Courtesy: Joe Browning

UNCW INDUCTS FOUR INTO ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

WILMINGTON, N.C. Baseball pitcher Eddie Booth, men's basketball coach Mel Gibson, swimmer Amy Lewis Holland and men's basketball standout Bill Mayew became the newest inductees into UNC Wilmington's Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday during a special ceremony at the Warwick Center Ballroom.

The addition of the quartet in the hall's sixth induction pushes membership to 28 former student-athletes, coaches and administrators recognized by the school.

A native of Danville, Va., Booth put his stamp on UNCW's baseball program with his trademark curve ball during a standout career in the early 70's. Booth compiled a sterling 27-5 mark from 1969-72 and was a workhorse on the mound for Coach Bill Brooks as the Seahawks built a 109-33-1 record. He recorded the second lowest earned run average (1.31) in the school's history and also ranks second in career strikeouts with 311.

In 1969, Booth was spectacular on the mound. He led the nation with a 0.22 ERA over 41 innings, closing with a perfect 6-0 mark. He followed that up with a 0.59 ERA in 59 innings in 1970. Overall, Booth led the Seahawks in victories and strikeouts all four seasons.

Booth was named to the NAIA All-District 29 team four consecutive years and was voted NAIA District 29 Player-of-the-Year in 1971. He is currently a reliability operator in the maintenance division for General Electric in Wilmington.

Holland, meanwhile, set seven school records during an outstanding career with Coach Dave Allen's swimming program from 1990-93. The Charlotte, N.C., product won the Eastern Championship in the 200 Freestyle in 1990 and captured UNCW's Outstanding Swimmer Award four straight years. She also set six freshman records in her first season with the Seahawks in 1990.

The tireless swimmer also excelled after she completed her Bachelor's Degree in Education in 1993. She was honored with the "Sallie Mae Teacher-of-the-Year Award" from the Mecklenburg County school system in 1995 and was a Harris Teacher-of-the-Year nominee the following year.

Holland has retired from teaching to remain at home with her three young children.

Mayew established a legacy of athletic and academic success as a member of the men's basketball team from 1994-97. The Kenosha, Wisc., native began his career as a reserve for Coach Jerry Wainwright's club and developed into one of the Colonial Athletic Association's top performers by his senior year.

In 1996-97, Mayew served as a co-captain on the first UNCW team to win the regular season championship in the CAA, reaping a host of honors. He was named First-Team All-CAA and to the league's All-Defensive unit. In addition, Mayew was selected as the team's Most Valuable Player and collected the Thomas V. Moseley Award as the school's top student-athlete.

Mayew was presented many other awards as well. A four-time CAA Scholar-Athlete, he was UNCW's first and only recipient of an NCAA post-graduate scholarship, won the CAA's prestigious Dean Ehler's Leadership Award and captured UNCW's Chancellor's Cup for Academic Excellence in 1997.

Mayew's No. 35 jersey was retired on Mar. 5, 1997, and he was selected by school officials to represent UNCW at the inaugural CAA Legends program at the CAA Men's Basketball Championship.

The gifted student-athlete recently completed his Ph.D. in Accountancy at the University of Texas and hopes to return to the state to teach this spring.

The final inductee during the weekend's festivities will be former men's basketball coach Mel Gibson, who ushered UNCW's hoops program into NCAA Division I play and amassed a 194-180 record over 14 seasons from 1973-86.

As a player, Gibson led Western Carolina to the NAIA national championship game in 1963. He was named an NAIA All-American and later helped Team USA win a gold medal at the 1963 Pan American Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Gibson was the No. 2 draft choice of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1963 and played one season of professional basketball before turning his attention to coaching. He posted a 57-34 record as the head coach at Baptist College in Charleston, S.C., before coming to UNCW as an assistant coach in 1972 and then taking over the head chair in 1973.

During Gibson's tenure, the Seahawks built a solid foundation for their success on the NCAA Division I level. His first four D-I teams carved out a solid 73-35 record, with the 1978, 1979 and 1980 clubs racking up 19 victories apiece. No other squad reached that number until the 1997-98 unit went 20-11.

Earlier this month, WCU announced that Gibson's jersey will be retired this season. A member of WCU's Hall of Fame Class of 1992, Gibson scored 2,021 points over four seasons and averaged more than 20 points during his junior and senior years.