The Fairleigh Dickinson University Athletic Department honored nine individuals and one team as it inducted the 10th Class of the Division I Athletics Hall of Fame. All honorees were honored in a ceremony on Saturday, September 13^th at 6:30 p.m. at the Glenpointe Marriott in Teaneck, NJ.

 

The 1991-92 Women's Basketball Team was inducted along with: Elijah Allen '98, men's basketball; David Gouldstone '96, men's soccer; Felicia Griffin '93, women’s basketball; Charlie Linfante '62,  baseball; Al LoBalbo, men’s basketball coach (1969-80); Lou Ravettine '64, men’s basketball; Gideon Terer '80, track and field; Rahshon Turner '98, men's basketball; and Desi Wilson '91, men’s basketball/baseball.

The 1991-92 women’s basketball team recorded a 23-6 overall record, which still stands as the best record in program history, and went on to capture the Northeast Conference Tournament Title. The Knights opened the season with a program-best six-game winning streak, going 14-2 over the first 16 games. Over that span, the team defeated Manhattan (57-55) in the season opener as well as Seton Hall (71-70) and Princeton (65-63). In league play, the Knights compiled a 13-3 mark to finish second in the regular season standings. Dominant at home, the squad compiled an unprecedented 12-1 mark in the Rothman Center and handed defending league champion and regular season champion Mount St. Mary’s its only conference loss of the season, 69-53. Compiling an average margin of victory of 16 points per win, the team outscored St. Francis – NY by a program-best 39 points (92-53). In the Northeast Conference Tournament, the Knights defeated Long Island (69-57) and Mount St. Mary’s (78-55). For her efforts, freshman Barbara DeShields was named Newcomer of the Year and Tournament MVP. Juniors Rita Bernert and Felicia Griffin earned All-Tournament team honors as well First and Second Team All-League honors, respectively. Junior Trina Ricketts also earned All-Conference Second Team accolades. Team members: senior Sue Steele; juniors Rita Bernert, Meaghan Culkin, Felicia Griffin, Trina Ricketts, Donna Schules; sophomores Christine Bachmann, Shanin Clark, Stacie Conroy, Barbara DeShields; freshmen Joetta Daughton, Kristi Doyle, Denise Stuewe. Head Coach: Sharon Beverly. Assistant Coaches: Buddy Mahar, Angela Cann.

One of the legendary names in the history of Knights basketball, Elijah Allen ranks tied for 17th all-time with 1,088 career points. As a senior in 1998, Allen led the Knights to a 23-7 record that included an NEC Championship and a berth to the NCAA Tournament. Versus Connecticut in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Allen scored an NCAA Tournament-best 43 points in a 93-85 loss to the Huskies in the MCI Center. A prolific scorer, Allen graduated 6th on the all-time free throws made list (354) and shot .765 (354-463) from the line for his career. He ranks 7th all-time with 134 career three-pointers and also ranks among the all-time leaders in assists (5th – 366) and steals (T4th – 141). Allen ranks among the top 10 in single-season points (T8th – 515, 1997-98), free throws (2nd – 176, 1997-98) and assists (5th – 159, 1997-98). As a senior, he earned First Team All-Conference and All-NEC Tournament accolades, averaging a team-leading 17.8 points per game. He was also tabbed to the All-Conference Second Team as a junior. Allen helped the Knights to a 71-42 record over the course of his career and started in 72 of the 113 games in which he appeared.

One in a long line of talented Europeans to don a Knights uniform, David Gouldstone was the 1995 Northeast Conference Player of the Year. Breakout sophomore and junior seasons cemented Gouldstone as one of the top players in the Northeast Conference and earned him First Team All-Conference honors both years. Gouldstone also earned CoSIDA All-Academic Regional honors in 1995. The epitome of unselfish play, Gouldstone ranks sixth on the Knights’ all-time career assists list with 20 and is tied for fifth on the single season assist list with 10 (1995). He also led the team in assists in both the 1994 and 1995 seasons and ranks second on the list for assists in a game with three. As a junior, he averaged .59 assists per game in league play. As a rookie in 1993, Gouldstone assisted on game-winning goals versus Rider, George Washington and Robert Morris. He graduated with 14 goals and 20 assists in his career and helped the Knights to a 20-11-1 record in conference play.

The seventh player in program history to crack the 1,000-point barrier, Felicia Griffin graduated as the fifth all-time leading scorer and currently ranks eighth all-time with 1,195 points. Serving as the team co-captain in both her junior and senior seasons, Griffin helped lead the Knights to unprecedented success, including a Northeast Conference Tournament title in 1992 and a regular season championship in 1993. A tenacious defender, Griffin still holds the program record for career steals with 278 and also holds the record for steals in a game with nine (versus St. Francis – NY 1/21/92). She also ranks sixth and eighth for steals in a season with 79 and 74, respectively in 1993 and 1992. Averaging 10.9 points per game over the course of her career, Griffin shot a career .458 (470-1027) from the floor and her 470 field goals rank seventh highest all-time. She also ranks eighth all-time in career free throws made with 255. A Second Team All-Northeast Conference selection as a junior, she also earned All-Tournament honors that season. As a senior, Griffin was tabbed to the All-Conference First Team. Over the course of her four years, the Knights compiled a 66-44 record, including a 39-22 record in Northeast Conference play. Griffin appeared in 110 of the 113 games played in her career and started 82.

A three-year member of the baseball team (1960-62), Charlie Linfante defined the term "Ace." Compiling a 10-7 overall career record (.588 winning percentage) with a 1.69 ERA, Linfante set the standard by which future Knight pitchers would be judged. As a senior he posted a 5-2 mark with a 1.04 ERA, allowing nine earned runs in a team-leading 77.2 innings of work. That year Linfante also racked up a then-record 61 strikeouts while allowing just 12 walks. As a junior, he again led the staff with 62.2 innings of work, posting a 4-3 record and a 2.55 ERA. He currently ranks among the program’s single season leaders in ERA (3rd: 1.04, 1962) and innings pitched (7th: 77.2, 1962). Upon graduating, Linfante boasted a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, ringing up 134 batters while yielding just 45 walks in 155 innings of work. In his first year of eligibility, he helped the team achieve a single season record for lowest ERA of 1.84 in 1961.

A legend in college coaching annals, Al LoBalbo coached the Fairleigh Dickinson University men’s basketball program from 1969-80. Regarded by many as the father of modern defense, LoBalbo brought national prominence to FDU with his defensive principle "Ball-You-Man." A noted clinician and teacher of the game of basketball he is credited with influencing some of the most prominent coaches in basketball including: Bobby Knight, Seth Greenberg, Hubie Brown and Mike Krzyzewski. In his first season with the Knights, LoBalbo took a sub .500 team to a 13-10 record. In 1970 the LoBalbo-led Knights compiled a then program best 16-7 mark. The season culminated with the team ranking No. 1 nationally in defense, allowing opponents to an average of 53.7 points per game. Noted for playing any team, anytime, anywhere, a LoBalbo basketball schedule annually included the likes of Kansas, Missouri and Georgia, which the Knights defeated 59-52 at Georgia. Playing 62 percent of his games on the road over his 11-year tenure, LoBalbo posted a 128-142 overall record for a .474 winning percentage.

A prolific scorer, Lou Ravettine concluded his career with 771 career points. He netted a 42-point performance as a senior versus Upsala, which still ranks as the third best single-game output in school history. That same season, Ravettine averaged 17.5 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game and shot .751 from the line en route to earning a host of honors. A First Team New Jersey All-University team selection along with Bill Bradley (Princeton) and Nick Werkman (Seton Hall), he also earned First Team All-Tri State and Metropolitan Team honors and was the Knights MVP during the 1963-64 season. As a senior, Ravettine led the Knights to the program’s first ever Tri-State Championship. In his first two seasons, Ravettine averaged 9.8 and 13.4 points per game respectively and shot .694 from the line as a junior. Over the course of his three-year career, Ravettine led the Knights to a 40-33 overall record and a 21-6 Tri-State Conference mark.

One of the top runners ever to compete for FDU, Gideon Terer is the standard by which FDU runners at the 800-1,000 distances are judged. The first-ever Individual National Champion, Terer captured the 1978 AAU 1,000 yard Championship in a then-school record time of 2:09.3 in Madison Square Garden. Later that year, Terer finished third at the NCAA Championships in Detroit and ran the second fastest American Indoor 1,000 meter time (2:21.9) at the Olympic Invitational in Madison Square Garden. A two-time New Jersey College Champion, he set the meet record in the 800 meters in 1:48.2 after capturing the same title in 1:48.5 the night before at the Florida Relays. As a senior, Terer won the 880 yard Met Championship in 1:51.7. He was also a member of Met Championship Two mile relay in 1979 (w/Pete Marzan, Eamon Greene, Paul Steeds) [7:39.38]. A transfer from Essex Community College where he ran for Russ Rogers, Terer captured a pair of national junior college championships in the 800 meters.

A four-time All-NEC selection, Rahshon Turner earned Newcomer of the Year honors as a freshman, Second Team honors as a sophomore, and First Team accolades as a junior and senior. Helping the team to a 66-49 record over the course of his career, he ranks among the all-time career leaders in: points (5th – 1,637), rebounds (3rd – 927), field goals (4th – 606), free throws (3rd – 425), and blocks (T3rd – 144). Turner also ranks among the single-season leaders in: points (T8th – 515, 1997-98), rebounds (5th – 313, 1997-98), field goals (7th – 191, 1997-98) and blocks (3rd – 63, 1997-98; 8th – 43, 1996-97). Averaging 14.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game over his career, as a senior he led the Knights to a 23-7 overall record and a 13-3 conference mark. That season, Turner led the program to its fourth NCAA berth, where the Knights fell to UConn in the opening round of the 1998 tournament in the MCI Center in Washington, DC. He is one of only a few Knights to eclipse the 1,000 point threshold by just his junior season.

Regarded by most as the greatest athlete ever to don a Knights uniform, Desi Wilson is the basketball program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,902 career points. Additionally, he ranks among the all-time leaders in rebounds (5th – 780), field goals made (1st – 695), field goal attempts (3rd – 1,217), free throws made (1st – 510), steals (1st – 176) and blocks (7th – 89). Wilson virtually re-wrote the single season record book, ranking among the top 10 in: points (1st – 738, 1990-91; 3rd – 645, 1989-90; 6th – 519, 1988-89); rebounds (7th – 284, 1990-91; 10th – 263, 1989-90); field goals (1st – 266, 1990-91); free throws (1st – 204, 1990-91); and steals (1st - 67, 1990-91). For three straight seasons between 1988-91 Wilson led the Knights in scoring (1988-89, 17.9 ppg; 1989-90, 22.3 ppg; 1990-91, 23.8 ppg) and rebounding (1988-89, 8.0 rpg; 1989-90, 9.1 rpg; 1990-91, 9.2 rpg). Named to the Northeast Conference All-Newcomer Team and Newcomer of the Year in 1988-89, he also earned All-Tournament distinction as a rookie. Additionally, he was tabbed as the NEC Player of the Year and named to the All-NEC First Team in 1989-90 as well as All-NEC First Team and NEC All-Tournament in 1990-91. As a member of the Knights baseball team, Wilson, in two seasons, posted a career .376 batting average in 55 games with 50 hits and 32 RBI and two homeruns. In 1991, he batted .408 (40-98) in 27 games with 11 doubles and 24 RBI. During his rookie campaign, he batted .286 in 15 games. In 2006, Wilson was selected by the Northeast Conference as a member of the 25th Anniversary Men’s Basketball Team and also earned a spot on the All-Decade team.

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