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Edinboro Hall of Fame Index
EDINBORO, PA -- The Edinboro University Athletic Hall of Fame will induct six new members on Saturday, April 24 as the Class of 2004 is formally inducted at the 23rd Annual Hall of Fame Awards Banquet. The six new members will swell the Edinboro Hall of Fame membership to 151 inductees. For the second straight year the induction ceremonies will be held at McComb Fieldhouse.
The 2004 inductees include: former men's basketball standout Aaron Brown; former football star Willie Chealey; former cross country and track and field standout Donna Thibert-Matthews; Lou Rosselli, a former wrestling standout; and former women's basketball stars Jeannine Jean-Pierre and Tammy Walker-Strode. Walker-Strode was actually voted into the Hall of Fame with the Class of 2003, but due to work commitments she was unable to attend and will officially be inducted this year.
"We are very pleased to announce our Hall of Fame inductees for 2004," said Edinboro Director of Athletics Bruce Baumgartner. "These individuals have brought distinction to themselves, our athletic department and our University during their careers. The six inductees represent a very diverse group, and we look forward to paying tribute to them at the induction ceremonies."
Here is a synopsis of the six inductees, in alphabetical order:
Aaron Brown ('92) ranks as one of Edinboro's all-time leading scorers and rebounders in men's basketball. After serving in the United States Marine Corps for four years, he joined the Fighting Scots in 1988-89. He was named the PSAC West Rookie of the Year that season, averaging 13.8 ppg. and 6.7 rpg. He averaged 9.7 ppg. as a sophomore and junior, pulling down 6.1 rpg. in 1989-90 and 5.7 rpg. in 1990-91. Brown enjoyed his finest season as a senior, averaging 15.4 ppg. and 6.7 rpg. with 82 assists and 46 steals. He earned second team All-PSAC West accolades in 1991-92. Brown ranks 12th in career scoring with 1,208 points and is ninth in career rebounds with 714. In addition, he stands ninth in career blocked shots (107) and tenth in career field goals made (487). He capped his career by being named the 1992 Sox Harrison Award winner. Edinboro posted a 74-36 record during his career.
Willie Chealey ('85) enjoyed an outstanding career for the Edinboro football team despite battling several injuries. A three-year starter at outside linebacker, he concluded his career with 272 tackles and 14 passes broken up. After seeing most of his time on special teams as a freshman, finishing with 16 tackles as a reserve defensive back, he emerged as a starting linebacker in 1982. He would finish with 81 tackles, adding a pair of sacks and two interceptions, helping Edinboro reach the PSAC Championship Game against East Stroudsburg. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken ankle late in the year and missed the title contest. Edinboro finished the year with a 9-2 record. He was an honorable mention All-PSAC West choice that year. He moved up to the All-PSAC West first team as a junior, leading the team with 122 tackles, breaking up 6 passes. In addition, he earned honorable mention Little All-America honors in 1983 and was a first team Pittsburgh Press All-District choice. Selected as a co-captain for the second straight year, he would play in just six games as a senior due to an ankle injury, yet finished fourth on the team in tackles with 53, causing three fumbles and breaking up four passes. After graduating in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, he has been employed with the Orange(FL) Sheriff's Office for the past seventeen years.
Jeannine Jean-Pierre ('93) rates as one of the all-time great players in Edinboro women's basketball history despite playing just two seasons. She ranks 12th in career scoring with 1,203 points and ninth in career rebounds with 604. In addition, he career averages of 20.7 ppg. and 10.4 rpg. rank second and fourth, respectively, in the career records. Jean-Pierre served the United State military in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm. She joined the Edinboro program in 1991-92, averaging 20.0 ppg. and 9.1 rpg. while helping the Scots to a 22-8 record. Her 581 points is the fifth-highest season total, and the scoring average ranks seventh. She added 147 assists and 95 steals while earning first team All-PSAC West honors. Jean-Pierre repeated as a first team all-conference performer the next year, but also was a first team Kodak All-American in 1992-93 and was the PSAC West Player of the Year as Edinboro finished 18-12. She averaged 21.4 ppg., the fourth-highest season total, and 11.7 rpg., which ranks fifth. In addition, her 622 points ranks second on the season record charts. Jean-Pierre also ranks among the career and season leaders in numerous other statistical categories, including setting a team record for steals in 1992-93 with 108, and ranking second for field goals made in a season with 257 that same year. She also was a middle hitter on the 1992 volleyball team. She culminated her career by being named the 1993 Nancy Acker Award Winner.
Lou Rosselli ('93) is one of the best wrestlers to ever take the mat for Edinboro. Even today his legacy remains as he has served as an assistant coach for the Fighting Scots for nine seasons. He competed at Edinboro from 1988-93, compiling a career record of 136-25-4. He ranks third in career wins and seventh in career winning percentage (.836). He is one of only nine wrestlers in Edinboro history to earn All-American honors more than once. He earned his first All-American certificate at the 1991 NCAA Division I National Championships with a fourth place finish at 118 lbs. After redshirting the next year, he returned as a senior and became a two-time All-American thanks to a third place finish. He posted a 38-2 record in 1992-93, the fourth-highest single season winning percentage (.950). Rosselli was a three-time national qualifier, and also won the PSAC Championship three times, one of only eight Edinboro wrestlers to accomplish that fete, and won the 1993 EWL individual title. As a senior he was named the Outstanding Wrestler at both the PSAC Championships and EWL Tournament. He began his career by being named the EWL and PSAC Rookie of the Year in 1989, when he finished 23-13 and finished third at the EWL Tournament. He became the first Edinboro freshman wrestler to qualify for the Division I National Championships. He capped his career as the recipient of the 1993 Sox Harrison Award. Rosselli continued his wrestling career against international competition. He won the U.S. National Championship in 1995, 1996 and 1999. He earned a spot alongside current Edinboro Director of Athletics Bruce Baumgartner on the 1996 Olympic Team, and was in contention for the bronze medal before suffering a broken arm during his second victory. He was forced to withdraw from the competition. An Academic All-American, Rosselli received his bachelor's degree in Health & Physical Education in 1993.
Donna Thibert-Matthews ('92) continues the tradition of cross country and track & field athletes under the direction of head coach Doug Watts to reach the Hall of Fame. Her story is very unique, as she displayed incredible resolve while overcoming injuries and illness to earn All-American honors four times. In fact, Watts stated that "this young woman is the center of the most remarkable personal saga I have been associated with in all my years of coaching". A native of Canada, she initially attended Oklahoma State before transferring in 1988. The series of injuries began with broken bones suffered when run over by a fork-lift that summer, forcing her to miss the season. She returned in 1989 to win the PSAC and East Regional Championships, then place seventh at Nationals for her first All-American award. Thibert-Matthews blossomed in the spring, finishing as the national runner-up in both the 3,000 and 5,000 meter races. She was picked for the Canadian National squad in the summer of '90, but was again struck with injury. In February, she endured an eight hour operation to remove a tumor and rods that had been in her back since the age of 14, and had six vertabrae fused. She would not compete again until the fall of 1992, but in between she married former Edinboro All-American Brian Matthews and had a child. After competing in one meet that fall, she fell seriously ill and lapsed into a coma. She would recover but it appeared her racing career was over. Instead, she approached Watts before the PSAC Championships with the wish to run "one last race". With all of three practices prior to the race, she won the championship by a large margin and set a course record in the process. A week later, she won the NCAA Regional title, two weeks after that finished third at the NCAA Division II National Championships for her fourth All-American award. Thibert-Matthews was named the PSAC and East Region Runner of the Year. She completed work on her bachelor's degree in Education in 1992.
Tammy Walker-Strode ('93) ranks as one of the all-time great Edinboro University women's basketball players despite playing just two years. She accumulated 1,273 career points and 777 career rebounds, setting seven season records. She still ranks ninth in career scoring and fourth in career rebounding, and her career averages of 22.3 ppg. and 13.6 rpg. ranks number one all-time. In 1990-91, she earned honorable mention Kodak All-American honors and was a first team All-PSAC selection after averaging 21.6 points and 12.6 rebounds, ranking ninth in Division II in rebounding and 15th in scoring. Walker-Strode led the PSAC in both scoring and rebounding, setting a school record for points in a season with 582. That record would last just one year, as she shattered her own standard with 691 points in 1991-92. She also set PSAC and Edinboro season records for rebounds with 436, a figure which has since been broken. Walker-Strode was named the PSAC West Player of the Year and was recognized as a first team Kodak All-American, and later was honored as the Nancy Acker Award winner. She averaged 23.0 points, ranking seventh in Division II, while ranking second nationally in rebounding with 14.5 rpg. Edinboro finished with a 22-8 record in 1991-92, losing to Bloomsburg in the PSAC Championship game, and then advancing to the NCAA Division II East Regional. Walker-Strode graduated from Edinboro in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice/ Communications and currently resides in Lexington, KY.
~ Fighting Scots ~
Created on ... April 2, 2004