Nine Individuals Selected for AM&N/UAPB Letter “A” Club Hall of Fame Induction

AM&N/ UAPB Hall of Fame

Nine individuals have been chosen for induction into the Arkansas AM&N/UAPB Letter “A” Club Sports Hall of Fame.  The inaugural virtual induction ceremony will take place on August 14, 2021, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Football lettermen George Miller, Robert “Razorback” Jones, Samuel Smith, Eddie Sherrod and Samuel “SJ” Jones; four-year women’s basketball letter-winners Renee Breedlove and Joyce Williams; four-year tennis letterman Michael Terry and four-year track and field letterman McArthur McLaughlin comprise the Hall of Fame induction class.

Miller, who was a hard-hitting linebacker from Louisville, MS, anchored the linebacker unit during the early 1970s.  After graduating in 1973, he played professionally for two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League.

Robert Jones, a talented performer from Memphis, flourished as a quarterback and a three-year letterman pitcher for the Golden Lions’ baseball team.  The two-sport athlete had an opportunity to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals professional baseball club out of high school and with the Green Bay Packers of the NFL after graduating in 1969.  He was named the Most Valuable Player in football and baseball during his senior season.

Smith, a native of Montgomery, AL, was a three-year starting offensive guard.  He quickly became a starting lineman after an impressive freshman preseason training camp.  He continued as a starter for two of his remaining years at UAPB.  Smith sat out with an injury during his junior year.  Following graduation, he spent the 1970 professional season with the New Orleans Saints.

Sherrod was another two-sport athlete as he doubled in football and baseball during the early 1960s.  A native of Tuscaloosa, AL, Sherrod played quarterback and was an All-Southwestern Athletic Conference performer in baseball during his senior season in 1964 while serving as the team’s captain.

Samuel Jones, who will be inducted posthumously, was a speedy running back as he earned All-SWAC honors during his senior season.  A native of Pine Bluff, he was the team’s featured ball carrier throughout his collegiate that began with the 1956 season.  After graduating four years later, he served a brief stint on the football staff as a running back coach at former Southeast High School in Pine Bluff.

Breedlove and Williams, who were a pair of nifty guards from Pine Bluff, finished their senior season with impressive scoring averages.  They were teammates from 1979-1983. From her starting point guard position, Breedlove posted an 18.0 scoring clip while Williams, who also performed at small forward, averaged 12.0 points per outing and was named twice during her playing career to the Arkansas Women’s Intercollegiate Sports Association team.  Breedlove was tabbed as the team’s Outstanding Player of the Year in her final season.

Terry, who resides in Charlottesville, VA, was a sensational tennis player.  A 1971 graduate, he teamed with Samuel “Bo” Terry (no relationship) to win the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) regional tennis tournament in doubles as a sophomore in 1969.  He also competed in the NAIA national tennis tournament during his sophomore season.  He turned in a stellar performance at the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) championships in 1971, winning the singles event and was a member of the doubles runner-up squad.

McLaughlin, a native of New Orleans, LA, was a two-time NAIA All-American sprinter.  The 1969 graduate was a main part of the Lions’ 4X400-meter relay team during his freshman and senior season.  As a senior, he was a member of the 4X400-meter relay quartet that claimed first place honors at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field championships.

Tickets are required for the virtual induction at a cost of $25.00 each.  For more information about the event, contact the Hall of Fame Committee chairman, Connie Hathorn, via email at [email protected] or call 330-338-4301.