Beckford, Knodel, Thames to enter Rice Athletic Hall of Fame

FROM RICE ATHLETICS

The Rice Athletic Hall of Fame will welcome its three newest members Oct. 9 when Allison Beckford ’04, Don Knodel and Damon Thames are inducted during ceremonies held in Grand Hall, Rice Memorial Center.

	From left, Allison Beckford ’04, Don Knodel and Damon Thames will be inducted into the 2009 Rice Athletic Hall of Fame Oct. 9.

The “R” Association will also honor Professor Ron Sass and his wife, Margie, with its Honorary “R” Award and present former Rice lettermen Gene Walker and Leland Winston with the Distinguished “R” Award.

Tickets for the 2009 induction ceremony are $35 ($20 for children under 12) and are available online at RiceOwls.com or by calling Mary Santos at 713-348-5677.

Beckford won a total of three NCAA titles and was a six-time All-America while competing for Rice from 2000 to 2004. The Jamaican native and 400-meter specialist won her first NCAA championship in 2001 and defended that title a year later, setting a school record of 50.83 in the process. She moved indoors in 2002 to win her third NCAA title in the 400 meters, setting a school indoor mark of 52.16. She won a combined 12 individual Western Athletic Conference titles while competing for the Owls and went to represent Jamaica at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. She won a bronze medal for Jamaica at the 2003 IAAF World Championship as a member of Jamaica’s 4x400m relay. An accomplished student at Rice, Beckford graduated in 2004 with degrees in linguistics and kinesiology. She was named as a CoSIDA Academic All-America in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

As Rice University’s basketball coach, Knodel led the Owls to a Southwest Conference (SWC) title, the 1970 NCAA Tournament and 76 victories during his eight-year tenure, 1966-74. Knodel’s Rice team captured the 1970 Southwest Conference championship with a 10-4 league record. Knodel, known as “The Silent K,” took over a program that had won just three games in its previous two seasons. Rice saw improvement in the win column during Knodel’s initial four seasons at the helm, leading up to the school’s first Southwest Conference championship in basketball since 1954. During Knodel’s tenure, Rice had two players named All-Southwest Conference. Greg Williams was named the 1969 Southwest Conference Player of the Year while Gary Reist was named All-SWC in back-to-back seasons in 1970 and ’71. Knodel’s 76 victories rank fifth all-time at Rice. His overall record was 76-127 while his Southwest Conference record was 40-72. Knodel returned to Rice in April of 1999 as the executive director of the “R” Association.

Thames made the most of his two seasons on the baseball diamond with Rice. The Humble, Texas, native became the second Owl to be named the national player of the year in as many years when he grabbed the accolades after his 1998 season, when he hit .424 with 26 home runs while setting school records in hits (120) and doubles (36). As a senior shortstop in 1999, he earned All-America honors for a second straight season and helped lead the Owls to the top spot in the national polls and to the program’s first win at the College World Series. In his two years, Thames finished as the school’s all-time leader in career batting average (.399), and he was second in career doubles (60). He drove in 187 runs in 137 games played, and his 37 career home runs, 13 triples and 60 doubles led to a .730 career slugging percentage.

For many years, Ron and Margie Sass have been the most active couple supporting Rice Athletics. During his more than 45 years at Rice, Ron, the Harry and Olga Keith Wiess Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and co-director emeritus of the Center for Education,
has served as an interviewer and adviser of prospective athletes of Rice, particularly those interested in the science disciplines. After they enrolled, he provided many of them with invaluable mentoring. He has provided significant advice to the Athletics Department from a faculty point of view. Margie has been on various women’s athletic committees, helping and leading wherever she can. For years, she was an unofficial photographer for the Athletics Department, attending practically every event.

Walker was known for his gritty style during his playing career at Rice from 1963 to 1965, and he has maintained his passion for the Owls since his graduation in 1966. He has been a tireless supporter of many of the Owls programs and an active member of the “R” Association. He played a key role in saving Rice’s Division I athletics program when it was under attack several years ago by hosting meetings to develop ideas and support. A successful entrepreneur as creator and owner of Safe-way Driving Centre, Walker has lobbied the state legislature in Austin, Texas, on behalf of his industry to improve driving programs and driving laws.

Winston was an All-SWC selection as an offensive tackle in 1967, and he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. He became a successful orthopedic surgeon working adjacent to the Rice campus in the Texas Medical Center. For nearly two decades, he teamed with Tom Clanton as the Owls’ team doctors and now serves as the Owls’ medical director.