Anthony Davis headlines 2018 UK Athletics Hall of Fame class

HOF 2018

Tuesday afternoon, UK Athletics announced their 2018 Hall of Fame class, headlined by men’s basketball National Champion and Naismith Award winner Anthony Davis (2012).

Joining Davis in the 2018 class is UK football’s Jacob Tamme (2004-07), UK women’s basketball’s Victoria Dunlap (2008-11), UK golf’s Russ Cochran (1975-78), and UK men’s tennis’s Dennis Emery (Coach from 1983-2012) and Eric Quigley (2009-12).

Davis is the most widely known of the group, as his rise to superstardom in the NBA has been extensively documented. In his one year at Kentucky, Davis broke the NCAA Tournament record for blocks in a single game, won both the Naismith and Wooden Awards for National Player of the Year and helped carry UK to their eighth national title alongside Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Darius Miller and Marquis Teague. He is a three-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-Star, three-time All-Defensive selection, three-time block champion and the MVP of the 2016-17 All-Star game.

Tamme, a four-year wide receiver/tight end for UK football, was a First Team All-SEC selection his junior and senior year, catching 144 passes for over 1,400 yards. He still holds the record for most catches by a UK tight end in school history. He was also selected to the Good Works team for outstanding community service while in school, and helped the Cats win back-to-back Music City Bowls in 2006 and 2007. He caught 259 passes for 2570 yards in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts over his nine-year career.

Dunlap was an All-America selection her junior and senior year, as well as a two-time SEC Player of the Year. She’s also the only Cat with 100 assists, 100 blocks and 300 steals in her career. She was selected in the first round of the 2011 WNBA Draft, where she suited up for 26 games for the Washington Mystics. She then played five games the next season for the Seattle Storm before the end of her basketball career.

Russ Cochran was a First Team All-SEC selection in 1978 before he turned pro, where he was the only left-handed player on the PGA Tour for nearly a decade. Cochran has 10 professional wins, and is one of just a few players on the professional circuit to win competitions as a naturally left-handed player. He’s earned over $13 million in his career.

Emery was the men’s tennis head coach for 30 years, in which the Cats never lost to an in-state opponent. His teams appeared in the NCAA Tournament 23 times, in the Sweet 16 11 times and in the Elite Eight four times. Under his leadership, the Cats finished in the Top 10 of the rankings seven times at the end of the season.

Quigley is the winningest men’s tennis player in the school’s history, taking 172 wins. His victories tie the NCAA record for most wins in singles matches by any player. He was a five-time All-American, three times in singles and twice in doubles, and he helped the Cats finish in the Top 10 twice in his time with UK. Quigley won one ITF Men’s Circuit tournament in Decatur, Illinois in 2013.

These athletes are set to be inducted during UK’s Hall of Fame Weekend, from September 22-23, 2018.