Liberty athletics inducts five into hall of fame

Liberty Athletics inducted five alumni in the Athletics Hall of Fame at a banquet on Friday to culminate the Hall of Fame Weekend.

Athletics Director Jeff Barber announced in January 2009 that there would be an Athletics Hall of Fame.  The first class was inducted in September 2009.

This year’s class of inductees included Theresa Bream, Gina Gibson Richardson, Lee Guetterman, Chip Smith and Al Worthington.

Bream was Liberty’s first true female standout student-athlete, according to the Hall of Fame Website.  She excelled in basketball and volleyball from 1987 to 1993.  She still holds three volleyball records and two women’s basketball records.  Bream was an alternate for the U.S. Olympic handball team in 1992.

Richardson was a five-time All-American in track and field, receiving honors in the long jump and the 4×100 relay.  She placed fourth at the NCAA Division II outdoor championships in 1983.  She still holds the indoor and outdoor long jump records for Liberty’s track and field.

Guetterman was a highly successful left-handed pitcher for the Flames baseball team.  He is the all-time leader in games started (47), complete games (30), shutouts (7), wins (29) and innings pitched (334.2).  He ranks second in school history in career ERA with 3.07.  He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the fourth round of the 1981 MLB Draft.  He lasted 11 years in the major leagues, playing for the Mariners, New York Yankees, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals.

Smith, the first scholarship recipient, helped Liberty’s football program get to a running start in 1973.  Smith also holds the honor of scoring Liberty’s first touchdown in their first game.  He was Liberty’s first captain, MVP, leading rusher, scoring leader and letterwinner.  He was also Liberty’s first team captain in baseball and led the program in batting average with .454.

Worthington started Liberty’s baseball program in 1974 after playing three years at Alabama and playing for five major league teams.  He coached the Flames for 13 years, making him the winningest coach in program history with a record of 343-189-1.  Worthington was named Liberty’s fifth Athletic Director in 1983.  He helped Liberty Athletics make the jump to NCAA Division 1 in 1988.  Liberty’s baseball facility was named after Worthington in 1986.