2023-24 SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame Class Announced

by Joe Pott

published January 2 2024 2:54 PM

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EDWARDSVILLE – Five individuals, representing five different programs, and one team will be inducted into the SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Jan. 26 at SIUE's Meridian Ballroom inside the Morris University Center.

This year's honorees include Raven (Berry) Zachary (women's basketball), Christine (Butler) Miller (women's track and field) Don Ebert (men's soccer), Spencer Patton (baseball), Helen Robinson (women's soccer) and the 1985 baseball team.

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This is the 17th class to be inducted since the SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame started in 2005.

The SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame seeks to recognize the achievements of former student-athletes, coaches, administrators and teams that have impacted the intercollegiate athletics programs at SIUE as well as to celebrate the history of the institution. A complete listing of Hall of Fame members is available at siuecougars.com/honors/hall-of-fame.

"We're thrilled to induct this accomplished class of SIUE standouts and the 1985 SIUE Baseball Team into our Hall of Fame," said Andrew Gavin, Director of Athletics. "I have had the pleasure of connecting with each of our inductees to inform them of their inclusion in this year's class, and we're looking forward to celebrating with them."

Tickets are available for the ceremony and can be purchased online here.

The SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony is part of Alumni Weekend, which includes SIUE women's and men's basketball taking on Tennessee Tech Saturday, Jan. 27 at 1 and 3:30 p.m., respectively. The SIUE Alumni Association will host a reception between games sponsored by Global Brew Tap House, Old Herald Brewery and Little Caesars. Tickets for the Alumni Association reception and basketball doubleheader can be purchased here.

Members of the SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023 are profiled below:

	Raven (Berry) Zachary, women's basketball SIUE's all-time leader in rebounds with 1,040, Raven (Berry) Zachary is the only player in school history to be a member of the 1,000 points-1,000 rebound club. She finished her career with 1,499 points which ranks fifth all-time. Zachary was the all-time leader in games played with 118 when she finished her career and is now No. 5 on the all-time list. She recorded more offensive rebounds (480) than any other person and her offensive rebounds alone would rank her among the top 20 rebounders all-time. Zachary helped to lead SIUE to its first-ever Ohio Valley Conference tournament appearance in 2013. Played 22 games with Strakonice, a professional team in the Czech Republic, scoring 155 points and later played one professional game with the St. Louis Surge. Article continues after sponsor message Limited spots available - advertise with us today!
	Christine (Butler) Miller, women's track and field (jumps) Christine Butler was a six-time All-American in the triple jump, earning honors in the 2005 indoor and outdoor seasons, the 2006 outdoor season, the 2007 indoor season and the 2008 indoor and outdoor campaigns. She was 12-time Great Lakes Valley Conference honoree in the long jump and the triple jump.
	Don Ebert, men's Soccer SIUE's second-leading scorer with 52 goals and 22 assists, Don Ebert led team in scoring with 14 goals and six assists as a freshman when the Cougars finished No. 3 in the nation. Ebert followed with 16 goals in 17 games as a sophomore. He led SIUE to the national championship in 1979 with a team-leading 22 goals and 162 shots. Ebert left SIUE when he became the No. 1 overall pick for the New York Cosmos of the NASL. Went on to play for St. Louis Steamers where he was the Major Indoor Soccer League's Rookie of the Year following the 1980-81 season.
	Spencer Patton, baseball Played three seasons of collegiate baseball for the Cougars from 2009 to 2011 and is No. 3 wins (13) earned run average (4.01) in SIUE's Division I era. He is No. 3 overall in strikeouts per nine innings at 10.48 is one of only six pitchers ever at SIUE to rack up at least 200 strikeouts in a career, ranking sixth with 201. Patton's 109 strikeouts in 2011 are the most in a single Division I season and rank No. 2 in any season at SIUE. In 2014, Patton became just the fifth former Cougar to appear in a Major League game when he debuted with the Texas Rangers. He has made 113 major league appearances in his career, also appearing with the Chicago Cubs and Oakland A's. Patton was a member of the Cubs when they won the World Series in 2016.
	Helen Robinson, women's soccer A member of the first women's soccer team at SIUE in 1982, Robinson remains No. 5 on SIUE's all-time scoring list with 34 goals and 21 assists from 1982 to 1986. She is No. 5 in all-time goals and No. 6 all-time in assists. Her 157 shots rank seventh all-time for the Cougars and she recorded seven game-winning goals during her career. Robinson became the first player to record double-digit goals in a single season when she scored 11 in 1982 and then became the first player with double-digit assists, notching 10 in 1984. Robinson added a second double-digit season in goals with 10 in 1986.
	1985 Baseball, 6th Nationally Led by Hall of Fame Head Coach Gary Collins, the 1985 baseball team finished season 37-15-1, sweeping through the NCAA Regional with two wins over Sam Houston State and a win over Minnesota State Mankato. The Cougars were led by Hall of Famers and All-Americans Pete Delkus (pitcher) and Tony Duenas (first base/pitcher) and featured All-Region selections Mike Robertson (shortstop/outfielder), Steve Bluemner (third base), Tom Zielinski (catcher), and Pat Braun (pitcher). Other members of the team included Tom Bray, Dan Buck, Richard Fletcher, Bob Frolichstein, John Groennert, Marty Johnes, Tom Klenke, Todd Miller, Doug Orban, Dave Siebenberger, Dave Slimack and Matt Smith.