LIU Announces Seventh Hall-of-Fame Class

1/23/06 -- The Long Island University Department of Athletics will induct its seventh Hall of Fame class on February 18. The ceremony will take place at halftime of the men’s contest in the newly opened Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center.

This year’s stellar class includes: Fateen Abdul-Baaith (Track & Field), Jerry Donner (Former Administrator), Frank Giannone (Baseball), Wtitleer Jones (Men’s Basketball), Richard ‘Dick’ Holub (Men’s Basketball) and Arnold ‘Arnie’ Ramirez (Men’s Soccer).

Fateen Abdul-Baaith won an astounding 13 Northeast Conference championships for the Blackbirds from 1996-99. She captured three top spots at the 1999 NEC Track and Field Championships, earning Most Valuable Performer honors. Abdel-Baaith helped lead her squad to a second place showing at the meet, capturing the 200 and 400-meters honors and anchoring the 4x400-meter relay team.

 

 

Jerry Donner served as Director of Athletics from 1971-1982. Upon his appointment in 1971, Donner was one of the youngest serving AD’s at the age of 26. The Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Directors Association honored Donner in 1992 with a lifetime service award. While serving as AD, Donner was responsible for initiating four new sports. In his final year, the Blackbirds earned postseason bids in basketball, baseball and soccer.

 

 

Frank Giannone, long-time skipper of Long Island baseball is the third inductee. In 29 seasons at the helm, the Queens native registered 544 wins and at least a share of five conference titles. The last occurred in 1990, when LIU led the nation with a .356 batting average while posting a school-record 27 wins. Giannone paced the Blackbirds to seven appearances in the ECAC Regionals while helping 50 of his players move onto the professional level. As a player, he posted a .301 batting average. Giannone retired in July, ending a 35-year run with the school as a player and coach.

 

 

Richard ‘Dick’ Holub was known as LIU’s ‘original big man’ with his 6-7 frame. He led his team in scoring during the 1941-42 campaign and left to serve in the military. Holub returned to downtown Brooklyn to again pace the team in scoring during the 1946-47 season. He was a large part of a Blackbirds squad which compiled a 67-1 mark and captured the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) crown in 1941.

 

 

 

Wtitleer Jones shone on the hardcourt for the Blackbirds from 1969-72. He paced the team in scoring for two consecutive seasons, registering just over 17 points in each campaign. Jones led the team in rebounding for three straight seasons, averaging 10.1 per game over his career. The tremendous athlete scored over 1,100 points in his career, placing him 17th in the LIU record book.

 

 

 

Arnie Ramirez, the winningest coach in Blackbirds soccer history, put LIU soccer on the national and international map. In 20 seasons as head coach, he led the team to four NCAA tournament appearances, two New York Region Championships, and a pair of ECAC Tournament showings. In addition, he was responsible for four Metropolitan Conference titles (1979-1982) and the 1989 and 1997 Northeast Conference crowns. Ramirez helped to develop a remarkable nine All-Americans during his stay in Brooklyn. He was named the Metro Conference Coach-of-the-Year for three straight seasons and selected by his peers as the New York Regions top coach in 1985. Ramirez also played collegiately at LIU, serving as captain his junior and senior seasons (1968, 1969).

 

 

This year’s class was chosen from a committee comprised of current and former administrators, faculty and staff.