Previewing the 2018 UK Athletics Hall of Fame Class

In conjunction with this weekend’s Kentucky football game against Mississippi State, UK Athletics will introduce their 2018 Hall of Fame class inductees. There are some pretty big names in this year’s class including: Anthony Davis (men’s basketball), Jacob Tamme (football), Victoria Dunlap (women’s basketball), Russ Cochran (men’s golf), Dennis Emery (men’s tennis coach), and Eric Quigley (men’s tennis).

The Hall of Famers will also be recognized during the Football game this Saturday at Kroger Field which kicks off at 7 PM EST. Here is a little bit of information about each of the 2018 inductees respectively:

Russ Cochran, Men’s Golf, 1975-1978

Russ was a first-team All-SEC player in 1978 after he lead Kentucky to top 5 finishes at the SEC Championship in each of his final three years at Kentucky. He was the SEC individual runner-up in 1978 as well. This same year, the Wildcats won its first ever outright tournament in the program’s history at the Marshall Classic.

Russ has played professionally since 1979 and he is still active on the PGA Tour Champions today. He has a total of 10 professional wins, including one on the PGA Tour and four on the Champions Tour.

For many years Russ was the only left handed player on the PGA Tour. A couple more accolades include Russ finishing in the top 10 twice at the PGA Championship and winning the British Senior Open in 2011. Russ Cochran has earned more than $13 million dollars in career earnings.

Anthony Davis, Men’s Basketball, 2012

Obviously, the one statistic that we correlate to Anthony Davis is him helping to lead Kentucky to the 2012 national championship. Davis was also the unanimous national player of the year, the national freshman of the year, the SEC Player of the Year, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the SEC Freshman of the Year.

Davis was also recognized as the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player after he blocked six shots and grabbed 16 rebounds in the national title game. Davis also helped guide Kentucky to a 38-2 record, as well as the SEC regular-season title. Davis absolutely shattered the single-season school record for blocks in a season with 186, which also ranks as the fourth most in NCAA history.

Davis was selected No. 1 overall in the 2012 NBA Draft. Davis is a six-year NBA veteran, five-time NBA All-Star, three time All-NBA Team Member, NBA All-Star MVP (2017), and an Olympic Gold Medalist (2012).

Victoria Dunlap, Women’s Basketball, 2008-2011

Victoria Dunlap was a first team All-American as a junior and a third-team All-American as a senior. She was also a two-time SEC Player of the Year, a SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and a two-year WBCA All-Region player. She led her team to the NCAA Elite Eight as a junior at Kentucky.

Dunlap ranks in the top 10 on numerous UK career lists, including 2nd in games started with 133, rebounding with 1,099, blocks with 178, free throws made with 445 and free throws attempted with 714. She is also third in scoring with 1,846 points, steals with 307 and double-doubles with 31! Victoria Dunlap also played two seasons in the WNBA.

Dennis Emery, Head Men’s Tennis Coach, 1983-2012

Dennis Emery was the Head Coach of the Kentucky men’s tennis team for 30 seasons. His teams won 568 matches in those 30 seasons, and under Emery’s supervision, they never lost to an in-state opponent. Emery took Kentucky to 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, making 11 trips to the Sweet 16, and making 4 appearances in the Elite Eight.

Emery coached 19 different Wildcats to 38 All-American honors. He guided three players to the finals of the NCAA singles championship. Emery earned the SEC Coach of the Year three times during his career. He also won the SEC team tournament championship in 1992 and the SEC regular season championship in 2012.

Eric Quigley, Men’s Tennis, 2009-2012

Eric Quigley is the winningest Wildcat in the school’s history with an outstanding 172 victories. He tied the NCAA record for most singles wins in a career. Quigley was a five-time All-American, which included three times as a singles player and two times as a doubles player. He was awarded the 2012 SEC Player of the Year and was undefeated in the SEC his senior season.

Quigley advanced to the finals of the 2012 NCAA Singles Championships, and he also helped Kentucky to appear in the NCAA Tournament four times, which included a quarterfinals appearance in 2011 and two Sweet 16 appearances. Quigley won the ITA/Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award.

Jacob Tamme, Football, 2004-2007

Jacob Tamme was a consensus first-team All-SEC player as both a junior and a senior. Tamme’s career totals include: 133 catches for 1,417 yards, which is the most ever by a Kentucky tight end, along with 11 Touchdown receptions. He helped Kentucky to two Music City Bowl wins in both 2006 and 2007.

Tamme’s outstanding senior season featured 56 catches for 619 yards with 6 touchdowns, which earned him fourth team All-American honors. Tamme was recognized for his work both on and off the field as he won a National Scholar Athlete Award from the National Football Foundation, he was selected for the first team Academic All-American, and he was awarded the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year in football.

Tamme also received the Bobby Bowden Award as the FCA National Player of the Year. Tamme had a good NFL career, as he played nine NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons.

The UK Athletics Hall of Fame has been implemented since 2005 to both honor and recognize both players and coaches who’s achievements both on and off the field bring enrichment to the University of Kentucky. The committee that selects new Hall of Fame inductees each year include current Hall of Famers, media members, campus representatives, current coaches and administrators.

Each one of these individuals are well deserving in their own rights to be inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame for what they have contributed to the University, and it will be good to see them commemorated during the Football game tomorrow!