University of Massachusets Athletics
Five Named To 2006 UMass Athletic Hall Of Fame Class
July 14, 2006 | General
Tom Bishko
Steve Schubert
Ron Villone
Harper Williams
Raymond Yando
This special event will take place Friday, October 6, 2006 Campus Center Auditorium, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Reception - 6 p.m. (Cash Bar)
Dinner - 7 p.m.
Induction Ceremony - Following Dinner
RSVP before Friday, September 29, 2006 to Jason Germain in the
UMass Athletic Advancement Office at 413-577-0267
2006 UMass Hall of Fame Event Packages
Hall of Fame Benefactor -- $1,000
• Seating for 8 at the event
• Recognition in the dinner program, the Maroon and White magazine,
and the UMass Athletics website
• Recognition during the Hall of Fame presentation at halftime of
the UMass-William & Mary football game
Minuteman Benefactor -- $500
• Seating for 8 at the event
• Recognition in the dinner program, the Maroon and White magazine,
and the UMass Athletics website
Table Package -- $300
• Seating for 8 at the event
Individual Package -- $40
• Seating for one at the event
The 2006 Hall of Fame Class
Four former athletes and one special contributor will be inducted into the George "Trigger" Burke UMass Athletic Hall of Fame as the Class of 2006. This year's class includes Tom Bishko (Honorary Degree 1995, special service), Steve Schubert (Class of 1973, football), Ron Villone (Class of 1993, baseball/football), Harper Williams (Class of 1993, basketball), and Raymond Yando (Class of 1966, soccer). With the addition of these six, the Hall of Fame membership now stands at 85.
The 2006 UMass Hall of Fame class will be enshrined at a dinner at the Campus Center, Friday night, October 6. For more information on the dinner, please call Athletic Advancement (413-545-4290).
Bishko was a longtime fixture in the UMass Athletic Department, working as the equipment manager with teams and physical education classes, dating back to 1947. He worked under five athletic administrations and while "officially" retiring in 1991, he continued to serve as the equipment manager for both the men's and women's basketball teams until his death in 1998. Bishko received an honorary degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1995.
Schubert was a record-setting wide receiver on the UMass football team from 1970-72, who went on to a six-year NFL career from 1974-79 with the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears. He still is among the career leaders in several receiving categories, ranking seventh with 1435 yards, third with 17.7 yards per catch, ninth with 11 touchdown receptions, and seventh in yards per game receiving at 47.8. As for season marks, Schubert held the record with 20.0 yards per catch in 1972 at the time of graduation, which now ranks third. His 81.9 yards per game is still sixth best. That season he was named both First Team Yankee Conference and First Team All-America. As a pro, Schubert was with the Patriots in 1974 and with the Bears from 1975-79. He finished his NFL career with 24 catches for 362 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 60-yard punt return for a TD with Chicago. Schubert graduated with a degree in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Administration from the University of Massachusetts in 1973.
Villone played both baseball and football during his days at UMass from 1990-92, before going on to a major league career that has lasted for 12 years and is still going. As a junior, Villone was named a Third Team All-America, when he led the NCAA in strikeouts with 13.5 per game. His career mark at UMass on the mound was 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA. He had 139 strikeouts in 107.2 innings, while walking 83. He also had seven complete games, two of them shutouts, and four saves. Villone was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 in both 1991 and 1992 and First Team All-New England in 1992. As a football tight end, he lettered three times and was named First Team All-Yankee Conference in 1990 and Second Team in 1991. For his career, he caught 47 passes for 316 yards. He pitched for the U.S. Olympic in the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain, before going on to a professional career that has see him pitch for the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, and now the New York Yankees.
Williams was a two-time First Team All-Atlantic 10 basketball player from 1989-93. He was named the A-10's Tournament Most Valuable Player twice, winning it in 1992 and 1993. He was on the third team in 1991 and was on the All-Rookie team in 1990. He finished his four-year UMass career with 1,534 points and 854 rebounds, both seventh best on the all-time UMass list. His 222 career blocks is third all-time, behind both Marcus Camby and Stephane Lasme. As a junior, Williams was instrumental in leading Coach John Calipari's Minutemen to national prominence, helping lead the team to its first A-10 regular season and tournament titles in 1992. He averaged 13.9 points and 7.5 rebounds. That team went on to win the school's first NCAA Tournament game, advancing to the Sweet 16. As a senior captain, he led the team to the A-10 regular season and tournament titles, along with another NCAA Tournament appearance. He had his most productive year, averaging 15.3 points and 8.4 rebounds. In his four seasons in Amherst, Williams teams went 91-39 and 44-22 in the A-10. His teams had four straight winning seasons, that coming after the school had 11 consecutive losing seasons before his arrival. He received a B.A. in Education from the University of Massachusetts in 1995.
Yando was a two-time All-America in soccer, receiving the honors in 1964 and 1965. A defender, who never scored a goal, was part of a stingy defensive unit to tally seven shutouts. A two-time captain, Yando was named All-New England and All-Yankee Conference twice. As a junior, he was a second team All-America and he followed that up by earning a spot on the first team as a senior, helping lead UMass to the Yankee Conference championship. UMass allowed just 16 goals in 10 games in 1964 and 13 goals in 10 games in 1965. Those two goals allowed totals are ninth and fourth best in school history. Yando received a B.S. in education in 1966 from the University of Massachusetts.
In all, 53 nominations were received for consideration this year. The George "Trigger" Burke Hall Of Fame Selection Committee includes: Dick Bresciani, Boston Red Sox Vice President for Publications and Archives and co-founder of the UMass Hall of Fame; Thorr Bjorn, UMass Senior Associate Athletic Director; George "Trigger" Burke, Hall of Fame Member; Bob Goodhue, UMass Executive Director of Alumni Affairs; Tim Kenney, UMass Associate Athletic Director for Advancement; John McCutcheon, UMass Athletic Director; James Mulcahy, co-founder of the UMass Hall of Fame and former Varsity "M" Club President; and Elaine Sortino, UMass Associate Athletic Director for Sports Programs and Student Services.
Nominations for the Class of 2007 will be accepted until March 15, 2007.
