PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley University will induct four new members into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame and elevate a previous inductee to photo status during the the annual two-day ceremony Jan. 19-20. The five-member class will be the special guests at the Braves Club Gameday Luncheon Jan. 19 at the Michel Student Center and officially will be inducted into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame during a halftime ceremony Jan. 20 when the Braves host Wichita State at Carver Arena.
The 2006-07 Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame class includes the 1950 baseball team, which participated in the College World Series; former athletic director Art Bergstrom; and two members of Bradley's last Missouri Valley Conference championship men's basketball team, Deon Jackson and Billy Wright. In addition, former men's basketball player Henry Thomas, already a Hall of Fame member, will be elevated to photo status in the Robertson Fieldhouse display in recognition of his status as one of the nation's top sports agents.
A limited number of tickets remain available for both the Jan. 19 Gameday Luncheon, as well as the Jan. 20 game versus the Shockers. In addition to the halftime ceremony, the Bradley Athletic Department will distribute mini megaphones to the first 5,000 fans wearing red Jan. 20. For luncheon ticket information, contact the Braves Club Office at (309) 677-2667. Single-game men's basketball tickets are available at the Robertson Fieldhouse Box Office (309-677-2625).
2007 Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame Class
1950 Baseball Team
After winning the Missouri Valley Conference East Division with a 7-1 league record, the 1950 Braves made the first of Bradley's two appearances in the College World Series, making them one of the final eight teams to compete for the national championship. The Braves advanced to NCAA District play by beating West Division champion Oklahoma State 2-games-to-1 in Peoria, then earned their trip to the CWS by sweeping two games from Big Seven Conference champion Nebraska in Lincoln to win the District 5 title. Bradley's 1950 baseball team was the first-ever Valley team to reach the College World Series.
Bradley finished with a 17-15-1 overall record in 1950, but regular-season non-conference opponents included Arkansas (1-0), Clemson (1-1), Florida (0-2), Florida State (1-1), Iowa (1-1), Michigan State (0-2), Purdue (0-1) and Wisconsin (1-2). Completing one of the more notable years in Bradley Athletics history, three baseball team members -- Don Alford (.356 batting average), Gene Melchiorre (.327) and Jack Hills (.306) -- also were members of the basketball team that played in both the NIT and NCAA Tournament championship games.
Art Bergstrom, Athletic Director (1949-55)
Art Bergstrom will be inducted into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame posthumously, having passed away this summer shortly after his 100th birthday and learning of his most recent honor.
Bergstrom came to Bradley in 1948 as head football coach and became Director of Athletics upon the death of A.J. Robertson later that year. He served as both football coach and A.D. for two years, then concentrated on the administrative position until leaving Bradley in 1955 to join the NCAA in Kansas City as the national governing body's Assistant Executive Director. He served as Assistant Director for Enforcement for many years, and then as Comptroller. Bergstrom was instrumental in establishing the “College” Division of the NCAA, which later became Divisions II and III.
During his tenure at Bradley, the university's athletics program expanded, and it was one of only two schools in the Missouri Valley Conference that fielded teams in every sport in which the conference sponsored competition. The basketball team was nationally ranked during four of his seven years and twice finished second in the NCAA Tournament (1950 and 1954). The Braves also had the unique distinction of playing in both the NCAA Tournament and NIT championship games in 1950, losing both to C.C.N.Y. at Madison Square Garden.
Bergstrom was the guiding force behind Bradley's challenging basketball schedule. At the request of head coach Forddy Anderson, Bergstrom was able to schedule games with such nationally-known powers as Kentucky, San Francisco, Notre Dame and UCLA. In addition to the basketball team's success under Bergstrom's watch, the Bradley baseball team won three Missouri Valley Conference East Division titles and played in the 1950 College World Series.
During his time at Bradley, Bergstrom also revamped the curriculum of the Physical Education Department, adding professional level courses, which enabled students to obtain public school jobs as physical education teachers.
Deon Jackson, Men's Basketball (1992-96)
Jackson will long be remembered for making one of the most memorable shots in Bradley Basketball and Missouri Valley Conference history, but he also ranks as one of the top players in the program's 103-year history. A three-time All-MVC selection, Jackson scored in double-figures during each of his four seasons (1992-96) and currently ranks 13th on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,491 career points.
Selected by the fans to Bradley's 1990s Team of the Decade, Jackson was the 1993 Valley Freshman of the year and he went on to earn first-team All-MVC honors in 1994 and 1996, as well as honorable mention status in 1993. He was named to 1996 All-MVC Tournament team after his buzzer-beating 3-point heave beat Missouri State in the semifinals. The play was later nominated for an ESPY Award and is still a popular highlight at Bradley Basketball and Missouri Valley Conference functions.
Jackson was one of the key players in Bradley's resurgence of the mid-90s after signing with the Jim Molinari's program following a 7-23 campaign. He helped lead the Braves to NIT seasons in 1994 (23-8) and 1995 (20-10) before capturing the Valley regular-season title and securing an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament in 1996.
Billy Wright, Men's Basketball (1992-96)
Another key member of Bradley's rise in the mid-90s was point guard Billy Wright, who joins his former teammate in the 2007 Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame class. Wright joined Jackson on the 1993 Missouri Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team, and also like Jackson, was a three-time all-conference selection by earning second-team notice in 1994 and 1996 and honorable mention status in 1993.
While scoring 909 career points, Wright excelled at distributing the ball and on the defensive end. His 595 career assists and 219 career steals both rank third-best in school history and he remains fourth with 3,914 career minutes played. He was a three-time member of the Valley's All-Defense Team (1994-95-96) and was picked for Bradley's team MVP and Best Defensive Player awards in 1994.
Wright has remained close to the game since his graduation and he now serves as the head coach of the powerful Indianapolis Pike High School boys basketball program.
Henry Thomas, Sports Agent
Henry Thomas originally was inducted into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996, but he is now being elevated to photo status in the Robertson Fieldhouse display in recognition of his status as a leader in the sports agent industry.
Thomas currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Basketball at CSMG, a 20-year-old sports management, marketing and consulting group that represents and manages clients in baseball, basketball, football and golf. He is a registered agent with the National Basketball Players Association, the National Football League Players Association and numerous individual states.
Boasting a bachelor's degree in accounting from Bradley, as well as a J.D. and LL.M. (Taxation) from DePaul, Thomas was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1977. He also is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, Sports Lawyers Association and Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Association.
While working for a Chicago law firm, Thomas signed his first NBA client, Tim Hardaway, in 1989. He formed his own management company, Thomas Sports Management, four years later and recently sold the company to CSMG. His current client list includes former Bradley star Anthony Parker, as well as Peoria High School graduate Shaun Livingston, Dwayne Wade, Michael Finley, Chris Bosh, Devin Harris and several other active NBA players.
