Aug. 27, 2008

TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State University will welcome eight new members into its Bill and Judy Schaefer athletic Hall of Fame this year, Vice President for Athletics Lisa Love has announced.

The 2008 class includes Hall of Distinction inductee Bruce Snyder (football coach) and student-athletes Pat Tillman (football), Eric Allen (football), Jacinta Bartholomew (track and field), Brandie Burton (golf), Lisa Dacquisto (softball), Markus Mollica (wrestling) and Jeremy Veal (basketball). The inductees will be honored at the Hall of Fame football game on Oct. 25 vs. Oregon at Sun Devil Stadium/Frank Kush Field.

Bruce Snyder (football head coach/1992-2000)
Head football coach at Arizona State University for nine seasons (1992-2000)...second-longest-tenured head coach in school history, behind only Frank Kush (22 seasons)...posted a 58-47 (.563) record during his time at ASU...led the Sun Devils to four bowl games, which trails only Kush's mark of seven for the most in school history...had five winning seasons and finished .500 or better in Pacific-10 Conference play seven times while at ASU...his best season came in 1996, when he coached Arizona State to an undefeated regular season, a Pac-10 championship and a spot in the Rose Bowl...ASU finished the 1996 season ranked No. 4 in the nation with an 11-1 record...he received National Coach of the Year honors from at least 12 different sources in 1996 (American Football Coaches Association, Sporting News, Walter Camp Foundation, Football News, Sportsline USA, Playboy, Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year, American Football Quarterly, Columbus Touchdown Club, Downtown Athletic Club of Glenwood, Iowa, The Maxwell Football Club, Touchdown Club of Washington, D.C.), and he is one of only three ASU coaches to win Pac-10 Coach of the Year (along with John Cooper and Dennis Erickson)...the 1996 season also featured the only win in ASU history over an Associated Press No. 1 ranked team, as the Sun Devils defeated two-time defending national champion Nebraska 19-0 on Sept. 21...in 1997, Snyder led the Sun Devils to a 9-3 finish, a victory over Iowa in the Sun Bowl and a No. 14 national ranking at the end of the season...in each of his final two seasons at Arizona State, 1999 and 2000, he coached ASU to wins over Arizona in the regular season finale to put the Sun Devils in a bowl game...coached two Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year winners (Pat Tillman, 1997, and Adam Archuleta, 2000), one Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year (Jake Plummer, 1996) and one Pac-10 Freshman of the Year (Terrell Suggs, 2000)...other standout players at Arizona State during Snyder's tenure included Mario Bates, Shante Carver, Erik Flowers, Todd Heap, J.R. Redmond, Derrick Rodgers, Juan Roque, Grey Ruegamer, Marvel Smith and Jeremy Staat.

Pat Tillman (football/1994-97) is one of the most famous Sun Devil football players in history. As a junior, Tillman started every game as ASU went unbeaten through the regular season, won the Pac-10 championship and made its second appearance in the Rose Bowl in 1996. The following year, Tillman was named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and was a Second-Team All-American while also receiving numerous academic honors as he helped lead the Sun Devils to a 9-3 season and a Sun Bowl victory over Iowa. He went on to play four seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals before joining the U.S. Army Rangers in 2002. He was killed in Afghanistan April 22, 2004, but he continues to be an inspiration to Americans everywhere.

Eric Allen (football/1983-87) was a part of three bowl teams while at ASU, including the 1986 team that defeated Michigan 22-15 in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 1987. Allen finished his career with 15 interceptions, including eight as a senior in 1987. He was an All-Pac-10 selection and received honorable mention AP All-America honors for his senior season, and he was a six-time Pro Bowl selection during a 14-year NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and Oakland Raiders.