Davidson Announces 2015-16 Hall of Fame Class

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DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson College announced today that Dave Fagg '58 (Football, Wrestling, Coach), Kelly Fillnow '05 (Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Women's Tennis), George Hannen '70 (Football), Churchill Hooff '96 (Men's Swimming & Diving) and Greene Flake "Red" Laird '26 (Baseball, Football, Men's Basketball, Coach) will make up the 26th induction class to the school's Athletics Hall of Fame.

The induction ceremonies will take place Jan. 16, beginning with a reception at 3:30 p.m. in the Lilly Family Gallery within the Chambers Building. Following the reception, there will be a Hall of Fame dinner and program at 4:30 p.m. There will also be a ceremony at halftime of the men's basketball game against Massachusetts, with tipoff slated for 12:30 p.m.

Dave Fagg '58 – Football, Wrestling, Coach
A 1958 graduate, Dave Fagg was named Davidson's top athlete as a senior, winning the Tommy Peters Award as he lettered in football and wrestling. After serving as an assistant under Homer Smith for five years, which included a trip to the Tangerine Bowl in 1969, Fagg was named Davidson's 20th head coach in 1970. Following four years with the 'Cats, Fagg continued his successful coaching career, spending time on the Hawaii, Georgia Tech, South Carolina and Arizona staffs, before returning to Davidson in 1990. Fagg rescued a floundering Davidson program that had won just four games in the five previous seasons by restoring pride in Davidson football and won 16 games in three seasons. He wears Davidson in his heart and soul and left a legacy with the establishment of the Ellington-Fagg Davidson Trust Scholarship and Ellington-Fagg Davidson Wrestling Scholarship. In 2009, Fagg won the Hendrix Award, which goes to a Davidson football letterman who by the use of lessons learned on the playing field has gone on to achieve outstanding success in his chosen profession.

Kelly Fillnow '05 – Women's Tennis, Cross Country, Track & Field
Kelly Fillnow was a two-sport standout star for both the cross country and women's tennis programs during her four-year career at Davidson. As a runner, the Jacksonville, Fla., native was an all-conference honoree and led the Wildcats to their first-ever Southern Conference title as a junior in 2003. On the tennis court, Fillnow is the only player in program history to be named to an all-conference team eight times during her career. She was a first-team pick three times in singles and teamed up with her twin sister Meghan to earn first-team honors in 2004. The Wildcats' No. 1 singles and doubles player all four years, Fillnow finished her career with 71 wins in singles and added another 67 victories in doubles, with 65 of those victories coming with her sister. She hit the double-digit mark in wins all four years in singles and doubles, reaching a career-best 21 as a junior in 2004 in both singles and doubles. Fillnow was just as good in conference matches, finishing with a career singles mark of 24-13 and a record of 25-12 in doubles. Davidson went a combined 68-29 during Fillnow's four years and she helped the Wildcats reach the SoCon Tournament Championship match twice.

George Hannen '70 – Football
George Hannen was one of Davidson's best athletes ever and the recipient of the Tommy Peters Award in 1970. Hannen was a halfback, receiver and return man on the football team. In his sophomore season, he led the team in receiving with 53 catches for 720 yards and five touchdowns. Hannen was All-Southern Conference Honorable Mention after his senior year during which he led the nation in punt return average (22.4). He holds the record for the longest punt return in Davidson history (94 yards), which he set against Wofford in 1969 and is tied for second with Mike Kelly for touchdown passes caught in one season (11). Hannen also holds Davidson records for most punt return yardage in a season (477 yards) and a career (505).

Churchill Hooff '96 – Men's Swimming and Diving
Churchill Hooff, a nine-time Southern States event champion, was named All-Southern States in 1993, 1995 and 1996, and at one time, held school records in the 200, 500 and 1650 free, which he set during the 1996 season. He still ranks in the top-10 of the Davidson record books in the 1650 free (4th, 15:50.23, 1996), 500 Free (7th, 4:33.07, 1996), 1000 Free (7th, 9:38.66, 1996). As a junior, he placed second in three events and first in two others at the Southern States Championships, and helped the 400 Medley Relay team break the school record. A team captain as a senior, Hooff won the Billy Ray High Point Award and Dick Redding Most Valuable Award in 1996.

Greene Flake "Red" Laird '26 – Baseball, Football, Basketball, Coach (Posthumous)
Laird had an illustrious career as an athlete in several sports at Davidson and became an outstanding coach in several sports at Catawba, Davidson and Virginia Tech. At Davidson, Laird was a baseball pitcher, a tackle in football and a forward in basketball. He captained the 1926 basketball team and won 12 varsity letters in his career. He coached Davidson basketball teams from 1931-37, including 13-10 records in 1935 and '37. Laird also coached Davidson's baseball teams during that period. In 30 seasons as a college baseball coach, Laird won 343 games. At Virginia Tech (where he coached baseball and basketball), Laird was known as "Mr. Baseball." He coached the Virginia Tech baseball team from 1940-73, except for five years (1943-48) when he served as a U.S. Naval officer. He is a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame (inducted Jan. 10, 1971) and the Virginia Tech Hall of Fame (inducted in 1983). He was named to the American Association of College Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1971. Laird was a native of Decatur, Ala. He passed away April 10, 1992.

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