The Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame

2008 Hall of Fame Inductees

The Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame chose 10 outstanding individuals as their 2008 Hall of Fame inductees at the Awards Banquet on August 9th, 2008.

This year's MC was Mike'l Severe and Tommy Warren was the Keynote Speaker.

The honorees each will have a plaque on display at the North Omaha Boys and Girls Club at 26th and Hamilton Streets until a permanent site for the hall is constructed.

	Fred Brown, Omaha Tech: Brown was the second four-time Nebraska state wrestling champion. (1947 - 1950)
	Charlie Bryant, Omaha South: He was the first black athlete to earn All-Conference honors at Nebraska and to letter for the Huskers since 1913. He played in the 1955 Orange Bowl. In 2000, World Herald readers voted Bryant No. 44 on the school's top-50 list of all-time players, and he was ranked No. 89 on the newspaper's 2005 ranking of the state's all-time best athletes.
	Tommie Frazier: The Huskers' 1995 Heisman Trophy runner-up was 33-3 as a starting quarterback at NU. He rushed for 199 yards in the 62-24 win over Florida in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl.
	Marion Hudson, Omaha Central: This Nebraska Football Hall of Famer starred at fullback for Dana College, where he rushed for 2,383 yards to average 7.3 per carry. In track and field, he is still Dana's record holder in the long jump (24-6) and javelin (206-8 1/2).
	Charles "Deacon" Jones, Boys Town: An NCAA cross country and track champion at Iowa, he competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics. At Boys Town, he was All-Nebraska in football and basketball. He was No. 44 on the World Herald's 2005 ranking of the state's all-time best athletes.
	Charlie McWhorter, Omaha North: After making All-Nebraska for the Vikings, he received Little All-America honors at UNO. His five touchdowns in 1972 against Northwest Missouri State are a Maverick record.
	John Nared, Omaha Central: An All-Nebraska basketball player for the Eagles, he held the school record of 40 points until 2007. He played briefly for Nebraska and tried out with the New York Knicks in 1966 and the Chicago Bulls in 1968.
	Merlene Ottey: The Jamaican-born athlete won 14 national titles as a Husker sprinter, leading Nebraska to three straight NCAA indoor team titles from 1982 to 1984. She won eight Olympic medals and a world championship.
	Bob Rodgers: In 1958, he was the first black referee for an Intercity Conference high school varsity basketball game (Tech vs. Creighton Prep). The former Omaha broadcaster also coached youth teams and ran youth sports programs.
	Will Shields: The former Husker football player was the 1992 Outland Trophy winner. He is widely considered to be a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee when he becomes eligible.