It was a night of celebrating legends when Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, welcomed its 2004 class into the college's Athletic Hall of Fame. For the first time in the Hall of Fame's history, Randolph-Macon inducted an entire team into its pantheon of sports legends. The 1969 Randolph-Macon football team, which won the Knute Rockne Bowl NCAA Eastern championship, was welcomed into the Hall of Fame on October 30, 2004. Hal Nunnally '62, R-MC's winningest basketball coach, was also honored, as was golf impresario Michael Breed '85 and All-American football player Elton C. "Cig" Howerton '59. Legendary R-MC booster and #1 Yellow Jacket fan J. Malcolm Pace III '67, who passed away in April 2004, was the second non-athlete to earn an honored place in the Hall of Fame.
All of these men were honored for their achievements on and off the playing fields and courts at the college's annual Athletic Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony, which was held on Saturday, October 30, 2004 in the Brock Sports and Recreation Center.
The Hall of Fame was established in 1996 to honor those who, by outstanding achievement in athletics or service to Randolph-Macon athletics, have made lasting contributions to the cause of sports at the college. The Hall of Fame may also honor those former athletes who have made outstanding contributions to society in general.
To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, an individual must have been a full-time student for at least two years and a letterwinner in at least one varsity sport at the college or a coach of at least one varsity sport. At least 10 years must have passed since graduation or attendance at Randolph-Macon before an alumnus can be nominated.
Michael Breed '85 (Greenwich, Connecticut)
Michael Breed was a four-year letterwinner on the Randolph-Macon golf team. He was the #1 player for the Yellow Jackets for three years and was team captain as a senior in 1985. Breed won six tournaments during his career, and was Randolph-Macon's top player in many competitions.
Breed's post-graduate achievements are numerous. In 2003, he was named one of the top instructors in New York state by Golf Digest. He was recognized by Golf Magazine as one of America's top 100 teachers of the sport in 2002. In 2000 he was named the New York Metropolitan PGA Teacher of the Year and was recognized by the New York Post as one of the top five instructors in the metropolitan area. Breed has won many golf tournaments, and has also set three course records.
Professionally, Breed was able to turn golf into a career, serving as a golf pro at several clubs. Currently, he is the head golf pro at the Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale, New York. He has written golf instructional columns for Golf Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and various newspapers, hosted a radio show about golf in Connecticut, and has done instructional shows and served as a guest commentator on the Golf Channel cable network.
Since graduating in 1985, Breed has supported the Randolph-Macon golf team by serving as assistant coach, recruiting and providing instruction to numerous student-athletes.
A native of Greenwich, Connecticut, Breed graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall before coming to Randolph-Macon. He currently lives in Greenwich.
Elton C. "Cig" Howerton '59 (Originally from Petersburg, Virginia; Currently from Alexandria, Virginia)
"Cig" Howerton was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and baseball for Randolph-Macon. He came to the college in 1956 following a tour of duty in Korea with the Army. After being named Honorable Mention all-Little 8 in football in 1957, he went on to earn even more honors in 1958. Those included: first-team Little All-American; first-team all-Little 8; and first-team all-Mason Dixon Conference. He was a co-captain on the 1958 football team, which won the Mason-Dixon Conference with a victory over arch-rival Hampden-Sydney. In addition to football, Howerton was also a relief pitcher on the baseball team and a forward on the basketball team.
While serving in the Army, Howerton played baseball and football in Korea as part of the 24th Infantry Division sports program. His football team won the Armed Forces Far East (AFFE) Army Korea divisional championship.
After graduating from Randolph-Macon, Howerton coached football and track and taught math at Hopewell High School in Hopewell, Virginia. He served as a federal agent with the Naval Investigative Service from 1961 to 1984. From 1984 to 1993, he was security director for the Pentagon Federal Credit Union. Currently, he is the head of security and discipline at West Potomac High School in Fairfax County in northern Virginia.
Over the years, Howerton was heavily involved as a referee and coach for youth sports leagues. He continues to attend Randolph-Macon athletic contests, and promotes the college to high school student-athletes.
Howerton is a native of Petersburg, Virginia, and attended Petersburg High School, where he was a captain and letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. He and his wife, Carol, live in Alexandria, Virginia. They have two sons, Cal and John. Cal is a 1982 graduate of Randolph-Macon, and was a four-year letterwinner in football. John is a football coach at Langley High School in Fairfax County.
Hal Nunnally '62 (Petersburg, Virginia)
Hal Nunnally began as a student at Randolph-Macon College, attending the school for three years and serving as basketball scorekeeper under head coach Paul Webb. His coaching career started at Prince George High School, where he was an assistant in 1963-64. From 1964 to 1972, Nunnally was the athletic director and head basketball coach at Tidewater Academy in Wakefield, Virginia. He returned to Randolph-Macon in 1972, and was Webb's assistant as well as the head junior varsity coach for three seasons. Nunnally took over as head coach for the 1975-76 campaign.
As the JV coach, Nunnally's teams compiled a 38-6 record over three years. His last JV squad in 1974-75 finished 14-0. Most of those players went on to be part of the 1976-77 varsity team that finished second in the NCAA Division II tournament in Springfield, Massachusetts under Nunnally's direction.
During Nunnally's 24 seasons as head coach, the Yellow Jackets had a record of 431-232 (65.0%); went to the NCAA tournament 10 times, including the runner-up finish in 1976-77; won five conference tournament championships - three in the Mason-Dixon Conference and two in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference; and enjoyed 10 seasons with at least 20 wins.
Individually, Nunnally's honors include: five-time National Association of Basketball Coaches district Coach of the Year; Virginia Sports Information Directors state Coach of the Year once; two-time Mason Dixon Conference Coach of the Year; and Old Dominion Athletic Conference Coach of the Year three times. He is one of only four coaches in the history of Virginia college basketball to win more than 400 games, and is ranked in the top 20 among all NCAA Division III coaches in victories. In addition, while Nunnally was head coach, all but two players from his teams received their degrees from Randolph-Macon.
Following his retirement in 1999, Nunnally was named a professor emeritus by the Randolph-Macon faculty. He has been a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches since 1966. In 2002, he was named an honorary member of the Catholic University Sports Club basketball team in Santiago, Chile for his service to Chilean basketball. In addition, Nunnally has been a member of the Society of St. Thomas More since 1970, and has risen to the rank of Gran Marechal in that organization.
Nunnally is a native of Petersburg, Virginia, and graduated from Petersburg High School in 1957. He continues to live in Petersburg.
(posthumously) J. Malcolm Pace III '67 (Originally from Richmond, Virginia)
Jay Pace simply loved Randolph-Macon College and Yellow Jacket athletics. He was recruited out of Richmond's Douglas Freeman High School by legendary coach Paul Webb as a team manager for the basketball team, and served in that capacity as a student, while also working on the Yellow Jacket newspaper staff and as a student assistant in the public relations office.
Following graduation, Pace was Randolph-Macon's director of public relations from 1968 to 1972. He spent 13 seasons (1968-1980) as a broadcaster for Yellow Jacket football and basketball games, which included covering the Knute Rockne Bowl football championship in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1969, and the 1977 NCAA Division II basketball championship in Springfield, Massachusetts, in which Randolph-Macon placed second.
Pace joined the Hanover Herald-Progress newspaper staff in 1973. He became editor in 1978, then editor/publisher in 1981 when he purchased the paper and printing company. His involvement with Randolph-Macon athletics continued, as he covered more than 500 Yellow Jacket athletic contests for both newspaper and radio and served as the Master of Ceremonies several times for the Hall of Fame banquet.
His involvement with his alma mater did not just involve sports, however. He also participated in numerous career seminars; was a former member of the Randolph-Macon Board of Trustees of the John T. Wightman Foundation and the Society of Alumni Board of Directors; and received the Young Alumnus Achievement Award in 1977. In addition, Pace served as a mentor to many Randolph-Macon students and alumni.
Pace died unexpectedly in April, 2004. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Lewars Pace; two children, son Chris and daughter Liz Chambers; his brother Steve and sister-in-law Naomi; his sister Susan Adams; and his father Joseph Malcolm "Mac" Pace, Jr. Pace's nephew, Coleman Adams, will graduate from Randolph-Macon this May.
1969 Football Team
The 1969 football team was a special group of young men. Under the leadership of head coach Ted Keller, the Yellow Jackets finished the season with a 9-1 record, and defeated host University of Bridgeport (CT) in the Knute Rockne Bowl, which served as the Eastern championship for the NCAA.
John Matlock served as the team's assistant coach. Also, Wayne Lowry helped the team with scouting opponents and spotting in the press box. In addition, Randolph-Macon legendary coaches Hugh Stephens and Paul Webb helped out the team in the preseason. Team managers included Eric Rice, Nick Geer, Ken Byrne, and Bruce Ball. The captains were Joe McCue, John Peters, and Walter Zyglocke.
There were many talented players on that 1969 squad. Arguably the most prolific was running back Howard Stevens. He was named a third-team little All-American, Virginia small college state Player of the Year, small college all-state, Most Valuable Player of the Mason Dixon Conference, and all-conference. Offensive guard Mike Morris and defensive middle guard Doug Moyer were both named Honorable Mention little All-Americans, small college all-state, and all-Mason Dixon Conference. Center John Buonassisi, linebacker Lucky Jones, and running back Wayne Duncan were all named all-state and all-conference. McCue and split end Forrest Decker were both all-state selections, while Peters was all-conference. Keller was named the Richmond Touchdown Club small college Coach of the Year for the state of Virginia.
