Aug. 6, 2009

GREENVILLE, N.C. --- Five new members will be inducted into the East Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame on the weekend of Sept. 25-26. The induction class includes former NAIA All-America swimmer Thomas Carroll, former baseball and basketball letterman Vince Colbert, former sprinter Danita Roseboro-Crumpler, former softball All-America Isonette Polonius and former football coach Sonny Randle.

The group will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony held inside the Murphy Center on Friday, Sept. 25 and then introduced to the public during halftime of the ECU-UCF football game on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Carroll was a member of the Pirates' 1959 NAIA Championship team and earned All-America honors eight times. As a sophomore that season he was a member of the 400-yard freestyle relay team that recorded a first place finish at the national championship meet, while finishing third in the 200-yard IM. During his final two seasons he recorded four top five finishes at national championship meet and established three school records. He also helped the Pirates to a third-place finish at the 1958 national championships as a freshman.

In 1966, Colbert became the first African-American to receive an athletic scholarship at ECC and became a two-sport star. He helped the baseball team win back-to-back Southern Conference titles in 1967 and '68. As a pitcher in '68, Colbert tossed nine complete games, which still ranks as third most in school history, before being drafted by the Cleveland Indians. As a basketball player, he averaged over 14 points and seven rebounds per game during his two-year career.

A three-time Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) individual champion, Roseboro-Crumpler set the foundation for the ECU women's track team. She was a five-time All-East performer and was named ECU's Most Valuable Athlete from 1991-93. In 1993, she became the first sprinter in CAA history to repeat as 200-meter champion. A year earlier she became just the second female athlete to win both the 100 and 200-meter dash at the conference championships. She still holds the ECU indoor record in the 55-meters and the outdoor record in the 100 and 200-meters.

Polonius is the first softball player in the fast-pitch era to be elected to the ECU Athletics Hall Of Fame. A two-time All-America performer and Big South Conference Player-of-the-Year, she established career records for batting average, home runs and RBIs in only three seasons as a Pirate. She led ECU to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1999 and was named GTE Academic All-American-of-the-Year. Before the start of the 1999 season, Polonius was the first overall selection in the Women's Pro Softball League Draft.

Randle posted a 22-10 record during his three seasons as head football coach and guided the Pirates to back-to-back Southern Conference championships in 1972 and '73. Under his tutelage, 17 players earned all-conference accolades, six players were named Honorable Mention All-America, four were drafted by the NFL and two received Southern Conference Player-of-the-Year honors. Randle coached five players that have been enshrined in the ECU Athletics Hall of Fame.

Since it was established in 1974, the ECU Athletics Hall of Fame has inducted 127 members.