Seven inductees and four honorees were introduced into the UNM Athletics Hall of Honor on Tuesday.
Among the inductees honored by the UNM Alumni Lettermen’s Association, at The Pit, were brothers Alan and Loren Dils, James Economides, Nao Ikeda, Ron Jacobsen, Guy Wimberly and Jack McFarland, who was inducted posthumously.
The honorees included UNM cross country and track and field head coach Joe Franklin, who received the award for coach of the year.
In his four years as head coach, he’s won the award twice, the last time in 2009.
Franklin coached both cross country teams with the women finishing 5th in the NCAA and the men finishing 16th.
His outdoor track and field team qualified 31 athletes to the 2011 NCAA outdoor regional’s last season.
Male Athlete of the Year went to cross country and track runner Rory Fraser.
Fraser said he didn’t believe he had actually won the award.
“When I was told about it, I thought it was a joke,” he said. “I thought ‘there was no way I did enough to win an award like this.’”
Fraser won All-American honors for finishing sixth in the 5000-meter race last season in the NCAA.
Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to Amanda Best, who was an integral part in last season’s UNM women’s basketball team.
She averaged 11.2 points and grabbed 8.0 rebounds per game last season, and she was a slam dunk in the classroom too.
She received Academic All-American honors last season with a cumulative GPA of 4.09.
Raymond Sanchez was given the Distinguished Service Award for having served the state of New Mexico for over 30 years as a member of the state legislature and speaker of the house.
He is also a member of the board of regents at UNM.
The inductees into the hall of honor included Alan and Loren Dils. Alan is going into his 15th season as UNM men’s tennis coach and is currently the longest tenured active head coach at UNM.
His brother Loren was an assistant coach at UNM.
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Together, the Dils have been a part of 10 conference championships as coaches.
They were also instrumental in receiving Sonnet and Ian McKinnon’s $7.5 million dollar donation to UNM, the largest of its kind. The tennis program will receive $1.5 million of the donation.
“I know what a great honor this is,” Alan said. “And then to be able to go in together as brothers, as coaches, makes everything even that more special.”
Economides played baseball for UNM from 1954 to 1957. He was also a four-time world champion at handball.
Ikeda played volleyball for UNM and is currently an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota.
Ron Jacobsen wrestled for UNM from 1962 to 1964, and coached from 1966 to 1980. In 1963, he was the Western Athletic Conference champion in the 177 weight class.
In 1972, he was named WAC coach of year and was enshrined to the National Junior College Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1979.
Wimberly was a two-time All-American golfer at UNM. He won the WAC title in 1963 and was enshrined into the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame.
McFarland was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame. He played football, basketball and track from 1926 to 1928. He was a member of the undefeated UNM football team in 1927 as an offensive guard.
