LAKELAND, Fla., Oct. 13, 2023 - Florida Southern College Athletics will induct four new individuals into the Florida Southern College Athletics Hall of Fame at its Hall of Fame Banquet on Thursday, Nov 16. This year's announced class includes two former Moccasin student-athletes and a former coach, while the fourth special honorary inductee will be unveiled at the ceremony.
The announced class includes former student-athletes Tim Crouch (Men's Golf, 2010-2014) and Nicole "Nycki" Sandstede (Softball, 1989-90), as well as former coach, Gordon Gibbons (Men's Basketball, 1990-2000).
Augusta National Golf Club Chairperson and 1975 U.S. Amateur Champion, Fred Ridley, a Bartow, Fla., native, will serve as the keynote speaker for the event, which will begin with the unveiling of the Hall of Fame plaques at 6 p.m. in the George W. Jenkins Field House. Those interested in attending the 2023 Florida Southern College Athletics Hall of Fame event, can purchase tickets ($50) by contacting Kris Doorey, Director of Athletics Development, at kdoorey@flsouthern.edu or 863-680-4109.
Ridley is a business lawyer and a partner in the international law firm of Foley & Lardner LLP, where his practice focuses on real estate development and finance, and recreational amenity and resort development. He is the former national chair of Foley's Real Estate Practice, a member of the Hospitality and Leisure and Sports Industry Teams, and a member of the Transactions Practice Group. He also is a former member of the firm's Management Committee.
Outside of his professional endeavors, he has enjoyed a distinguished career in amateur golf, including winning the 1975 United States Amateur Championship, and is the last U.S. Amateur golf champion not to have gone professional. He was a member of the University of Florida Golf Team from 1970-1974. He has held several leadership positions in the sport, including serving as president of the United States Golf Association. In 2006, he was the recipient of the PGA of America's Distinguished Service Award. Presently, he is Chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament.
TIM CROUCH – Men's Golf, 2010-2014
Crouch will be inducted into the FSC Hall of Fame as a two-time NCAA National Champion in 2013 and 2014. Starting with GCAA All-Freshman Team honors in 2011, Crouch led a great four-year career with the Mocs that culminated in his individual national titles in his final two years. Crouch was named a GCAA All-American and to the All-Nicklaus Team two years in a row and a two-time All-SSC First Team winner.
During his 2013-14 national championship run, Crouch was honored as the SSC Male Athlete of the Year, Polk County Male Collegiate Athlete of the Year, and the Hal Smeltzly Male Athlete of the Year both years. He averaged an FSC-best 71.97 stroke average in 2013 and 2014 and finished with six victories as an individual. Academically, he was named to the CoSIDA, now CSC, Academic All-America Team in 2014 and a GCAA All-America Golf Scholar for two years. He made his PGA Tour debut in 2015 and played in a total of 25 professional golf events, winning one event in the PGA Tour Canada field.
NICOLE "NYCKI" SANDSTEDE – Softball, 1989-1990
Sandstede joins several softball players and her Hall of Fame coach, Chris Bellotto, in the Florida Southern Hall of Fame after two fantastic seasons with the Mocs from 1989-90. A two-time NSCA/NFCA First Team All-American, Sandstede was the ERA leader in her two seasons and finished with a 0.85 career ERA. With 43 wins over her two seasons, she posted 26 career shutouts. Sandstede tossed six no-hitters in her career, including a perfect game in a 9-0 win over Florida Tech on April 16, 1990. She finished with 323 strikeouts and was named the SSC Female Athlete of the Year in 1990.
In 1989, Sandstede helped the Mocs win the conference and region championships before a third-place finish at the NCAA Tournament. She again led the Mocs to a conference title in 1990 and a runner-up finish in regionals, while adding All-Region and All-Tournament Team honors. Sandstede earned All-SSC First Team honors in both seasons and will be the 15th member of the softball program named to the FSC Hall of Fame.
GORDON GIBBONS – Men's Basketball Head Coach, 1990-2000
Gibbons will enter the FSC Hall of Fame as men's basketball's all-time winningest coach with 246 wins and a .791 win percentage. An assistant coach under George Scholz, Gibbons became the head coach before the 1990-91 season, where he continued the FSC streak at the conference level, winning the 1991 SSC Men's Basketball Tournament. Gibbons went on to win six SSC tournament titles and four regular-season championships.
At the national stage, Gibbons coached the Mocs to back-to-back South Region Championships in 1999 and 2000, with top-five finishes at the NCAA finals in both years. Named the South Region Coach of the Year in 1995-96, Gibbons is a three-time SSC Coach of the Year honoree. He joins Hal Wissel as the only other men's basketball coach in the FSC Hall of Fame and the 14th member of the storied men's basketball program at Florida Southern to enter the Hall.
About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is the oldest private college in the state. The College maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 70+ undergraduate programs and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, nursing, and physical therapy. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio, is an award-winning national leader in engaged learning, and boasts 30 NCAA Division II National Championships. Florida Southern is ranked at #11 among the "Best Regional Universities in the South" by U.S. News & World Report in its "2024 Best Colleges" guide and is included in The Princeton Review's "2023-24 Best 389 Colleges" guide and the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2024. The 2023-2024 Colleges of Distinction guidebook praises Florida Southern's AACSB accredited Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise alongside the College's School of Education and its Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Poets&Quants, U.S. News & World Report, Fortune, and The Princeton Review further laud the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise and the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences as foremost programs in the nation for business and nursing education. Home to the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, FSC has appeared on The Princeton Review's top 25 "Most Beautiful Campus" national listing for 14 consecutive years. Connect with Florida Southern College.
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