Honored Athletes

Matt Andresen ’92 is the first fencer inducted into the Hall of Fame and Duke’s first All-American fencer. The Chapel Hill native placed fifth (1993) and eighth (1990 and 1992) in NCAA competition, was a two-time member of Team USA, and competed at the World Junior Championships in Greece and Austria.

Wes Chesson ’71 lettered three seasons as a member of Duke’s football team, starring as both a wide receiver and punter. As a senior, he established ACC single-season records for both pass receptions and receiving yardage en route to earning first team All-ACC and honorable mention AllAmerica honors from the Associated Press. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1971 and played four seasons of professional football. In 1982, he joined the Duke Radio Network as the analyst for Blue Devil football games.

Julie Exum Breuer ’93 was two-time National Collegiate Clay Court singles champion while helping Duke’s women’s tennis squad to 92 victories, a perfect 29-0 ledger in ACC regular-season action, and four ACC Championships. She earned AllAmerica honors in 1991 and 1993, was a four-time All-ACC pick, and was the ACC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player as a freshman in 1990. As a senior, she became the first player in program history to earn the nation’s No. 1 ranking in singles play.

Jay Heaps ’98 was a two-time All-American, four-time All-ACC, and four-time All-ACC Tournament selection in soccer. He was named Scholar Athlete of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in 1998. He was also a four-year member of Duke’s basketball team. He had an eleven-year career in Major League Soccer, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 1999. He is head coach of the New England Revolution.

Coach John Rennie guided the Duke men’s soccer team to the school’s first NCAA championship in 1986 and enjoyed a twenty-nine-year coaching tenure in Durham that featured 410 wins, twenty-seven winning seasons, twenty NCAA Tournament berths, five College Cup appearances, and five ACC championships. During his career he coached fifteen first-team All-American selections and six national Players of the Year.

Georgia Schweitzer Beasley ’01, M.D. ’08, M.H.S. ’12 was twice named the ACC Player of the Year in basketball while helping the Blue Devils to 111 wins, four NCAA Tournament berths, three conference regular-season championships, two league tournament titles, and an appearance in the 1999 national-championship game. She was the first Duke player to notch 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, and 150 steals in a career, and she finished her career with 1,620 points, 533 rebounds, 428 assists, and 171 steals.

Jason Williams ’03 was a two-time national basketball Player of the Year while guiding Duke to a three-year record of 95-13 that included the 2001 NCAA championship. The National Association of Basketball Coaches selected Williams as the National Player of the Year in 2001; he also won the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award. The second-overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, he was honored when his number 22 jersey was retired in Cameron Indoor Stadium in 2003.

Miles to Go:

Since its creation in 1975, the Duke Sports Hall of Fame has inducted 131 members— former varsity athletes, coaches, trainers, and staff members. Of that total, thirteen are women.

Pending Invites:

Rowing, field hockey, and volleyball are the only varsity sports not yet represented in the HOF. Boxing—which boasts two former athletes in the HOF—was discontinued by the nCaa after the 1960 season.

The Seven Dwarfs?

While there’s no Sneezy or grumpy, several Hall of Famers have nicknames evocative of Snow White’s gang. There’s Dumpy (Ellis P. Hagler), Doc (Lenox Baker M.D. ’34), Lefty (Charles Driesell ’54), Red (James W. Smith ’54), Sonny (Christian Jurgensen ’57), ace (Clarence Parker ’37), and Skip (Stewart M. alexander ’41).

Seeing Triple

Christine, Patricia, and Theresa O'Reilly '90 are the only triplets in the Hall of Fame. They dominated the Duke women's tennis scene from 1987 to 1990, firmly rooting the program in the national ranks.

 

Duke’s National Championships

Men’s Soccer - 1986

Women’s Tennis - 2009

Men’s Lacrosse - 2010, 2013

Women’s golf - 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007