 2000, Bell returned to England and served as the Executive Director of Within the Walls, a prison ministry he started with his wife, Mary, in 1993.
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Elena (Kisseleva) Bengds (Women’s Basketball: 1997-2000)
2009 Hall of Fame Inductee
Elena (Kisseleva) Bengds helped turn a fledgling women’s basketball program into one of the Big South Conference’s longest-running dynasties. During her magnificent four-year career, the Moscow, Russia, native led the Lady Flames to four-straight league titles and the first four of 10-straight NCAA Tournament berths.
The two-time Big South Player of the Year still lays claim to 12 program records, including the career mark for points scored (2,154) and minutes played (3,860). During the 1997-98 season, Bengds helped the Lady Flames enter the 1998 NCAA Tournament with an unblemished 28-0 record, where they faced eventual national champion Tennessee in the only NCAA Tournament matchup of two unbeaten programs in women’s basketball history.
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Bob Bonheim (Wrestling/Football Coach: 1973-86)
2009 Hall of Fame Inductee
Bob Bonheim orchestrated the first true national powerhouse at Liberty, guiding the Flames wrestling program to five-straight NCCAA national championships (1977-1981). The two-time NCCAA National Coach of the Year (1976 and 1981) finished his days roaming the mats with a 118-31 dual meet record, winning at an impressive 79.2 percent clip.
A 2003 inductee into the Central Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Bonheim coached 35 All-Americans, including eight at the NCAA level. Twenty-one of his grapplers went on to win NCCAA national titles. Bonheim, who also served four years as a defensive line coach for the football program, helped wrestling move from NCCAA to NCAA Division II, finishing fifth nationally during his final season as head coach in the Flames third year at the new level.
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Sid Bream (Baseball: 1979-81)
2009 Hall of Fame Inductee
Sid Bream was one of Liberty’s first true athletic stars, earning NAIA and NABC All-America honors during his time at first base for the baseball program. He still holds seven different baseball program records, including the career mark for both batting average (.435) and slugging percentage (.830).
Bream was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round of the 1981 MLB Draft. The 12-year major leaguer and the 1990 Hutch Award winner, Bream helped the Pittsburgh Pirates to the National League Championship Series in 1990 and the Atlanta Braves to back-to-back World Series appearances in 1991 and 1992.
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Theresa Bream (Women's Basketball: 1987-90/Volleyball: 1990-93)
2010 Hall of Fame Inductee
Theresa Bream was Liberty’s first true female standout student-athlete, as the two-sport athlete excelled on the basketball and volleyball courts for the Lady Flames from 1987 to 1993. Despite nearly two decades elapsing between her playing days and her induction, Bream is still the owner of three volleyball program records and two women’s basketball program marks.
Around the nets, Bream was a dominating force and is one of only two student-athletes in program history to earn AVCA All-Region honors. She is also the only player in program history to rank inside the Top 5 of four different key volleyball statistical categories.
On the basketball hardwood, Bream finished her career by averaging a double-double (11.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game), and is one of only three student-athletes to accomplish the feat in program history. The two-time team captain is a member of the Lady Flames’ 500-500 club for career points (589) and rebounds (536).
Bream excelled as an athlete away from Liberty Mountain and on the world scene, as she was an alternate for the U.S. Olympic handball team in 1992. The Mt. Holly Springs, Pa., native is the sister of Sid Bream, a member of Liberty’s inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2009.
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Jesse Castro (Wrestling – 1977-81)
2012 Hall of Fame Inductee
Jesse Castro, a four-time NCCAA national champion (1977-78-79-81), was one of a handful of athletes that helped a start-up wrestling program quickly emerge to become a national powerhouse.
One of eight wrestlers in program history to enter the Eagle Medal Gold Club (100 career victories), the 142-pounder finished his four-year stay on Liberty Mountain with a 101-20-2 record and the highest career winning percentage among 100-career winners (82.9 percent).
During his time on the mat, Castro helped the Flames win four of their five NCCAA national team championships (1977, 1978, 1979 and 1981), culminating in 1981 when Liberty also finished 18th at the NAIA national championship.
Castro returned to his alma mater in 2005 to restart the wrestling program for its five-year run at the NCAA Division I level (2006-10). Castro was named NCAA East Region Coach of the Year four times, guiding the Flames to five consecutive NCAA East Region titles and sending 24 individual wrestlers to the NCAA Division I national championship.
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Mark Chafin (Men's Basketball: 1975-78)
2012 Hall of Fame Inductee
Mark Chafin finished his four years racing up and down the basketball court as Liberty’s all-time leading scorer (1,951 career point), a figure that stood until it was surpassed by fellow Liberty Athletics Hall of Famer Karl Hess two years later.
Chafin was a three-year starter, earning NCCAA all-district team honors in 1975, 1976 and 1977 and honorable-mention honors in 1978.
Chafin was one of Liberty’s most prolific scorers and the program’s most accurate shooters during his last three seasons with the program. He finished his career with a 45.8 field goal shooting percentage (783-of-1709) and a 73.6 shooting percentage from the charity stripe (381-of-517).
Chafin, who is an active participant in his sport as a NCAA Division I referee, still currently ranks among the program’s leaders in scoring, field goals, free throws and steals (225).
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Jerry Edwards (Radio Play-by-Play: 1981-2010)
2011 Hall of Fame Inductee
Broadcasting his first Flames football game just after the opening of the 1981 season, Jerry Edwards went on to serve as the radio “Voice of the Flames” for 29 years. He broadcast Liberty football, men’s basketball and baseball games during his three decades behind the microphone.
Edwards aired more than 300 football and 800 men’s basketball broadcasts, having traveled as far as Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico to cover Liberty athletics programs. During his time calling the action, he only missed one football game and just a handful of men’s basketball games.
After moving to Lynchburg, Va., in 1979 to attend the Liberty Bible Institute, Edwards broadcast his first game in the radio booth on the Flames Sports Network on Sept. 12, 1981, from Salisbury, N.C., for Liberty’s football game at Catawba. He was on hand to report all the action of some of the most memorable athletics events in program history, including football’s first FBS victory over Eastern Michigan, 25-24, in Ypsilanti, Mich., in 1989 and Liberty’s two men’s basketball NCAA Tournament appearances in 1994 and 2004.
Edwards still serves as the general manager for WRVL and the Victory Radio Network and he hosts “The Morning Full of Music” on the station. The radio broadcasting booth inside the Williams Stadium Tower is named in his honor.
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Kelvin Edwards (Football: 1982-85)
2009 Hall of Fame Inductee
Kelvin Edwards helped the athletics department’s flagship program make the move to the NCAA ranks, as the wide receiver shined for the football program during a star-studded four-year career. A 1985 Associated Press Little All-America first-team honoree and Blue-Gray Football Game participant, Edwards still holds the program records for career receiving yards (2,546) and career receiving touchdowns (24).
Upon graduating from Liberty, Edwards became Liberty’s second-highest NFL draft pick, when he was selected in the fourth round of the 1984 draft by the New Orleans Saints. His three-year professional football career was spotlighted when he was a starting wide-out for the Dallas Cowboys.
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Gina Gibson (Women's Track and Field: 1982-85)
2010 Hall of Fame Inductee
Gina Gibson was a five-time All-American, earning such distinctive honors in the track and field disciplines of long jump and the 4x100 relay. She had the honor of helping Liberty circle the track for the first time at two different competitive levels, as Liberty moved to the NAIA level during her freshman year and to the NCAA Division II level as a junior.
Gibson was Liberty’s first female student-athlete to earn All-America honors at the AIAW and NCAA Division II levels. As a freshman, she placed sixth at the AIAW Division II Championships in the long jump and was part of a fifth-place 4x100 relay team at the same outdoor meet.
In 1983, the Nassau, Bahamas, native placed fourth at the NCAA Division II outdoor championship, helping her claim the second of four career long jump All-America honors. The next year, Gibson was a three-time event winner at the Mason-Dixon Conference meet and was named the event’s co-MVP.
Despite the long-standing success of Liberty’s track and field teams, Gibson still holds the program’s indoor and outdoor long jump records (19-1.25/20-0.25 feet).
If she were still actively competing today, Gibson would be considered one of the best, as only one student-athlete in the 26-year history of the Big South Conference has eclipsed the 20-foot mark in the long jump.
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Lee Guetterman (Baseball: 1978-81)
2010 Hall of Fame Inductee
Having only been in existence for two years and already having two former baseball student-athletes in the Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame speaks to the considerable success of the program. Lee Guetterman played a large part in that success. The left-handed pitcher set the tone from the mound early on for the Flames.
During a highly successful four-year stint in a Liberty uniform, Guetterman set benchmarks that still stand three decades later. He is Liberty’s all-time career leader in games started (47), complete games (30), shutouts (7), wins (29) and innings pitched (334.2). Additionally, his 3.07 career ERA ranks second in school history, while his 220 strikeouts are sixth on Liberty’s all-time listings.
Not just a dominating force on the mound, Guetterman certainly helped out his own cause at the plate. He posted a .325 career batting average, with 108 RBIs, 33 doubles, 12 triples, 11 home runs and 82 runs scored. The impressive statistics helped the Oceanside, Calif., native to earn NAIA All-America first-team honors as a senior in 1981.
After finishing his career with the Flames, Guetterman was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the fourth round of the 1981 MLB Draft. An 11-year career saw him play for the Mariners, New York Yankees, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals. He was one of the more consistent relief pitchers of his time, as he made 425 professional mound appearances and 23 starts.
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Karl Hess (Men’s Basketball: 1977-80)
2009 Hall of Fame Inductee
Along with Sid Bream, Karl Hess helped put Liberty Athleics on the national scene. He became the men’s basketball program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,373 points and dazzled fans on the hardwood. Hess capped off his four-year career at Liberty by leading the Flames to a 28-11 and an NCCAA national championship in 1980, earning tournament MVP honors during the event.
The CoSIDA Academic All-America first-team honoree still holds 12 program records, including six career standards. Still active in the game, Hess is now considered to be one of the nation’s top referee’s, primarily officiating ACC, BIG EAST and SEC men’s basketball games. In 2007, he served as the crew chief for the national championship game between Florida and Ohio State.
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John Sanders (Football: 1979-82)
2012 Hall of Fame Inductee
John Sanders was one of Liberty’s first dominate defensive players on the football field. He is the only player in program history to finish his career with 100 or more tackles all four seasons he took to the gridiron.
Sanders finished his stay on Liberty Mountain with 550 career stops, a mark that leads all career tacklers in program history and is 123 stops ahead of No. 2 on the all-time career tackles list (Mickey Paige – 427 career tackles).
Sanders was a four-time winner of Liberty’s “Big Hit” award and earned AFCA (Kodak) first-team All-America honors as a senior. He also was named to the NAIA all-district defensive team (District 29) and the NAIA honorable-mention All-America team in 1982.
In 1979, Sanders was a part of a Liberty team that posted a 9-1-1 record, the first of three seasons where the Flames finished a year with nine or more victories. Sanders, who took the 1981 season off, helped Liberty post a combined 27-13-2 record during his four years on the field, with three seasons of seven or more victories.
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Chip Smith (Football/Baseball: 1974-76)
2010 Hall of Fame Inductee
Chip Smith quickly helped jumpstart Liberty’s athletics program as the department’s first-ever athletics standout when the football program first hit the gridiron in 1973.
Smith was Liberty’s first scholarship football recipient and was the first Flame to cross the goal line during Liberty’s inaugural game against Massanutten Military on Sept. 27, 1973. Adding to his list of “firsts,” Smith was the program’s first-ever team captain, MVP, leading rusher, scoring leader and letterwinner, garnering those honors all four years he donned a Liberty uniform (1973-76).
Because Liberty did not start playing a full varsity schedule until the 1976 season, several of Smith’s notable performances are not officially included in Liberty’s record book, as the NCAA does not recognize statistics against junior varsity and prep school opponents.
Had all of Smith’s games officially counted, the standout would have amassed 15 100-yard rushing performances, 208 career points, 33 rushing touchdowns, 3,342 career rushing yards and averaged 101.3 rushing yards per game.
All of these figures would rank in the Flames’ Top 5 in each statistical category. He still holds the program mark for the longest touchdown run (86 yards) and highest average rushing yards per carry in a game (19.8), with both records coming against Ferrum on Nov. 13, 1976, his final career outing.
Besides his gridiron accomplishments, Smith also holds the distinction of being Liberty’s first team captain for the baseball program. He also led the program with a .454 batting average and was a four-year letterwinner (1973-76).
Smith continues to flourish in the sport that made him a Liberty star. He is currently the owner and founder of Competitive Edge Sports (CES). The organization, based in Duluth, Ga., is widely recognized as one of the world’s elite sports performance training centers.
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Sharon (Snodgrass) May (Women's Basketball: 1979-82)
2012 Hall of Fame Inductee
After joining the women’s basketball program as a walk-on student-athlete, Sharon (Snodgrass) May became the Lady Flames’ first-ever standout on the hardwood during her four-year career.
May is one of only three players in program history to finish their careers with more than 1,000 career points and rebounds. She joins WNBA players Katie Feenstra and Avery Warley, as Snodgrass finished her career with 1,169 career points scored and 1,026 career rebounds.
During her senior season, May became the first female in athletics department history to be awarded the Rock Royer/Mac Rivera Award, Liberty’s highest athletics honor. She also became the program’s first-ever VAIAW Division II all-state honoree, earning a spot on the all-state squad after averaging 12.9 points and 9.9 rebounds in 1981-82.
May is the only Lady Flame ever to average a double-double for her entire career, having scored an average of 11.7 points per game and pulling down an average of 10.3 boards per contest.
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Ryan Werner (Men's Track & Field: 1992-96)
2012 Hall of Fame Inductee
Ryan Werner is one of the men’s track & field program’s most decorated student-athletes, becoming Liberty’s first three-time All-America decathlete in 1994, 1995 and 1996.
Werner’s then program record of 7,662 decathlon points was a mark that stood for more than 13 seasons, spanning a time where four other Liberty athletes earned All-America honors in the same track discipline.
A 1996 Rock Royer/Mac Rivera award winner, Werner was the first athlete in program history to earn an IC4A title in 1992 (decathlon) and would go on to win a total of five IC4A titles during his Liberty career.
One of only four four-year members of Liberty’s 100-Point Club, Werner became Liberty’s first-ever inductee into the Big South Conference Hall of Fame when he was inducted in 2007. He was a two-time Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year and helped the Flames capture men’s outdoor titles in the Big South in 1994, 1995 and 1996 and an IC4A title in 1996.
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Al Worthington (Baseball Coach: 1974-86/Athletics Director: 1983-89)
2010 Hall of Fame Inductee
Al Worthington used the knowledge gained from 19 years of playing major league baseball and his passion for Christ to help him become one of Liberty’s first coaching legends.
Following a three-year standout career at Alabama, Worthington played for five different major league programs, including a five-year stint with the Minnesota Twins. He became that team’s first true closer with 110 career saves.
In 1974, Worthington came to Lynchburg to start Liberty’s baseball program. His 13-year coaching stint enabled him to become the winningest coach in program history and finish with a 64.4 winning percentage (343-189-1). Following the first year of the program, Liberty never again had a losing record during the final dozen years under Worthington’s tutelage.
During his time at the head of the program, Worthington coached four All-Americans and nine players who went on to play professional baseball, including Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame inductees Sid Bream (2009) and Lee Guetterman (2010).
On May 3, 1986, Dr. Jerry Falwell named Liberty’s baseball facility Worthington Stadium. Liberty would go on to win that day, 19-3, against Maryland, capping off Worthington’s stellar 13-year coaching career.
On Dec., 19, 1983, Worthington was named Liberty’s fifth Director of Athletics, a role he held until he retired in 1989. During the final years of his tenure at Liberty, Worthington helped usher Liberty Athletics into the NCAA Division I ranks on Sept. 1, 1988.
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Heather (Sagan) Zealand (Women's Cross Country/Track & Field: 1999-2002)
2011 Hall of Fame Inductee
Heather (Sagan) Zealand was Liberty’s first Division I national champion and one of two female track and field student-athletes to capture All-America honors. She was named the 2002 Virginia NCAA Woman of the Year and Eastern Track Athlete of the Year after winning the NCAA Division I Indoor national championship in the women’s mile and earning All-America honors with a second place finish in the outdoor 1500.
The distance runner also was named to the 2002 CoSIDA Academic All-American women’s cross country/track and field team and USTFCCCA Division I Women’s Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She became the first collegiate athlete since 1987 to capture the Olympic Development mile title that year at the Penn Relays. She was a 14-time Big South champion, the most by any female student-athlete in program history.
The native of Warrenton, Va., was a two-time Big South Outstanding Women’s Track Performer and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She still holds five Liberty records, including three Big South records in the indoor mile run (4:38.52), indoor distance medley relay (11:52.36) and outdoor 1500 run (4:14.71).
After graduation, the track and field standout represented the United States at the 2003 World Cross Country Championships and made the 1500 finals at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials. She was a nine-year member of the Flames Track and Field and Cross Country coaching staffs, coaching the program from 2002-10.
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