HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- Hampden-Sydney College has announced its inaugural Team Athletic Hall of Fame Class. The initial class of five team honorees will include these exceptional former Tigers: the 1970 Football Team, the 1971 Football Team, the 1975 Golf Team, the 1998-99 Basketball Team and the 2002-03 Basketball Team. This first team induction ceremony will take place on Friday evening, October 20, in S. Douglas Fleet Gymnasium at Kirby Field House during the annual Homecoming Weekend on the Hill.

The Hampden-Sydney Athletic Hall of Fame Committee, along with the College's Administration, has decided to recognize and honor those teams that have reached the pinnacle of their respective sport. It was determined that teams would be honored a minimum of 20 years following their outstanding achievement, and each sport's criteria was established as follows:

• Baseball – College World Series
• Basketball – Final Four of National Championship
• Cross Country/Distance Track – Top Four Team Finish or Top Eight Relay Finish at National Championships
• Football – Top Four of National Championship
• Golf – Top Four Team Finish at National Championships
• Lacrosse – Top Four of National Championship
• Soccer – Top Four of National Championship
• Swimming – Top Four Team Finish or Top Eight Relay Finish at National Championships
• Tennis – Top Four Team Finish or Top Eight Doubles Finish at National Championships.

1970 Football Team
Hampden-Sydney Football played in the 1970 Knute Rockne Bowl, which served as the NCAA College Division (II) East Regional Championship. The Tigers completed the season with a final record of 9-2, winning the Mason-Dixon Conference Championship with a 4-0 record, before falling to Montclair State (NJ) 7-6 in the Knute Rockne Bowl on November 28, 1970 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. H-SC had the top-ranked scoring defense in all NCAA divisions that fall, yielding just 2.8 points per game during the regular season with six shutouts, and the squad ranked third in total defense (145.0). The team was coached by Hall of Fame head coach J. Stokeley Fulton '55.

1971 Football Team
Hampden-Sydney Football played in the 1971 Knute Rockne Bowl, which served as the NCAA College Division (II) East Regional Championship. The Tigers completed the season with a final record of 10-1, winning the Mason-Dixon Conference Championship with a perfect 4-0 record, before falling to Bridgeport (CT) 17-12 in the Knute Rockne Bowl on November 26, 1971 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. H-SC had the top-ranked scoring defense in all NCAA divisions that fall, allowing only 3.4 points per game during the regular season with five shutouts, and the squad ranked first in total defense (115.6). The team was coached by Hall of Fame head coach J. Stokeley Fulton '55.

1975 Golf Team
Hampden-Sydney Golf finished as the 1975 NCAA Division III National Championship Runner-Up. The Tigers posted a 54-hole team score of 909 to finish just two strokes behind Wooster (OH) and its 907 at the rain-shortened championship on June 10-13, 1975 at the Cole Park Golf Course in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. H-SC completed the regular season with a 16-4-1 overall record, won the Mason-Dixon Conference Tournament Championship and captured the Virginia Division II-III Championship. The team was coached by Hall of Fame head coach Colonel Gus Franke.

1998-99 Basketball Team
Hampden-Sydney Basketball finished as the 1999 NCAA Division III National Championship Runner-Up. The Tigers completed the season with a final record of 29-3, winning the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) regular season championship with a 16-2 record, as well as the ODAC Tournament Championship with a 73-61 win against Randolph-Macon. H-SC then won three NCAA Tournament games at home, defeating Randolph-Macon, 74-65, Wooster (OH), 74-56, and John Carroll (OH), 68-51, to advance to the Final Four at the Salem (VA) Civic Center. The Tigers won their national semifinal contest, defeating Connecticut College, 74-58, before falling in a heartbreaking double-overtime contest to Wisconsin-Platteville, 76-75, in the national championship. The team was coached by Hall of Fame head coach Tony Shaver.

2002-03 Basketball Team
Hampden-Sydney Basketball advanced to the 2003 NCAA Division III National Championship Final Four. The Tigers began the season with 22-straight wins and completed the season with a final record of 28-4, tying for the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) regular season title with a 17-1 record, before falling in the ODAC Tournament Championship to Randolph-Macon, 48-47. H-SC then won three NCAA Tournament games, the first at home against Savannah College of Art & Design, 56-54, before winning two games in Ashland, defeating Illinois Wesleyan, 76-68, and Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 68-63, to advance to the Final Four at the Salem (VA) Civic Center. The Tigers fell in their national semifinal contest to Gustavus Adolphus (MN), 79-68, before falling to Wooster (OH), 78-74, in the national third-place contest. The team was coached by Hall of Fame head coach Tony Shaver.

The inaugural Team Athletic Hall of Fame Class will be recognized at halftime of the home football game against Washington and Lee University on Saturday, Oct. 21, a contest scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium.