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Athletics Hall of Fame Inducts Five-Member Class of 2017

October 11, 2017

The ninth Liberty University Athletics Hall of Fame class was inducted at a special ceremony Sept. 29 in the Williams Stadium Club Pavilion and later recognized during halftime of the Sept. 30 home football game. The Hall of Fame, now with 47 members, honors those who have played a key role in helping Liberty Athletics grow into a thriving NCAA Division I program with 20 men’s and women’s sports.

Sam Chelanga
(Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field: 2008-11)
Chelanga, a native of Nairobi, Kenya, is the only student-athlete in Liberty history to win multiple national championships. After he burst onto the scene in 2009, winning the first of two consecutive NCAA Division I national championships in men’s cross country, Chelanga went on to claim NCAA Division I Outdoor Track Championships in the 10K in 2010 and in the 5K in 2011. The 14-time All-American started competing professionally in 2011 and is sponsored by Nike. He gained United States citizenship in 2015 and led Team USA with an 11th-place finish at the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Julius Nwosu
(Men’s Basketball: 1991-93)
A native of Owerri, Nigeria, who started playing organized basketball just one year before he joined the Flames, Nwosu concluded his three-year career as one of the premier centers in early Big South Conference history. The two-time All-Big South honoree ranked among the league leaders in scoring and rebounding in his junior and senior seasons and finished his career with 112 blocked shots. He became the first player in program history to earn a spot on an NBA roster, playing for the San Antonio Spurs (1995), Boston Celtics (1997), and the Utah Jazz (2000). He also played professionally in Spain, Russia, Greece, Turkey, Japan, and France for eight seasons.

Katie (Phillips) Bigham
(Softball: 1996-99)
As a dominant pitcher, Bigham was one of the driving forces behind Liberty’s reinstated softball program’s quick rise to power in the Big South Conference.

She became the Lady Flames’ first-ever 20-game winner, going 20-12 as a sophomore in 1997, and she helped guide Liberty to a 146-90 record over her four-year career. As a junior, she was named to the Big South Softball Championship All-Tournament team, sharing MVP honors for leading the Lady Flames to their first championship final appearance. The next year, as a senior in 1999, she helped the team post its first-ever 40-win season (41-25). Nearly two decades after concluding her playing career, Bigham still holds the program’s career records for ERA (1.59), wins (62), and shutouts (23).

Richard Shelton
(Football: 1984-88)
After receiving Liberty’s “Most Improved Freshman Award” in 1984, Shelton made a tremendous impact in the Flames’ secondary with 126 tackles (56 solo, 70 assisted), 11 interceptions, and 26 pass breakups as a two-year starting cornerback and special teams standout. The Marietta, Ga., native used his 4.45-second 40-yard dash speed to set program records that still stand for career punt return yardage (563), punt returns for touchdowns (3), and punt return average (12.5 yards per return). Shelton was selected by the Denver Broncos in the 10th round of the NFL Draft in 1989. Following a three-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1990-93), he has worked as an NFL scout for the last 15 years and was named the 2015 AFC Scout of the Year during one of his 10 years with the Tennessee Titans.

Dave Williams
(Strength and Conditioning Coach: 1984-2017)
Williams served as Liberty’s head strength and conditioning coach from 1984-2005 before assisting Bill Gillespie for the last 13 years of his career. Following the 1992-93 academic year, Williams was named a finalist for the national Strength Coach of the Year, an honor given to strength and conditioning coaches in the professional and collegiate ranks. Williams and Gillespie became the first pair of NCAA Division I FCS football instructors from the same school to be honored as Master Strength and Conditioning Coaches by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. Williams retired last spring after a 33-year career with Liberty’s strength and conditioning program.

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