2022 NJCAA Foundation Awards Event and Inductees announced

Charlotte, NC – The NJCAA has announced the second annual NJCAA Foundation Hall of Fame class of 2022, to be recognized at the NJCAA Foundation Awards event, slated for Friday, June 10, 2022, at 6:30 PM ET at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown in Charlotte, NC. Designed to tell the story of the NJCAA, the NJCAA Hall of Fame seeks to honor individuals who have paved the way for opportunities at the two-year level – athletically, professionally, and those who have been pioneers throughout the history of the association. Inductees to the Hall of Fame include administrators, coaches, student-athletes, and meritorious contributors and influencers. 

In addition to the NJCAA Hall of Fame class recipients, the event will honor the Champion Award winners, the Difference Maker Award winner, and the association's three annual individual student-athlete awards – the Betty Jo Graber Female Student-Athlete of the Year, the David Rowlands Male Student-Athlete of the Year, and the Lea Plarski Award, honoring an NJCAA student-athlete who exemplifies sportsmanship, leadership, community service, academic excellence and athletic ability. The Champion Award honors a member or former member of the NJCAA community who exemplifies resilience, excellence, and passion.  The Difference Maker Award honors a supporter of the NJCAA and the NJCAA Foundation in its endeavors. Recipients of these annual awards will be in attendance to be recognized and receive their award.  

This year, the inaugural 2021 NJCAA Hall of Fame class will be recognized in person after last year's event was held virtually. Tickets for the event are $125 for attendees and registration is required to attend. 

Betty Jo Graber helped pioneer the creation of the women's division of the NJCAA and the NJCAA Women's Basketball Coaches Association, both in 1975. Graber's career is decorated with honors and awards, coaching and international coaching experience, as well as organizational contributions. In 1992, in conjunction with the David Rowlands Award, the NJCAA created the Betty Jo Graber Award to honor the tireless dedication put forth by Graber to the association and its student-athletes.  

As the NJCAA Region 5 Women's Director, Graber chaired the Association's women's basketball committee from its inception until her retirement in 1991. In addition to her contributions on the NJCAA Board of Directors, Graber was a member of the NJCAA Women's Basketball Coaches Association inaugural hall of fame class in 1998. Also, a member of the national Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, Graber exhibited dedication, service, and resilience during her 35 years of coaching and leadership at Weatherford College (TX). As a result of her service and commitment, the college named its gym facility the Betty Jo Crumm Graber Athletic Center in her honor. Outside of the NJCAA, Graber possesses rich experience in international coaching, including roles as assistant coach for national teams competing in Europe, national world champion teams, and silver medal Pan Am team. Graber was a team manager for the 1984 Olympic Basketball Team who obtained a gold medal and was an assistant coach for multiple nationally competitive teams that collected silver medals. 

Graber has contributed to numerous organizations including, the ABAUSA, WBCA, American Alliance for Health, Texas Association of Health, Texas Basketball Coaches Association, Texas Junior College Teachers Association, life member of Delta Pai Kappa, and more. For her service, Graber has been recognized as the 1974 Weatherford College Faculty Member of the Year, 1976 Texas Junior College Coach of the Year, 1980 Stayfree National Junior College Coach of the Year, 1991 NJCAA Services Award recipient, 1991 Women's Sports Foundation Coaches Award, among many others. Graber has paved the way for countless higher education and athletic professionals since 1954. 

Basketball star Spencer Haywood played 12 seasons in the NBA and was a five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection. Prior to a professional career, Haywood attended Trinidad State College (CO) during 1967-68, where he averaged 28.2 points and 22.1 rebounds per game. Due to exceptional talent, a young Haywood made the USA Olympic Basketball team in 1968. Haywood was the leading scorer on the USA's gold medal winning basketball team that year at 16.1 points per game, and he set a USA field goal percentage record of .719. Haywood's record of scoring 145 points in the entire tournament established a record that would take more than 40 years to break. 

Haywood then played at the University of Detroit Mercy (MI) from 1968-69 and decided to turn pro after his sophomore year. In alignment with current NBA rules at the time, he was prohibited to enter the league and as a result, joined the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1969. Haywood was drafted by the Buffalo Braves in the second round, 30th pick overall, of the 1971 NBA Draft. In addition to his legacy on the court, Haywood changed the business of the game too. Beginning in 1971, underclassmen were allowed to enter the NBA Draft provided they could give evidence of "hardship" to the NBA office. Thus, the Spencer Haywood Hardship Rule was created, which allowed players to leave college for the ABA (American Basketball Association) before graduation if they endured extenuating financial circumstances or family-related needs. 

Haywood is a four-time NBA All-Star, two-time All-NBA First-Team honoree, NBA champion with the 1980 Lakers, one of 95 players with more than 14,000 career points, more than 5,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists, and much more. Haywood notably broke all the single-season ABA (American Basketball Association) records in his only year in the then-professional league, winning 1970 ABA Rookie of the Year, ABA Most Valuable Player, the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, and season Most Valuable Player award. A professional career that spans over a decade, Haywood played with the Denver Rockets, Seattle SuperSonics, New York Knicks, New Orleans Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Washington Bullets. Haywood retired from playing in 1983. In 2015, Haywood was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.  

At just 33 years old, Jessica McDonald has excelled in soccer at the highest level and captured some of the most prestigious awards. McDonald attended Phoenix College (AZ) for two years, where she played soccer, basketball, and ran track. As an all-star soccer student-athlete, McDonald was named an NJCAA First-Team All-American and 2006 NJCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Year. In addition, McDonald received NJCAA First-Team, All-Conference, and All-Region Honors, quickly becoming the most-decorated women's athlete in the history of the school. In November 2019, the Glendale native's jersey was retired from Phoenix.  

Following success with the Bears, the forward attended the University of North Carolina and played a key role in the Tar Heels' NCAA championship victories in 2008 and 2009. McDonald played in 21 games, had 17 starts, scored five goals, and had 10 assists, which led the team. In the 2010 WPS Draft, McDonald was the fifteenth overall pick by the Chicago Red Stars, kicking off her club career. From 2012-13, she played with the Melbourne Victory FC in Australia's W-League, followed by seven more roles with various clubs.  

McDonald has also represented the United States on the international stage on several occasions, helping her country to its fourth World Cup Championship title in 2019. Following the World Cup, McDonald competed at the 2020 She Believes Cup and the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament. In total, the forward has registered 19 appearances with the USWNT, scoring four goals and assisting two. A powerful forward with a track record of scoring, McDonald was the first NWSL player to reach 33 regular-season goals. McDonald currently is a member of Racing Louisville FC after playing with the North Carolina Courage for five seasons. 

Lorene Ramsey, among the most recognized contributors to women's athletics, is one of the most successful college coaches of all time. In 1969, Ramsey started the women's basketball program at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Illinois, and the school's softball program in 1970, coaching both Cougars' programs until her retirement in 2003. In 1974, Ramsey also started the institution's women's volleyball program. Ramsey has the distinction of being the only coach in NJCAA history to win a National Championship in both women's Basketball and Softball, in the same year in 1998.   

On the basketball court, Ramsey led the program to five NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Championships (1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, and 2003) and amassed 887 wins, with just 197 losses for an .818 winning percentage. She also had great victories on the softball diamond with the Cougars, collecting 840 career wins, with 309 losses and a pair of NJCAA Softball National Championships in 1982 and 1998, when softball was all Division I. Ramsey has been inducted into 14 Halls-of-Fame, including the Fast Pitch Softball Hall of Fame as a coach in 1991, the NJCAA Softball Hall of Fame as a coach in 1998, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000, and the NJCAA Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2004. Ramsey most recently joined the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame alongside her final women's basketball national championship team of the 2002-2003 season.  

Ramsey is responsible for mentoring hundreds of young women, many of whom went on to earn scholarships at four-year colleges. In addition to the NJCAA, Ramsey served as an assistant coach for the United States women's softball team in the Pan Am Games, assisting the late Ralph Raymond and winning a gold medal in 1979 and a silver medal in 1981. Coach Ramsey is also the namesake of the gym at Illinois Central College, Lorene Ramsey Gymnasium. Her name is also tied to the award for the NJCAA's Division II Softball Coach of the Tournament each year at the National Tournament. The five-time National Coach of the Year is still seen frequently around Illinois Central College athletic events, never turning away a chance to go back on the many memories made over 33 seasons as a collegiate head coach. 

Jim Thome is a 2018 MLB Hall of Fame member and former American professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 22 seasons (1991-2012), playing for six different teams. The Peoria, Illinois native enrolled at Illinois Central College out of high school, playing baseball and basketball, but was drafted after just one season by the Cleveland Indians (OH) in the 13th round of the 1989 MLB Draft. Throughout his professional career, Thome hit 612 home runs, eighth-most all time, along with 2,328 hits, 1,699 runs batted in (RBI), and a .276 batting average. Only six players have totaled at least 1,700 walks and 1,699 RBI and among those are Babe Ruth, Mel Ott, and Thome.  

Thome was a member of five All-Star teams and won a Silver Slugger Award in 1996. From 1989 to 1991, Thome played for the Gulf Coast League Indians, a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, dedicating rookie time to his power hitting. By 1992, Thome was a rising baseball star with the Indians and became Cleveland's go-to third baseman. In 1995, the young Thome hit .314 with 25 homers and 73 RBI, helping the team reach their first World Series in 41 years. Thome moved to first base following the 1996 season. Thome remained in Cleveland for 12 seasons, which included three straight All-Star nods from 1997-99. After a departure for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2003, Thome notably returned to the Indians roster for the 2011 season at age 40.  

As a result of Thome's impact on Illinois Central and dedication to baseball, Illinois Central honored the 1989 alumnus on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, naming the baseball and softball fields after him. Thome became the 13th Cleveland Indian to become a Hall of Famer. Currently, Thome is working in the Chicago White Sox front office, a role that includes helping as an instructor during spring training. Thome began working with the White Sox in 2018 after retiring from baseball as a player six years prior.