VALDOSTA — The 28^th Annual Valdosta State Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Brunch is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, at 10 a.m., at the VSU Student Ballroom, located at the intersection of N. Oak Street and Baytree Road, at 1500 N. Patterson Street, Valdosta, Ga.

Tickets for the brunch are $35 per person and $280 for a table of eight. The brunch ticket also will allow access to the VSU basketball doubleheader at The Complex that afternoon versus West Alabama at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The 2025 Valdosta State Athletic Hall of Fame Class

Pat and Ron Bezona (Contributors, 1982-Present)

Pat and Ron Bezona have been contributors to VSU Athletics for over 40 years when Pat began teaching mathematics at Valdosta State in 1982. That same year, they became all-sports season ticket holders and still are to this day and she retired in 2013.

They were charter members of the V-State Club and they have served on numerous search committees for athletic coaches and staff. They have been season ticket holds for VSU football since the beginning of the program and traveled to many championships for basketball, softball and football over the years. Her husband, Ron, also taught part time at VSU from 2005-2010 and he also has his master’s degree is history from VSU.

Caitlyn Calhoun (Softball, 2013-2016)

One of the most prolific softball players in program history is Caitlyn Calhoun. She earned the prestigious honor of being named Gulf South Conference Pitcher of the Decade in 2020. She had an outstanding career in the circle for the red and black and earned GSC Top Ten honors in 2016.

The Hamilton, Ohio, native, was named first team all-conference in both 2015 and 2016, as she practically rewrote the VSU softball record book with six no-hitters (also a GSC record), 33 career shutouts and 574 career strikeouts.

In 2015, she put together a record-setting campaign as she led the nation in shutouts with 19, while racking up four no-hitters for a new GSC record. She went 28-5 with a 1.33 ERA. She earned first team all-America, all-conference and all-region honors.

Calhoun tossed seven-straight shutouts in 2015 for a tie for third all-time in league history. The 2016 season saw her strikeout 261 batters over 210 innings of work and held teams to a .149 batting average. The 261 strikeouts are ninth all-time in GSC history for a single season and third in VSU history, while her 574 career strikeouts are ninth in GSC history and second in VSU history. Calhoun was named GSC Pitcher of the Year in 2015 and 2016.

Mike Crain (Men’s Basketball, 2003-2007)

This Blazer men’s basketball standout is tenth all-time on the VSU scoring list with 1,524 career points while averaging 14.9 PPG during his four-year career. He led the Blazers to two South Regional appearances in 2003-04, and 2006-07 while the Blazers hosted in 2003-04 with a GSC East Championship. Crain was selected to the GSC East Division Second Team three times and named GSC East Player of the Week on Feb. 8, 2006.

In 2005-06 as a junior, Crain scored 20 points or more in a game 20 times and scored 30 or more points two times. Crain finished his career with shooting splits of 43.7% from the floor, 39.1% from deep, and 71.4% from the line. He recorded 307 career rebounds, 232 assists, 81 steals, and 18 blocks during his time at VSU.

Brittany Ferguson Bell (Women’s Basketball, 2010-2012)

This Lady Blazer earned Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2012 after an outstanding season. She averaged 16.7 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game for the season earning first team all-region honors and first team All-GSC.

She was named GSC Player of the Week a conference-best five times during her senior year and earned all-region tournament honors and GSC All-Academic accolades. Bell finished the season with 11 double-doubles that season helping lead VSU to the Sweet Sixteen. For her two-year career, she played in 57 games with 54 starts, scoring 820 points and 484 rebounds.

Stanley Flanders (Football, 1993-94)

On the gridiron, this wide receiver had a great career for the red and black as he played two seasons in Titletown. He finished fifth on the team in catches in 1993 with 31 and had the highest yards per reception average at 16.1. He caught a team-high nine touchdown passes that season and also handled punt return duties with an 11.1 average per return. He earned second team all-conference as a return specialist.

In 1994, he tied for the team-lead in scoring with 126 points and registered 21 total touchdowns. He recorded 24 twice in 2024 to tie for third all-time in program history in scoring in a game. His 1,083 yards receiving in 1994 places him seventh all-time in program history, while his 20 receiving touchdowns that season places him second all-time in the school record book. He finished with 30 career receiving touchdowns for sixth all-time in VSU history.

June Munford (Baseball, 1983-84)

June Munford played two seasons for the Blazers in 1983 and 1984 while he was a vital part in the 1983 National Championship run that saw the Blazers finish third in California with a 45-14-1 record that season. Valdosta State won the Blue Division in the GSC in 1983 and eventually fell to National Champion Jacksonville State in the GSC Championship.

Munford brought home plenty of awards, as he was named to the ABCA First Team South Atlantic All-Region Team and Second Team All-American. Munford batted .368 in 60 games played while slugging 13 home runs, tying the league-lead, and drove in 55, which was tied for second on the team and the GSC. Munford led the GSC in doubles with 15 on the 1983.

Munford’s 75 hits ranked second on the team and the GSC while he also walked 41 times which was third in the league and second on the team. In the 1984, Munford played in 55 games while he batted .317 in 180 at-bats and struck out only seven times the whole season. Munford tallied 57 hits, 13 doubles, two triples, six home runs, and 48 driven in. In the field, Munford carried a fielding percentage of .977 on nine total errors for the season.

Gary Slayton (Men’s Cross Country, 1975-1976)

Gary Slayton came to Titletown in the Fall of 1975 as a transfer from Indian River Community College in Florida. In his first season at then-VSC, he finished third at the conference meet in with a 27:45 time and was 19th in the Georgia State Meet with a 27:17 time.

At the NCAA National meet, he finished 44th at 25:02. In 1976, he had another outstanding season, finishing second at the Blazer Classic with a 24:51 time, while he finished tied with five other teammates at 25:22 at the South Atlantic Conference meet.

Slayton finished seventh at the Georgia State meet with a 26:11 time and finished 54th at the NCAA National meet at 31:18. He earned All-State honors in 1976, while he earned all-conference honors both seasons. After graduating with a degree in Business Administration and an emphasis in Accounting,

Slayton held various positions, including being one of the Senior Vice Presidents at ASICS, a $4 Billion sporting goods manufacturer. He also has given back to VSU both to the Cross Country program and the University as a whole.

2018 NCAA Division II National Championship Football Team

Arguably one of the best football seasons all-time in the history of Valdosta State football came in 2018. The Blazers had an unprecedented and school-best 14-0 record winning the program’s fourth national championship with a thrilling 49-47 victory over Ferris State University in McKinney, Texas.

VSU claimed its first Gulf South Conference title since 2010 and the first outright league title since 2004. Under the direction of then-third year head coach Kerwin Bell, the Blazer offense was unstoppable as it led the nation in scoring offense at 52.0 points per game, while the Blazers were fourth nationally in total offense at 523.9 yards per game.

Blazer quarterback Rogan Wells finished second in the Harlon Hill Award as he became the fourth different Blazer to be named a finalist for the award. Six different players earned All-America honors that season, including Jeremy King, Rogan Wells, Adonis Sealey, Ravarius Rivers, LaVonne Gauthney and Jamar Thompkins. The Blazers amassed 7,334 yards of offense that season, scored 728 points and registered 97 touchdowns as all were school-records. VSU improved 6.5 games from 2017 to 2018, as the team went 5-4 in 2017 followed by the 14-0 mark in 2018. The improvement is tied for 12th all-time in NCAA Division II.