Purchase Tickets
Apply for Media Credentials
ATLANTA, Ga. (May 31, 2023) – The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) is proud to announce its 2023 SIAC Hall of Fame Class set to be inducted on Wednesday, July 12 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
The SIAC Hall of Fame was established to preserve the history and celebrate the accomplishments of former student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and contributors that have excelled on the playing fields, while pioneering integrity, sportsmanship, and character off the field.
“I am excited to usher in the next group of legendary figures that have made the SIAC one of the most revered athletic conferences in America for more than a century,” said SIAC Commissioner Anthony Holloman. “It is only fitting that we celebrate icons from days past in conjunction with our annual Football Media Day event where the stars of the future will be on display.”
The SIAC Hall of Fame event will recognize individuals whose accomplishments on and off the playing fields have had a lasting impact on the conference and are worthy of induction to this most exclusive group of SIAC Legends. Additionally, these honorees have distinguished themselves with their contributions to the rich history and tradition of our member institutions.
The newest members of the SIAC Hall of Fame were chosen from a list of nominees who were submitted by their respective institutions.
Since its inception in 1992, the SIAC Hall of Fame has welcomed 155 distinguished honorees.
The 2023 SIAC Hall of Fame Honorees includes the 1993 Alabama A&M Women’s Track and Field Team, Ernest McNealey (Allen University), Calvin Smyre (Fort Valley State University), Drayton Florence (Tuskegee University), Jeffrey Henderson (Stillman College), Arthur McAfee Jr.** (Morehouse College), and Alex Percival (Morehouse College).
1993 Women’s Track and Field Team | Student-Athletes | Alabama A&M University
Led by Head Coach Joseph Henderson, the 1993 Alabama A&M Women’s Track and Field Team captured their 14th straight SIAC title by finishing first in 12 of 19 events amassing 210 points.
With 33 points, Chinweoke Chikwelu was named Most Valuable Field Athlete and Head Coach Joseph Henderson was named the Alice Coachman Coach of the Year.
In the 1993 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Abilene, TX, Alabama A&M claimed their second straight NCAA Division II Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship. In 1992, they claimed their first title with a 47-point victory over California State-Los Angeles. In 1993, the championship came down to the final event. In the 1600-meter relay (4x400), Alabama A&M held a slim 82-80 lead over Abilene Christian. In the final leg, Shelly Beckford of Alabama A&M pulled away to gain a first-place finish with 92 points and another national championship.
Dr. Ernest McNealey | Administrator | Allen University
McNealey is the 30th President of Allen University. He was integral in restarting the Yellow Jacket football and softball programs and introducing women’s soccer to the university. Dr. McNealey also ensured Allen’s transition from NAIA into NCAA Division II, re-joining the SIAC in 2020.
During his tenure, the University achieved unparalleled success with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools including reaffirmation of accreditation, level change from II to III to offer the first graduate program, a Master of Divinity, approval to offer online degree programs, and approval to offer associate degrees. New undergraduate programs in Sports Management, Criminal Justice, and Elementary Education were launched, as well as a Master of Arts in Religious. The aesthetic quotient of the campus was significantly elevated via renovations, repairs, and landscaping. University students were relieved of buying textbooks and received free e-textbooks, telemedicine insurance w/prescription drugs, and received Apple MacBooks. The first marching band since the 1960s was launched along with a symphonic band. The University’s financial stability grew under his leadership, including a perfect 3.0 on the financial responsibility score from the US Department of Education.
As a result of early advocacy and activism in higher education, McNealey was elected/appointed a member, director, and/or chair of many educational and professional organizations. He served as a member of the HBCU Capital Financing Program Board, the Southern Education HBCU Foundation Advisory Board, the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge Advisory Board, the Paul R. Jones Art Collection Board, and the NCAA D-II Presidents’ Council. He was a member of the Commission on Colleges and served on the Executive Committee of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and a member of the ETS/HBCU Advisory Board. He also served as chair of the boards of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities, and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education.
McNealey holds a bachelor’s degree from Alabama State University, a master’s from Indiana University, and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Management Institute, a charter member of 100 Black Men of West Alabama, a Life Member of
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and was inducted into Beta Kappa Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.
Dr. McNealey is married to Dr. Earnestine Green McNealey, an author; and he has two adult sons.
Calvin Smyre | Contributor | Fort Valley State University
Smyre graduated from Fort Valley State College (now Fort Valley State University) in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a minor in accounting. He began his career as a community organizer and director of the “War on Poverty” program in Columbus, GA. He has also served as a chairman on the committee for the Fountain City Classic, an annual football game featuring Fort Valley State University (Wildcats) and Albany State University (Golden Rams) hosted in Columbus, GA. The game has been played over three decades and has been able to generate over $4 million of scholarship support to the two SIAC member institutions. Mr. Smyre has been a staunch supporter of the SIAC and its member institutions.
The Honorable Calvin Smyre was elected at age 26 as the youngest member of the Georgia House of Representatives and is now its the longest-serving member. The alumnus was also the first African American chairman of the state Democratic Party. He authored the legislation to make Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday a state holiday and the bill to create the Georgia Dome. He serves on the Appropriations Committee, responsible for specifying allocations from the state’s $20 billion budget. He also serves on the Rules Committee and is chairman of the House Minority Caucus. Smyre was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1974 as its youngest member when he was 26 years of age.
Representative Smyre is president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and was selected in 1985 and 2005 as the national “Legislator of the Year.” He serves on numerous foundation boards, including the Fort Valley State University Foundation Board of Trustees. He is also executive vice president for corporate affairs for Synovus and president of the Synovus Foundation. With 39 banks and over $32 billion in assets, Synovus is a diversified holding company for financial services including banking, financial management, insurance, mortgages, and leasing.
Drayton Florence | Student-Athlete | Football | Tuskegee University
Florence played for the Golden Tigers’ football team from 2001-2002. He registered a school-record three returns for touchdowns on interceptions at Tuskegee. As a senior, he was named first-team Division II All-America by the Associated Press and American Coaches Association. Florence is the highest drafted player to enter the NFL from Tuskegee University.
In the 2003 NFL Draft, Florence was drafted by the San Diego Chargers and spent more than a decade playing in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Buffalo Bills, the Denver Broncos, the Detroit Lions, and the Carolina Panthers. Florence was honored for his football career at Tuskegee University in 2013 and recognized for his work with the Drayton Florence Foundation.
Jeffrey Henderson | Student-Athlete | Track and Field | Stillman College
Henderson was the lone HBCU star at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Henderson had a leap of 8.38 meters to win the gold medal for Team USA in the long jump. Other top results include becoming the 2014, 2016 and 2018 USA Outdoor national long jump champion.
In his junior year at Stillman College, he earned All-America honors at the 2013 NCAA Division II Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships by winning the 100-meter dash and long jump titles.
Arthur McAfee Jr. | Coach | Basketball | Morehouse College (posthumously)
McAfee, Jr., known affectionately as Sonny or Coach Mac, spent 35 years at Morehouse, the last 28 as Director of Athletics, from 1965 through 2000. During his time leading the Maroon Tigers basketball program, he won 464 games. In 1981, his team won 9-of-10 games down the stretch, culminating with a win over Clark College to win the program's first SIAC title since 1946 and earn the school a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
McAfee had four 20-win campaigns, the first coming in 1988-89 as the Maroon Tigers went 25-4 but were upset in the SIAC Tournament Semifinals. But, in 1989-90, future NBA player Harold Ellis would help lead the Maroon Tigers to a 26-7 record, winning the SIAC Title and NCAA Division II South Region Championship. The team would make it to the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament, falling in the National Semifinals and finishing fourth in the nation.
The following season, McAfee led Morehouse to a 21-11 mark and a second straight SIAC Championship and NCAA Division II South Region Tournament appearance. Morehouse would have three more SIAC Runner-Up finishes during McAfee's career, including in 1994-95 when the Maroon Tigers went 20-8 and made another NCAA Division II South Region Tournament. In total, 11 of his players earned All-SIAC honors. More importantly, because of him, more than 90 percent of his student-athletes earned degrees.
Born in Wichita, Kansas, McAfee earned his bachelor's degree from Wichita State University. Even though he never played collegiate basketball, Coach Mac found his way to winning 517 games as head coach at Morehouse, Lane, Mississippi Valley, Lincoln (MO), and Bishop College (Texas). In 2000, McAfee was set to assume the Presidency of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, but he elected to retire. In 2013, McAfee was inducted into the National Basketball of College Directors of Athletics. He was also placed in the Hall of Fame at Wichita State.
Alex Percival | Student-Athlete | Football | Morehouse College
Percival is a 1977 Morehouse graduate from Montgomery, AL. who starred in football from 1973-76 and became just the second Maroon Tiger to be drafted by a National Football League team when he went in the 12th round to the Cincinnati Bengals in 1977.
Excelling as a wide receiver during an era where running the football was paramount, Percival was an offensive stalwart throughout his career. In the second game of the 1974 season, he had 12 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns against Fisk and had 44 catches for 880 yards and eight touchdowns in 1974. During his collegiate career, he set the school record for most receptions with 134 receptions from 1973-1976, a mark that was held until 2000 as passing became more in vogue in the current era of football.
An embodiment of the student-athlete moniker, Percival was a four-time ALL- SIAC selection at wide receiver and a Golden Helmet Award recipient as the most outstanding player in 1974. He also was a member of the SIAC All-Scholastic team (1977) and on the Morehouse Dean's List (1977). Currently, Percival is the Senior Managing Partner at Walter Presnell and Associates, Inc., which is a construction company located in Atlanta. He and his wife, Tisha, currently reside in Lake Spivey, GA., and have five children and five grandchildren.
About the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with
headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University,
Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors eight men's and six women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit thesiac.com.