SIU Athletics announces 2018 Saluki Hall of Fame class

The Southern Illinois University Department of Athletics on June 13 announced its 2018 Saluki Hall of Fame class.

The seven-person class will be formally inducted in a ceremony which is planned Friday, Oct. 19, and then make public appearances during SIU homecoming festivities on Saturday, Oct. 20. 

The 2018 class features Jermaine Dearman (men’s basketball), Mallory Duran-Sellers (softball), P.J. Finigan (baseball), George Loukas (football), Jeneva McCall (track and field), Bryan Mullins (men’s basketball) and Bruce Weber (men’s basketball head coach).

Dearman played forward for the Salukis from 1999 to 2003 and helped lead the team to an 88-42 record during his career with two NCAA Tournament appearances (2002, 2003), including a Sweet 16. He was also a member of the 2000 NIT team. 

Dearman finished his career 10th in career scoring with 1,446 points, seventh in rebounding (802) and ninth in blocked shots (71). 

An outfielder for the Salukis from 2009 to 2012, Duran-Sellers was a career .327 hitter, placing her eighth all-time in school history. She is the all-time leader at SIU in runs scored (162) and finished fifth in stolen bases (46). 

Finigan was both a standout shortstop and pitcher for the Salukis from 2002 to 2005. As a senior, Finigan was named the MVC player of the year after he led the conference with a .386 batting average and posted a 9-3 record with a 3.24 ERA on the mound. 

His name appears throughout the Saluki record book as both a hitter and pitcher. He has served for the last eight years as SIU’s pitching coach.

A fullback at SIU from 1970 to 1972, Loukas was a rugged ball carrier who piled up 1,427 yards on the ground, ending his career as the school’s third all-time leading rusher, trailing only Hall of Famers Amos Bullocks and Carver Shannon. 

His 1,052 rushing yards in 1971 was the second-best total in school history and included a 224-yard rushing performance versus Wichita State. 

Loukas currently resides in Chicago and is the owner of the Cubby Bear and other properties in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood.

McCall, a world-class thrower at SIU from 2009 to 2012, is one of the most decorated track and field athletes in school history. 

A three-time NCAA champion, she claimed the NCAA indoor weight throw and NCAA outdoor hammer throw titles in 2012, and also captured the NCAA outdoor discus championship in 2010. 

Her three national titles are the most by an athlete at SIU and third-most in league history. 

Many consider Mullins to be the best point guard in school history. SIU’s floor general set the school career record for assists with 509 and averaged more than four assists per game as a four-year starter. 

He guided the team to two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 in 2007 and a No. 11 national ranking: the highest in school history. 

Mullins was a tenacious defender who twice won MVC defensive player of the year honors and was a member of the league’s all-defense team all four seasons. He set the school record for career steals per game (2.08) and set the single-season mark (94) as a true freshman. 

Mullins was also an outstanding student, joining Mike Glenn as the program’s only two-time Academic All-Americans. 

A member of SIU’s all-century team, Mullins is currently the associate head coach of the Loyola Ramblers and helped to lead that program to the NCAA Final Four in 2018. 

Weber was the architect of SIU’s basketball resurgence during the 2000s. 

He inherited a program that had recorded three-straight losing seasons and quickly turned them into Valley champions. 

During his five seasons at SIU (1999 to 2003), Weber’s teams compiled a 103-54 record, advanced to two NCAA Tournaments (2002, 2003), including a Sweet 16 appearance, plus an NIT appearance (2000). 

Southern won the MVC title in both 2002 and 2003 and Weber was named MVC coach of the year in 2003. 

The Salukis beat five BCS opponents during Weber’s stay and climbed as high as No. 22 in the national rankings. 

The program he built was sustained by his successors, Matt Painter and Chris Lowery, who led Southern to four more NCAA Tournament appearances. 

After SIU, Weber coached nine seasons at Illinois and made six NCAA Tournament appearances and advanced to championship game in 2005. 

He is currently the head coach at Kansas State, where the Wildcats reached the Elite Eight last season.