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Friday, May 17, 2002

Fairleigh Dickinson University Announces Fourth Induction Class
of Division I Athletics Hall of Fame

Teaneck, N.J. -- Fairleigh Dickinson University Director of Athletics Steve Hurlbut announced that eight former student-athletes will comprise the fourth class of the Fairleigh Dickinson University Division I Athletics Hall of Fame. This year's class was inducted on Friday, May 17th, at the George and Phyllis Rothman Center. The class includes former women's fencer and coach Jacqueline Behn ’77, track and field great Raymond Bury ’64, men’s basketball standout Richard Conrad ’75, men’s soccer star Aidan McCluskey ’84, women’s fencer Denise Piccininno ’89, volleyball standout Cathy Pierre-Louis ’89, women’s basketball pioneer Carolyn Ann Rodgers ’86 and baseball great Stephen Stuart ’89.

One of the most successful fencers in Fairleigh Dickinson University history, Behn becomes the third person with ties to the fencing program inducted into the Hall of Fame. She was a major contributor to the success of the fencing program for 17 years, both as a student-athlete and coach.  As an undergraduate, she was a three-time team MVP in 1975, 1976 and 1977.

Behn became the Knights’ coach from 1980-86 and 1988-93, taking a one-year hiatus to complete her Ph.D.  During her coaching tenure she compiled a remarkable 222-75 record, leading the team to several New Jersey State Championships. In 1987 she guided the Knights to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships and a 16-4 dual match record, losing only to NCAA Tournament qualifiers Temple, Columbia, Wisconsin and Penn State.  Through the years her fencers garnered eight All-American awards.

Before the world-record breaking days of Franklin Jacobs, Raymond Bury ruled the Knights’ high jump, also setting school records in the triple jump and javelin that held for almost a decade.  He won the Metropolitan High Jump title in 1963 and finished runner up at the Boston Garden and to the Russian world-record holder at the Millrose Games. 

In 1963, Bury set a school record for points in a season and also set another record for his three-year point total.  Bury was named Fairleigh Dickinson’s Most Outstanding Student-Athlete in 1964, earning team MVP honors in two of his three outdoor seasons and one indoor season.  Bury helped lead the Knights to a 16-2-1 dual meet record from 1962-64 and went on to qualify for the 1964 Olympic trials.

A member of the Fairleigh Dickinson men’s basketball team from 1972-75, Richard Conrad’s name can be found throughout the Knights’ record book. At the end of his three-year career he ranked first all-time with 1,174 points. At the time of his induction he still ranks 11th in scoring and eighth with 420 career field goals. 

During his career Conrad earned three First Team All-New Jersey Team selections and as a senior was named Fairleigh Dickinson’s Most Outstanding Male Athlete.  He served as team captain that year and led the team in scoring with 19.2 points per game, free throw shooting and assists.  As a junior, Conrad led the Knights in rebounds and assists. He also led the team in scoring in 1972-73 with 15.8 points per game.  Following his playing days he spent the 1975-76 season as an assistant coach with the Knights.

Aidan McCluskey was a key component to the success of the Fairleigh Dickinson men’s soccer program and helped bring it back into the national spotlight in the early 1980s.  He was a part of a team that made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1982-84, and advanced to the Final Eight in 1983 and 1984.  The 1984 team notched a school-record 21 wins against only three losses and was ranked third nationally, the program’s highest national ranking ever. 

In 1983, McCluskey earned All-American honors. That year he recorded 57 points on 22 goals and 13 points.  He went on to earn All-American accolades again in 1984 and finished his career ranked fourth all-time with 129 points. At the time of his induction he ranks first all-time with 35 assists and fourth all-time with 47 goals.

One of the most heralded fencers in program history, Denise Piccininno earned All-American honors three times from 1987-89.  In 1987 she was the runner-up at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional and came back to capture the regional championship in 1988. 

A two-time team MVP she won the United States Fencing Association Junior Olympic Under-20 qualifier and captured the New Jersey State Championships individual title in 1989.  The leftie fencer was also honored in 1989 with Fairleigh Dickinson’s Dr. Harriet McCormick Award, presented to the University’s Most Outstanding Female Student-Athlete.

A talented outside hitter for the Knights from 1986-89, Cathy Pierre-Louis helped the Knights to an outstanding four-year record of 122-54. During her career she helped the Knights capture three straight regular season and conference tournament championships from 1987-89 with a perfect 14-0 league record over that span. 

Pierre-Louis played a big part of that success, earning conference tournament MVP honors in 1987 and 1988, and All-Tournament honors each of the three years.  Along with the conference titles, she helped the team to a school-record 40 wins against only 13 losses and a spot in the National Invitational Volleyball Tournament in 1989.

Carolyn Rodgers becomes the first member of the women’s basketball program to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after helping the Knights win over 50 games from 1983-86.  In the early days of Division I play, the forward was a dominant force, finishing her career with 1,458 points and 796 rebounds. At the time of her induction she ranks fourth all-time in scoring, fifth all-time in rebounding, held the school record for free throws made in a career with 393 and was one of only four players in program history to have amassed more than 1,000 points and 600 rebounds. Rodgers led the Knights in both points and rebounds as a junior and as a senior.  During that senior campaign she scored a single game record 37 points against Long Island.

Arguably one of the most productive hitters in the baseball program’s history, Stephen Stuart helped the Knights to three conference championships, two ECAC Tournament appearances and 78 wins from 1986-89.  During that period he earned four straight All-Conference and All-State honors, and appeared in four New Jersey North/South All-Star games. 

Along with his accomplishments on the field, Stuart achieved success in the classroom as well, regularly appearing on the Dean’s List and earning GTE Academic All-American honors in 1989.   That year he led the Northeast Conference with a .423 batting average, 47 hits and 13 doubles.  He also belted five home runs and finished second in the league with 32 RBI.  For his efforts he was named Northeast Conference and New Jersey Division I Player of the Year, and also earned All-Northeast Region honors.  Stuart finished his career with a then school record 176 hits.  At the time of his induction he ranks fourth all-time in hits, first in slugging percentage (.621), first in on base percentage (.508), third in runs batted in (138) and fifth in doubles (38).

Fairleigh Dickinson University Hall of Fame 2002 Inductees:
Jacqueline Behn ’77- Women's Fencing/Coach
Raymond Bury ’64– Track & Field
Richard Conrad ’75 – Men’s Basketball
Aidan McCluskey ’84 – Men’s Soccer
Denise Piccininno ’89 – Women’s Fencing
Cathy Pierre-Louis ’89 – Women’s Volleyball
Carolyn Ann Rodgers ’86 – Women’s Basketball
Stephen Stuart ’89 - Baseball

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