Davidson Announces Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2005-06

The 17th group of inductees into the Davidson Athletics Hall of Fame will be honored on Jan. 29, 2006, during halftime of the men’s basketball game versus Princeton that evening, as well as at a banquet prior to the game. The four to be inducted are Alexander N. Gibbs, Jr. ’63, Jennifer R. Roos ’93, Joel R. Tew ’76 and H. Edmunds White ’47.

Alex Gibbs, a running back and defensive back for the Wildcats in the early ’60s, twice led Davidson in rushing with 278 yards as a sophomore and 259 yards as a junior. He was also the top kickoff return man for those two seasons with 10 returns for 229 yards and eight returns for 174 yards, respectively. As a senior, he was used more as a receiver, finishing second on the squad with 14 catches for 105 yards, plus 110 yards on the ground and 188 return yards on kickoffs.

But his tenure as an assistant coach in the NFL is more impressive. For the past 20-plus years, he has been the offensive line coach for the Denver Broncos (1984-87), Los Angeles Raiders (1988-89), San Diego Chargers (1990-91), Indianapolis Colts (1992) and Kansas City Chiefs (1993-94). From 1995-2003, he served as the assistant head coach/offensive line coach for the Denver Broncos, then joined the Atlanta Falcons for the 2004 season. Falcons coach Jim Mora states, “[Gibbs] is one of the greatest offensive line coaches in the history of the game.”

A three-sport athlete at Davidson, Jennifer Roos excelled at whatever she did. She was an outstanding field hockey player during some of the squad’s best seasons, earning the Stimson Award as Davidson’s top female athlete to cap her career. As a freshman, she was named the team’s defensive MVP. The following year, only one person was honored as the team MVP, and she earned it each of her final three seasons. Roos, a defender, scored nine goals and had one assist as a sophomore, the best offensive output of her career. She was named All-Deep South each of her first three campaigns, plus was All-Southeast Region as a junior.

One of the first field hockey players to be awarded a scholarship, Roos was a member of the lacrosse club team that went 12-3 before the sport was elevated to varsity status the year after she graduated. She was also a key player for the women’s basketball team in its first season back as a varsity sport during her senior year. She played the point and was one of two players to start all 22 games. Her 77 assists led the team, as did her 64 steals, which still ranks eighth in the Davidson record books for a single season. She also drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Wildcats to a 64-62 win over Winthrop, the first Davidson win at home over a Division I school. She retuned after graduating to be an assistant with the basketball team for eight years, and is now the associate head coach at Bowling Green State University.

The Davidson staff ace for three seasons, Joel Tew posted ERAs under 2.60 in each of his first three seasons as a Wildcat, leading the team all three years. He was 4-2 with a save and a 2.01 ERA as a freshman on a team that went 8-15. After a 2-4 season despite a 2.54 ERA in 1974, Tew helped the ’Cats to their first-ever 20-win season by going 8-4 with a 2.09 ERA and completing 10 of his 11 starts. His biggest victory came in the upset triumph over second-ranked South Carolina, a team that went 54-6 that year. In his final campaign he struggled through arm problems to end his career with a 3.06 ERA, fifth-best in Davidson history. Tew also ranks among the top 10 in the Wildcat annals in wins (16), innings (267.2), complete games (18) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (8.0).

Ed White starred for some of the most successful basketball teams prior to the arrival of Lefty Driesell, helping the Wildcats to a 17-8 record in his senior season. Standing just 5-9, White was still widely considered the best player on the team in his last two campaigns. He finished second in the Southern Conference in scoring as a junior, just behind future All-American Dick Dickey at N.C. State. White was a three-sport athlete, playing football and tennis as well.

Perhaps his greatest contribution to Davidson athletics, however, came as an administrator from 1955-79. For 18 of those 24 years, he worked in the admissions office, including 10 years as the director of admissions and financial aid, and another four years as the dean of admissions. In a much different recruiting environment than today, White helped recruit student-athletes who could meet the academic requirements while excelling on the field of competition. Working with Lefty Driesell, the fruits of their labors turned into the nationally-ranked basketball teams of the 1960s. White also played a large role in attracting the football stars of the late ’60s that went on to win the Southern Conference in 1969 and play in the Tangerine Bowl. Then in the ’70s, White laid the groundwork for the influx of female athletic talent, giving them opportunities after Davidson went co-ed.

# # #
--
Rick Bender
Davidson College SID
P.O. Box 7158
Davidson, NC 28035-7158
Office: 704-894-2123