UNT Athletics: Six-Person 2024 Hall of Fame Class Announced

[Dannymacfan]

DENTON, Texas – Five former student-athletes and a former coach from three different sports will make up the 2024 North Texas Athletics Hall of Fame class, it was announced today. Four different decades are represented, with honorees dating back as far as the late 1980s.

Voters for the Hall of Fame are made up of current Hall of Fame members, current dues-paying letterwinners and the Hall of Fame committee. Over 250 votes were submitted for the 2024 class.

The 2024 class is comprised of three football alumni: Phillip Armour (1995-98), Dylan Lineberry (2004-06) and Roderick Manning (1986-89), a pair of representatives from the track and field program in former coach Rick Watkins (1992-2011) and Shahaf Bareni (2011-15), and former women's basketball standout Terriell Bradley (2016-19).

Armour's journey at UNT began on the defensive line before an injury as a freshman cut his season short. Then, he made the move to offensive line and went on to start 38 games in his career, including every game of his final three seasons. He was voted first-team All-Conference in his final three seasons and became the first UNT player to achieve that feat since Mean Joe Greene. He was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl in 1989 and spent two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.

Bareni was an international athlete from Israel and still holds the six top finishes in program history in the high jump. She was an eight-time champion, including conference championships in 2012 (Sun Belt Outdoor) and 2015 (Conference USA Indoor). She was also a member of the 2013 Sun Belt Outdoor Championship team. In 2013, she placed seventh in the high jump at the NCAA Championships. She was a six-time All-Conference honoree, C-USA All-Academic and a three-time member of the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team. She represented UNT and the State of Israel in the 2013 World University Games in Kazan, Russia, and narrowly missed a spot on the Israeli Olympic team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She is currently pursuing her doctorate at UNT and is an instructor in the Recreation, Event and Sport Management undergrad program. She is Vice President of the Mean Green for Life Letterwinners Association's Board of Directors.

Bradley was a key member of the women's basketball teams of the late 2010s. She was a two-time first-team All-Conference USA selection and left UNT as the program's all-time leader in career free throws and as the program's third leading scorer. She ranks in the top-10 in school history in free throw percentage (4th), 3-point percentage (4th), 3-point field goals (5th), career scoring average (T5th), career field goals (8th) and career starts (10th). She is one of just 15 players in program history to score 1,000 career points. She led UNT in scoring for three straight seasons, was the team's leading rebounder in 2017-18 and led the team in steals in 2018-19.

Lineberry was a stalwart on the offensive line in the mid-2000s, starting every game during his time in Denton and paving the way for Hall of Fame running backs Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas. Lineberry was voted All-Sun Belt Conference from 2004-2006, as well as the 2004 Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year. He is one of only five offensive linemen in program history to be named to the All-Conference team three times. With Cobbs sidelined due to injury in 2004, Dylan and his unit blocked for a true freshman in Thomas who rushed for 1,801 yards, over 180 yards per game, and 17 scores on the ground. This included a tie for fastest player to 1,000 rushing yards (7) and an NCAA freshman record for 200-yard games (5). Thomas took home Sun Belt Player of the Year and All-American honors, in addition to being named Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. Cobbs rushed for over 1,100 yards in 2005 and was named to the Sun Belt All-Conference team. While rushing accolades are only given to the ballcarrier, Lineberry is a huge part of both Thomas' and Cobbs' success, as both players sit comfortably in the top-10 of virtually every major rushing statistic in school history. Lineberry was named to the Outland and Lombardi Trophy watch lists as a senior in 2006.

Manning was an anchor on the UNT defensive lines in the late 1980s and is tied for second on the all-time list with fellow Hall of Famer Adrian Awasom for career sacks with 20, trailing only Willis Hudson, who had 24. In 1989, he set the school record for sacks in a single season with 13, which is still good enough for second all-time. He earned All-Southland Conference honors in 1988 and 1989. Manning was a 3-year starter for Hall of Fame coach Corky Nelson and is one of only five Mean Green players to ever be named to the Kodak All-American team. After his time in Denton, Manning was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chicago Bears.

Watkins, the lone coach on the list, is a five-time Sun Belt Coach of the Year recipient and was the 2002 South Central Region Coach of the Year, cementing his place as one of the greatest track and field coaches in school history. He spent 20 years as a coach at UNT, with the first five as an assistant under fellow Hall of Famer Ken Garland. As a head coach, Watkins coached three Sun Belt Freshmen of the Year, nine Sun Belt Outstanding Track and Field Performers, five Sun Belt individual high-point scorers, two NCAA All-Americans, two Academic All-Americans, and numerous Academic All-Conference honorees. He also helped over 20 student-athletes reach the NCAA Track and Field Championships throughout his time in Denton. Seven members of his teams qualified and competed in Junior USA Championships, and another five reached the Pan American Junior Championship/ IAAF World Junior Championships.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Gateway Center on campus, which is directly across the pedestrian bridge from DATCU Stadium, prior to the Mean Green football game vs. Army. 
 
2024 UNT Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees
Phillip Armour, Football, 1995-1998
Shahaf Bareni, Track & Field, 2011-2015
Terriell Bradley, Women's Basketball, 2016-2019
Dylan Lineberry, Football, 2004-2006
Roderick Manning, Football, 1986-1989
Rick Watkins, Track and Field Coach, 1992-2011

[Marty]

Congrats to all!

[GrandGreen]

Am I the only one that thinks NT names way too many people into their HOF?

It cheapens the honor, does NT really have multiple athletes every year that deserve HOF honors.  

Either name one or two a year, or only select HOF members every three or four years.  

 

[Cr1028]

7 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

Am I the only one that thinks NT names way too many people into their HOF?

It cheapens the honor, does NT really have multiple athletes every year that deserve HOF honors.  

Either name one or two a year, or only select HOF members every three or four years.  

 

I completely agree with you. Our hall of fame has been watered down way too much.