Liberty University’s Club Sports program enshrined the charter members of the Club Sports Hall of Fame at an induction ceremony on Dec. 5 in the Hancock Welcome Center. Inductees were President Jerry Falwell; Dr. Gary Habermas, the men’s hockey coach from 1985 to 1994; and Johnathan Willis, a former men’s volleyball player and current assistant coach of the NCAA Division I women’s team. The inaugural class was also introduced during the Flames’ ACHA Division I men’s hockey game on Dec. 6 at the LaHaye Ice Center, where the Hall of Fame is currently housed.
“This being the first class, we weighed heavily each candidate’s contributions to building their sport and Club Sports in general at Liberty University,” said Jake Hannon, an assistant DI men’s hockey coach who serves as the Hall of Fame director.
Jonathan Willis
Jerry Falwell
Gary Habermas
Falwell has played a pivotal role in the development of a Club Sports program that is modeled after an NCAA Division III athletics department and is unlike any other in the country. During his presidency, the program has grown from five teams with 82 athletes in 2007 to 32 teams with more than 500 athletes in 2014.
Habermas, a distinguished research professor at the Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary and chair of the Department of Philosophy, coached the Flames’ men’s hockey team to a 115-50-10 record over nine seasons.
Willis was a middle blocker and outside hitter for the men’s indoor volleyball team from 2003-05 and again in 2009. The next year, as coach, he guided the Flames to a third-place finish at the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation Championships.
