HALL OF FAME INVITATION and RSVP (pdf)
JERSEY CITY, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com)...New Jersey City University will honor five of its all-time greats, including legendary men's basketball coach CHARLIE BROWN (West Orange, NJ), `65 (M.A., `85) and five-time Division III track and field national champion DIANA LAWSON (Union, NJ), `06when the institution holds its 18th Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Friday, January 28, 2011.
Joining Brown and Lawson in the Hall of Fame is DANIEL HARRISON (Plainfield, NJ), `02, the school's all-time leading rusher in football and women's basketball standout TARA MITCHELL (Hoboken, NJ), `05. The fifth inductee is late men's soccer coach ROBERT L. McNULTY (Metuchen, NJ), who will be honored posthumously.
The five honorees were elected to the Hall of Fame Class of 2011 by the six-member Athletics Hall of Fame committee from a list of nearly 25 outstanding nominees and 10 finalists, and expand the membership of the University's Hall of Fame to 129, since being founded in 1979.
The Hall of Fame induction will be held on campus on the second floor of NJCU's Michael B. Gilligan Student Union. It will begin with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m., with the induction ceremony to begin directly afterwards. Tickets to the event are $80, and can be obtained by calling the Office of Alumni Relations at 201-200-3196 or emailing alumni@njcu.edu.
****************CHARLIE BROWN, `65 (M.A., `85) | MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH (1982-2007)****************
Charlie Brown and New Jersey City University athletics have been synonymous for nearly 50 years and Brown will become only the second individual inducted into the NJCU Athletics Hall of Fame in two different categories when he is honored for a legendary 25-year coaching career.
Brown, who received the ultimate recognition in November, 2008, when the main arena floor at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center was dedicated in his honor as “Coach Charlie Brown Court”, etched his name into record books as a player and coach, while carving a legacy of winning across the state and nation.
Brown retired after 25 seasons as head coach of his alma mater from 1982-2007 as the winningest men's or women's basketball coach in the history of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, both overall and in league play (300-118). His 483-218 ledger made him the second winningest men's college basketball coach in New Jersey history at the Division I, II, and III levels, just shy of the all-time record of 514.
Brown is the winningest coach in Gothic Knight history by more than 350 wins in a category that includes Hall of Fame coaches Larry Schiner (133), Ollie Gelston (126), and Paul Weinstein (115), and has more victories than all three combined (374).
His teams qualified for the post-season in each of his 25 years as head coach, including 12 NCAA Tournaments and 13 ECAC Tournaments and he never had a losing season.
Brown guided the Gothic Knights to the NCAA Division III Final Four in 1986 and 1992, twice losing to the eventual national champion in the national semifinal. He led NJCU to five NJAC Championships (1986, 1990, 1992, 1995, and 2004), adding to NJCU's conference record of 11 overall titles.
The 1986 Kodak Division III National Coach of the Year, Brown is a three-time National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Atlantic District Coach of the Year (1986, 2004, 2007), six-time New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Coach of the Year (1986, 1989, 1990, 1995, 2004, 2007) and three-time Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year (1990, 1992 and 2004).
In 701 career games, Brown owned a .689 career winning percentage. He entered his final season in 2006-07 ranking 14th among active coaches in career victories and 26th in winning percentage in Division III. Overall in Division III history as of the 2010-11 season, Brown is 31th in victories and 39th in percentage.
When Brown finished his 25th and final season in 2006-07 with a 19-10 mark, the Gothic Knights secured their 37th consecutive non-losing season since 1970-71, and 32nd straight winning seasons dating to 1975-76—the third longest ever streaks in Division III history.
In 25 seasons at his alma mater, Brown averaged more than 19 wins per season, winning 20 or more on eight occasions (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2001, 2004, 2006).
Brown guided 12 teams to the NCAA Division III Tournament (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, and 2005). When not in the NCAA's, his clubs reached the ECAC Metro New York/New Jersey tournament on 13 occasions (1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007), winning five championships (1983, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2006).
Brown recorded his 400th career victory on February 1, 2003 and on December 4, 2004, Brown passed his former college coach, Ollie Gelston to move into third place on New Jersey's all-time wins list. On December 29, 2004, he won career game 432, passing former New Jersey Institute of Technology coach James Catalano for second place in state history.
Brown's NJAC career record of 300-118 gives him a sizzling.718 winning percentage in among the most difficult basketball conferences in Division III. Despite the challenges of the NJAC, Brown guided his program to the NJAC tournament in 19 of 24 seasons (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 (play-in game in 2002), 2004, 2006, 2007). When hired in 1982-83, he became the first African-American head coach in NJAC history.
In 2004-05, NJCU played an independent schedule, and won another title, when the Knights captured the inaugural Association of Division III Independents Men's Basketball championship. He was a unanimous choice as the 2005 Independent Men's Coach of the Year.
In addition to his other coaching awards, the Star Ledger tabbed him as the All-State Coach of the Year in 1986. He was MBWA Division III Coach of the Year in 1990 and 2004, sharing the award in 1992.
On January 25, 2004, Brown was inducted into the New Jersey Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame and presented with the “Coaching Legends Award” at its annual banquet.
On December 5, 2004, Brown was bestowed the first-ever “Jackie Robinson Role Model Award” by the Jersey City branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and was honored as part of the organization's 85th annual Freedom Fund Banquet.
In 2002, the Metropolitan New Jersey Collegiate Basketball Officials Association presented the Schoenfeld Sportsmanship Award upon Brown's program, an honor presented annually to the school that demonstrates the highest degree of sportsmanship, character, and ethics among their players, coaches, administration, and spectators.
He was inducted into the Hudson County Athletic Hall of Fame on January 21, 1993. Among other honors Brown has received include the Jersey City Education Association Division III Coach of the Year, and 1989 and 1990 NJCBCA College Division Coach of the Year. He accepted the L. Harvey Smith Spirit Civic Association Community Service Award on September 16, 1994. Under his tutelage, the 1994-95 team led the nation in field goal percentage defense (. 370).
He coached the North-South All-Star game featuring players in Division I thru III in 1987, and led the NJAC in the inaugural NJAC/CUNYAC Senior Challenge in 2001-02 in Jersey City, before again coaching the squad in its third year in 2003-04. In 2007, in what became his final career coaching duty, he guided the NJAC Seniors to a victory over the Skyline Conference Seniors.
Brown wasa charter member of the NJCU Athletics Hall of Fame as a student-athlete on October 13, 1979 in men's basketball, cross-country, and outdoor track & field. He received the school's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1992. The NJCU Board of Trustees issued a Resolution honoring his 400th win on February 24, 2003. Prior to his tenure at NJCU, Brown served as head coach at Lincoln High School for 16 years between 1966-1981, securing a career record of 231-150 in 381 games at that level (.606 winning percentage).
****************DANIEL HARRISON, `02 | FOOTBALL (1998-2000)****************
Among the most prolific running backs in New Jersey Athletic Conference history, Daniel Harrison was a three-time First-Team All-New Jersey Athletic Conference selection and the all-time leading rusher in NJCU history. During his three seasons on the gridiron for NJCU, he set a school career rushing record with 2,592 yards in just 29 games, ending his career with an average of 89.4 yards per game. The previous career rushing mark was 2,259 yards. Harrison amassed nine 100-yard rushing games, and two games of at least 200-yards.
In 2000, Harrison was awarded the “Tony Mezzina Memorial Trophy” awarded annually to the football player who displayed excellence in athletic ability, leadership, and commitment.
Harrison burst onto the Division III college scene in 1998 as a sophomore transfer, rushing for 1,289 yards–the third highest single-season total in NJCU history. Harrison registered a mind-boggling 128.9 yards per game–more than some teams in the conference averaged–and 131.5 all-purpose yards. He scored six touchdowns and averaged 5.2 yards per carry en route to his first of three straight all-conference selections and a First-Team All-ECAC Metro NY/NJ Division III pick. The Knights finished the year 6-4 and 2-3 in the NJAC.
The shining moment of his rookie season at NJCU was the Knights' 27-17 win over Kean on October 17, 1998. Harrison exploded for 281 yards on 37 carries–just 40 yards shy of the school record–in just three quarters of play. He left the game with cramps; otherwise he likely would have owned that record as well.
In total, Harrison had six 100-yard days in 1998. In his first ever game for NJCU on September 5, 1998, the tailback collected 143 yards against UMass-Lowell. He followed that performance with a 23-carry, 160-yard showing on September 12 against SUNY-Brockport and 139 yard against Western Connecticut (September 19) because posting another monster 200-yard performance in a 41-7 trouncing of St. John Fisher on October 10, when Harrison darted for 206 yards and three touchdowns—giving the Knights their best start after five games since 1984.
His 206-yard performance, which came on just 21 carries, earned him ECAC Division III Metro Offensive Player of the Week and Star Ledger Athlete of the Week honors, and Harrison collected ECAC Division III Metro honor roll status the following week when he notched his career-high 281-yard effort.
He earned ECAC Division III Offensive Player of the Week honors again on November 1, 1998 after rushing for his sixth straight 100-yard game and scoring the winning touchdown, accounting for 64 of 65 yards in a third quarter touchdown drive in a 15-9 win over William Paterson University on October 30, as he collected 151 yards..
For the season in 1998 he was third on the team in scoring with 36 points and had 1,315 all-purpose yards. He added three catches for 26 yards (8.7 yards per reception).
Harrison earned All-Conference status again in 1999 with a 624-yard, five-touchdown performance in just nine games, carrying 116 times, despite the Knights shifting to a run and shoot offense. Harrison averaged 69.3 yards per game and 5.4 per carry, as well as 93.6 all-purpose yards. He averaged 93.6 yards per game in the conference and amassed 842 all-purpose yards and caught 18 passes for 152 yards (8.4 per reception) and one touchdown.
Harrison was named NJAC Offensive Player of the Week on November 7, 1999 after he gained a season-high 164 yards against a Montclair State defense which had allowed just 111.5 yards per game. He scored two first-half touchdowns to help NJCU build a 14-7 lead against the eventual NJAC champions on November 6. Harrison also posted a 138-yard, 25-carry effort on October 30 versus William Paterson.
As a senior in 2000 he was the leader of an offense that featured two First-Team All-Conference running backs and Harrison led the league in rushing with 679 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 3.9 yards per attempt and 67.9 yards per game, carrying the ball 176 times. He led NJCU in scoring with 30 points and collected 699 all-purpose yards, averaging 69.9 per game. In the final game of his collegiate career on November 11, 2000, Harrison cemented his legacy with 21 carries for 98 yards and a key touchdown as the Knights ended the year with a win over William Paterson. After completing his playing career, he remained with the program as a volunteer assistant coach in 2001.
*********DIANA LAWSON, `06 | WOMEN'S INDOOR and OUTDOOR TRACK and FIELD (2000-2005) *********
It's only fitting that Diana Lawson is the first women's track and field athlete to be inducted into the NJCU Athletics Hall of Fame. Not only is Lawson arguably the greatest athlete in the history of the University, but the five-time individual national champion and 11-time All-American is among the top women's track athletes ever to compete in Division III.
Lawson won three NCAA Division III Indoor national championships in the 55-meter dash in 2001, 2002 and 2004 and capped her career in 2005 by achieving a rare double championship feat—claiming national titles in the NCAA Division III Outdoor 100 and 200-meter dashes in the same meet.
She was named the 2005 NCAA Division III Championships Female Track Athlete of the Meet—an award equivalent to the National Player of the Year. She was voted the 2003-04 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Female Athlete of the Year and is one of only two athletes in school history to receive the league's top annual award.
Lawson continues to own the NCAA Division III national record in the 55 meters—a mark of 6.93 seconds she etched into the record books on March 12, 2004 in the NCAA semifinals. She was later voted the 2003-04 United States Track Coaches (USTCAA) Atlantic Region Indoor Female Athlete of the Year.
Lawson owns the four fastest times in Division III history in the dash, including three at the NCAA meet, where she was the only woman to ever run the event in less than seven seconds until the 2010 season.
Lawson is a three-time winner of the NJAC's Thomas M. Gerrity Most Outstanding Female Athlete award in 2001, 2002 and 2004—an honor equivalent to the league's Player of the Year for indoor track. She was a two-time recipient of the NJAC Outstanding Female Track Athlete award in outdoor track in 2001 and 2002.
As an indoor track athlete, Lawson was a four-time NJAC champion in the 55-meter dash (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) and three-time league winner in 200-meter dash (2001, 2002, 2004). Her NJAC records, all set in 2004, still stand in the 55 meters (7.13 seconds), 200-meters (24.77 seconds) and as leadoff of the 4x200-meter relay (1:41.04). In all, Lawson was a 12-time All-NJAC indoor recipient.
In three seasons competing in outdoor track as a member of the NJAC, she was a two-time conference champion in the 100 meters (2002, 2003) and 200-meters (2001, 2002) and the 2001 medalist in the 400-meter dash. In all, she was a six-time All-NJAC outdoor honoree.
In 2004-05 when NJCU competed as an independent institution, Lawson was honored as the Association of Division III Independents Female Student-Athlete of the Year for all sports.
When she won the 2003-04 55-meter dash title, she became only the 11th track athlete in Division III history to win any event three times in a career, only the second to do it in the 55-meter dash, and the first in 14 years. After setting the NCAA record in the 55-meters in the NCAA semifinals (6.93), she won the national title the next day in 6.97 seconds, a remarkable 14/100th of a second faster than the field—which is a very wide margin for a sprint event. Her 6.93 time had broken her own NCAA record of 6.98 seconds.
That season she also was a First-Team All-American as the anchor of the 4x400-meter relay team which finished sixth in the nation in 3:55.09. NJCU finished 14th overall in the nation, the best national finish of an NJAC-affiliated women's sport in the history of the University.
As a freshman in 2000-01, she burst onto the scene, winning her first NCAA indoor championship with First-Team All-America distinction. On April 9, 2001, she appeared in Sports Illustrated's 'Faces in the Crowd.' During the 2001 outdoor campaign, Lawson earned First-Team All-America status in two events, placing fifth at the NCAA championship in the 100 meters and seventh in the 200 meters.
As a sophomore in 2001-02, she repeated as both NCAA champion and as a First-Team All-America. During the 2002 outdoor season, she was a two-time First-Team All-American, placing third in both the 100 and 200 meters at the NCAA Championship. A May 8 ECAC Division III Track Athlete of the Week, she set two NJAC records during the season in the 100 meters (12.10 seconds, broken in 2008) and 200 meters (24.76 seconds, broken in 2006). On May 25, 2002 at the NCAA meet, she set a school record in the 200 meters of 24.08 seconds.
As a junior in 2002-03, she battled injuries and for the only time in her career did not win an indoor national title. Despite being hampered, she placed fifth in the 55 meters at the NCAA championship, earning First-Team All-America honors in the event for the third year in a row. She was limited during the 2003 outdoor campaign due to the injury which slowed her during the indoor season. Although she did not compete at the NCAAs, she did win the NJAC title in the 100 meters and placed second in the 200.
Lawson not only regained her health as a senior in 2003-04, she raised the bar, even by her standards. En route to winning a third NCAA indoor championship in the 55 meters, she earned First-Team All-America accolades in the 55 meters and 4x400-meter relay, concluding her career as a three-time indoor national champion and five-time All-America.
Lawson won ECAC titles and was First-Team All-ECAC in three events—the 55 meters and 4x200 and 4x400 relays and broke her own 2002 ECAC record in the 55 meters (7.09) when she won the 2004 crown in 7.05 seconds. She anchored the 4x200 relay team as it crushed the field in an ECAC record 1:42.62. She also claimed all or part of four NJAC titles, and set three conference records, all while leading the NJCU to a second place finish at the 2004 NJAC Indoor Championships. When won the NJAC 200-meter title by a staggering margin in 24.77 seconds, the second place time in the event was 25.39. She was a four-time ECAC Division III Track Athlete of the Week (January 27, February 10, February 23, March 2).
After electing not to compete during the 2004 outdoor season, she completed her eligibility in the Spring of 2005. At the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships, she became at the time just the 11th woman in the 24-year history of the championships to win titles in the 100 and 200 at the same meet, and the first to accomplish the feat since 2001. Her titles were the first individual NCAA national championships claimed in outdoor track and field in the history of the NJCU men's and women's programs. She was the only men's or women's participant at the NCAA meet to earn multiple championships in individual events. NJCU finished 10th overall in the team standings—its best outdoor finish in school history—with Lawson scoring 20 of the squad's 25 points.
At the 2005 NCAA meet, she won the 100-meter dash title in 11.82 seconds after winning the preliminaries in 11.75 seconds. In the 200 meter national finals, her winning time of 24.10 seconds was the best mark in the country for that season and set a Wartburg Stadium record. NJCU did not compete in the NJAC during the 2005 season, but Lawson, who won the ECAC championship and was All-ECAC in the 200 meters and 4x100-meter relay, was a two-time ECAC Division III Track Athlete of the Week (March 29 and April 12) and voted the Association of Division III Independents Female Athlete of the Month.
****************ROBERT L. McNULTY | MEN'S SOCCER COACH (1966-77)****************
Long before Robert L. McNulty was elected to the NJCU Athletics Hall of Fame, the University bestowed the ultimate honor on a man considered a building block of American soccer when it dedicated its playing field to his memory in 1995. On October 10, 2009, NJCU re-dedicated its new soccer stadium in his honor when his family, friends and former players once again unveiled the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field. He is inducted into the athletics Hall of Fame posthumously.
McNulty, who passed away in November 1992, coached the Gothics for 12 seasons from 1966-77 and was the winningest coach in program history until 2003. In his first season in 1966, the program posted a 9-1-1 record and placed second in the New Jersey State College Athletic Conference. In 1968, his Jersey City State College team went 5-1-1 in conference play and earned a share of the NJSCAC championship, finishing the season with nine wins (9-4-1).
McNulty coached the Gothics to winning seasons in 1970 (6-4-2), 1972 (5-3-3) and 1975, when JCSC reached double figures in victories for the first time in school history, finishing 12-4-2—something that was not accomplished again until 1998. The 1975 squad qualified for the ECAC Metro Tournament for the first time in program history. The Gothics also finished 6-6 in 1971. He finished his tenure at JCSC with a 68-73-15 record and in 1970 was voted the NJSCAC co-Coach of the Year.
McNulty was one of the 11 original 'A' licensed coaches in the nation and his impact on the sport on a local, state and national level made him a significant figure in the sport throughout his life.
As a teaching member of the United States Soccer Federation, he was part of a select group of 11 men who taught the finer techniques of soccer and its rules to thousands of prospective coaches throughout the country. McNulty was co-founder of the New Jersey Soccer Coaches Association in 1968 and Eastern Soccer Coaches Association in 1970. He served as an assistant coach at Rutgers University from 1986 until his death in 1992
A member of the U.S. Olympic Soccer team selection committee, McNulty was inducted into the New Jersey Soccer Hall of Fame in 1995.
****************TARA MITCHELL, `05 | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (1993-95, 1996-98)****************
Tara Mitchell is one of the top all-around women's basketball players in NJCU history. The 5-foot-9 forward becomes the fifth women's basketball enshrined in the Athletics Hall of Fame. A two-time All-Conference selection, Mitchell was named First-Team All-NJAC as a senior in 1997-98 and All-ECAC Metro. She was also Second-Team All-NJAC as a freshman in 1993-94 when she was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.
Mitchell finished her career with 1,237 points and 691 rebounds, averaging 15.3 points and 8.5 boards per game average. For her career in 81 games (73 starts) she contributed 220 steals, 207 assists, and 18 blocks in 2,658 minutes (32.8 per game). She shot .370 from the field (476-1288) and .564 from the free-throw line (277-491).
Mitchell currently ranks third in school history in minutes, field goals attempted and free throws made and attempted, third in steals per game (2.7), fourth in points and points per game, field goals made and total steals and sixth in rebounding average and assists. She is also sixth in game started, seventh in rebounds and rebounding average and eighth in minutes per game.
Among the awards she won in her career, Mitchell was a two-time ECAC Metro Player of the Week on February 14 and 21, 1998 and earned ECAC Honor Roll status on December 13, 1997. She was named NJAC Player of the Week on December 15, 1997 and January 5, 1998. In 1993-94, she was a three-time NJAC Rookie of the Week pick and named to the NJAC All-Rookie Team.
When she scored her 1000th career point on January 10, 1998, she became the first women's player to achieve that feat during the 1990s. She served as a co-captain for NJCU as a senior (1997-98) and after completing her eligibility, joined the coaching staff of Alice De Fazio as an assistant coach for two seasons (1998-00).
Her senior season in 1997-98 was a year of distinction as Mitchell led the NJAC in scoring at 19.3 points per game. She ranked fifth in the state in scoring among Division I, II, III and junior college players. She averaged a double-double of 19.3 and 10.5 rebounds per game while tallying 443 points, 241 rebounds (112 offensive, 129 defensive), 66 steals, 47 assists and six blocks in 23 games (all starts). She played 806 minutes and shot .400 from the field (172-430) and .529 from the line (99-187). The 430 field goals attempted are second most in single-season school history. The 99 free throws made and 187 attempted are third most while her points and scoring average and field goals made rank fourth all-time.
As a freshman in 1994-94, she averaged 12.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. She totaled 287 points, 174 rebounds, 68 assists, 65 steals and five blocks in 709 minutes. She shot .399 from the field (107-268) and .602 from the line (71-118) in 24 games (18 starts). Mitchell was second on the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals and scored a season-high 25 points against Rowan on November 23, 1993.
As a sophomore in 1994-95, she upped her scoring average to 16.6 points per game and added 6.9 rebounds per contest. She collected a total of 299 points, 125 rebounds, 64 assists, 54 steals and five blocks in 609 minutes over 18 games (all starts). She shot .363 from the field (116-320), .598 from the line (61-102) and .375 from three-point range (6-16). She led the Gothic Knights in scoring and assists and was second in steals and third in rebounding. She scored a career-high 30 points in a 49-40 win over Kean College on November 30, 1994, and tallied career-highs of eight assists and seven steals in a 71-55 loss at Rutgers-Newark on December 3, 1994.
After not playing in 1995-96, she returned to the lineup at the semester break as a junior in 1996-97 and saw extensive action at forward after spending her first two seasons as a guard. She scored 208 points with 151 rebounds, while averaging 13.0 points and 9.4 caroms per game. In 16 games (14 starts), she added 35 steals, 28 assists and two blocks in 534 minutes. She shot .300 from the field (81-270) and .548 from the line (46-84). Mitchell led the team in scoring while finishing second in rebounding and steals. She led NJCU in scoring 11 times in 16 games and established a career-best 20 rebounds against Richard Stockton College on January 29, 1997.
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