by LAS VEGAS (March 23, 2017) – Six different Rebel sports will be represented during ceremonies this spring as the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017 was announced by the school Thursday.
In what will be the first such event in five years, six former Rebel standout players, one head coach and a distinguished contributor will join one team in being inducted on Thursday, May 4, at the Strip View Pavilion at the Thomas & Mack Center on campus. The ceremony is open to the public and a limited number of tickets are available for $125 each by calling Tod Bannister in the RAF at (702) 895-3075.
The Class of 2017 is made up of the most decorated student-athlete in UNLV history in the form of men’s golfer and 2004 NCAA individual champion Ryan Moore, football players Jamaal Brimmer and Tony Terrell, women’s basketball player Gwynn Hobbs (Navajo), men’s basketball player Mark Wade, baseball player Eric Nielsen, softball coach Shan McDonald, the 2003 Baseball Team as well as longtime Voice of the Rebels Dick Calvert as a distinguished contributor. Also scheduled to be honored that night posthumously is former Rebel football assistant coach and longtime local businessman and UNLV supporter Rich Abajian, who passed away in 2016. He will be the third recipient of the prestigious Silver Rebel Award.
“I commend the Hall of Fame Executive Board for selecting a terrific group of honorees,” said UNLV Director of Athletics Tina Kunzer-Murphy. “There are truly some Rebel greats representing many different eras and programs. It’s a fitting class for our first induction ceremony since 2012.”
The Class of 2017 will also be recognized at the UNLV vs. Fresno State baseball game the following evening (May 5) with a ceremonial first pitch before the 6 p.m. contest at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
Born in 1987, UNLV’s Athletics Hall of Fame will now grow to 123 members strong after what will be its 14th induction ceremony. Under the hall’s bylaws, former student-athletes must have completed their eligibility at least 10 years earlier to be selected. Coaches and administrators must have stopped working at the University five years previous.
The fifth women’s basketball player to be voted for inclusion into the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame, Gwynn Hobbs (married name is Gywnn Grant) was more than a sensational player and student-athlete for the Lady Rebels, she was also a symbol of triumph for Native Americans. Hobbs, out of Ganado, Arizona, left Navajo Nation for a full ride at UNLV under head coach Jim Bolla and excelled throughout her four-year collegiate career. Still the most accurate three-point shooter in Lady Rebel history at 40.6 percent, she was a three-time All-Big West Conference honoree at guard, including earning a spot on the first team in both 1994 and ’95. An all-around player, Hobbs’ name remains prevalent up and down the program’s record book: first in three-pointers in a season with 71, second in free-throw percentage for a season at 87.8 percent, second in assists in a season with 180, second in career assists (592), third in all-time steals (295) and 10th in scoring with 1,504 points to her name. Her numbers also have stood the test of time in league history as she remains fifth in the Big West in assists, sixth in steals and sixth in three-point percentage. Hobbs, who averaged double-digit points all four of her seasons, was the star attraction in the special UNLV season of 1993-94. The sparkplug was named conference tournament MVP after averaging 21.7 points in three games while leading the Lady Rebels to their final Big West title along with a NCAA Tournament appearance. An academic all-conference honoree every year in the Scarlet & Gray, Hobbs was chosen to serve as a national spokesperson for United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY) during her playing career. She eventually returned to the reservation setting to coach girls basketball.
HOBBS’ CAREER STATS
| YEAR | G | FG-FGA | PCT | 3PT | PCT | FT-FTA | PCT | ST | ASST | PTS | AVG |
| 1991-92 | 26 | 92-241 | .382 | 41-100 | .410 | 36-41 | .878 | 54 | 125 | 261 | 10.0 |
| 1992-93 | 31 | 149-317 | .470 | 71-175 | .406 | 37-48 | .771 | 71 | 143 | 406 | 13.1 |
| 1993-94 | 30 | 157-305 | .515 | 49-118 | .415 | 69-90 | .767 | 95 | 144 | 432 | 14.4 |
| 1994-95 | 26 | 148-339 | .437 | 51-129 | .395 | 58-87 | .667 | 75 | 180 | 405 | 15.6 |
| TOTAL | 113 | 546-1202 | .454 | 212-522 | .405 | 200-266 | .752 | 214 | 592 | 1504 | 13.3 |
