SIU Athletics inducts hall of fame class of 2017

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MCT

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Jason Frasor throws in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Indians on Friday, July 25, 2014, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Royals won 6-4. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/MCT)

By Jonathan Thompson

Six former Salukis were honored at the hall of fame induction ceremony on Friday in Saluki Arena.

Hubie Dunn, 1939-1943

Dunn was a six-time individual champion during his senior year at SIU.

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That same year he was captain of the gymnastics team — one of the best teams in the country at the time.

After graduating, Dunn was a junior officer on the USS Shubrick, one of the ships to storm the beaches of northern France on D-Day.

He then went on to coach gymnastics at Washington State and Northern Illinois, coaching 48 individual champions.

Dunn passed away in February at the age of 94. His family represented him at the induction dinner.

Alexis Moreland, 2001-2004, football

Moreland was a three-time All-American safety for Saluki football.

He’s second in SIU history in passes broken up (25), sixth in tackles (358) and tied for 13th in interceptions (eight).

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SIU was back-to-back Missouri Valley Football Conference champions during his junior and senior seasons. He was a finalist his junior year for the Buck Buchanan Award, an honor given to the best defensive back in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Gwen Berry, 2008-2011, track and field 

Berry was one of two former Saluki throwers who competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics last year.

She finished 14th in the hammer throw event.

Berry was a three-event All-American as a Saluki, competing in the hammer throw, weight throw and shot put.

She was a four-time Missouri Valley Champion and United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association Midwest Region Field Athlete of the year in 2011.

Berry was not the only former Olympian inducted.

Bianca Stuart, 2006-2009, track and field

Stuart was a two-time Olympian for the Bahamas as a long jumper.

She finished 17th in the 2012 London Olympics and 16th in the Rio Olympics. In 2015, Stuart won a silver medal at the Pan American Games.

She is the only four-time conference champion in the long jump in league history and a two-time All-American.

Stuart still holds the school and MVC record for both indoor and outdoor long jump.

Jason Frasor, 1996-1999, baseball

Frasor’s 12-year career in the MLB came to a close in 2015 when he was a member of the World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

He appeared in 679 games across his career for six different teams, mostly with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2004-2012. Overall, he posted a 3.49 career ERA with 615 strikeouts.

As a Saluki, he was named a two-time “Itchy” Jones team MVP.

Frasor is second in career strikeouts (278), fifth in career starts (41) and eighth in innings pitched (272.1) in SIU history.

Ray Tabacchi, 1953-1956, baseball/basketball/football

Tabacchi was a six-time letter winner across the three sports, but excelled at baseball.

In his senior season, Tabacchi was a First Team All-Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection with a .314 batting average.

He was named team MVP during his junior and senior years. After graduating, Tabacchi signed with the Kansas City A’s and played in their minor league system for five years.

The inductees will be honored at the halftime of the men’s basketball game versus Missouri State.

Staff writer Jonathan Thompson can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @TheReal_Jt3.

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