Miami’s Shane Larkin drives around Boston’s Jordan Daniels, (10) and Lonnie Jackson, 920) during the University of Miami men’s basketball vs Boston College game at BankUnited Center in Coral Gables on Saturday, March 3, 2012. Miami Herald Staff
The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame will induct its 2024 class Thursday night at a banquet at the Watsco Center, the same building where one of the inductees, Shane Larkin, dazzled Hurricanes basketball fans and led UM to its first ACC regular-season and conference titles 11 years ago.
The 10-member Class of 2024 also includes Kimberli Barrett (women’s track & field), Johan Donar (men’s tennis), Jose “Chemi” Gil (men’s diving), Meghan Saake-Knokey (women’s basketball), Brandon Meriweather (football), George Oliver (polo coach), Chris Perez (baseball) and Eric Winston (football). Rounding out the class of inductees is longtime athletics administrator Rick Remmert.
In addition to the inductees, G. Holmes Braddock, a Miami-Dade School Board member for 38 years, and 98 years old, will be given the Presidents Distinguished Service Award.
Among the highlights on the inductees’ impressive resumes:
▪ Barrett won the 2005 NCAA titles in both the indoor and outdoor shot put competitions, as well as winning both the 2005 ACC indoor and outdoor Shot Put titles.
▪ Donar was a two-time All-American in singles and a two-time All-American in doubles. He is the program’s all-time leader in singles victories with 108, and he teamed with fellow Swede and Hall of Fame member Conny Falk to form one of the best doubles teams in the country, ranked No. 4 in their final season.
▪ Gil was a six-time All-American (three times each in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard), and won the 1995 NCAA Championship in the 1-meter event.
▪ Saake-Knokey was the 2002 Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year and set the school’s single-season steals record (121). She was a two-year team captain and started every game of her four-year career.
▪ Larkin was voted the 2013 Lute Olson National Player of the Year, the ACC Player of the Year and the ACC Tournament’s MVP. He was a first-round pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks and plays professionally in Turkey.
▪ Meriweather was a 2005 All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and ABC Sports/Cingular, and a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s best defensive back. He was a first-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, and spent nine seasons in the league.
▪ Oliver founded and coached UM’s first polo team in 1948. The Canes won four consecutive national championships, beating powerhouses Yale, Cornell and Princeton.
▪ Perez led the UM baseball team in saves in 2005 and 2006, racking up 20 for his career to place seventh in school history. He helped get the Canes get back to the College World Series in 2006, played for the USA National Baseball Team and was a first-round pick in the 2006 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.
▪ Remmert, a 1977 UM graduate, was hired in 1980 by legendary baseball coach Ron Fraser to lead the program’s marketing and promotions. He helped The U lead the nation in attendance and revenue seven consecutive seasons. He currently serves as the associate athletic director of alumni programs.
▪ Winston was selected a 2005 All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the American Football Coaches Association, Sports Illustrated, and Rivals.com, and was a second-team selection by the AP. He played 12 seasons in the NFL and served as president of the NFL Players Association from 2014 to 2020.
For information on the banquet, visit UMSportsHallofFame.com or call 305-284-2775.
The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame & Museum was founded in 1966 by eight Miami-Dade County Circuit Court judges, all University of Miami alumni. It recognizes student-athletes, coaches and administrators who excelled at their sport and brought acclaim to the University through their achievements and championships.
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Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman has covered 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, NBA Playoffs, Super Bowls and has been the soccer writer and University of Miami basketball beat writer for 25 years. She was born in Frederick, Md., and grew up in Miami.
