JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 20, 2007) - During a morning ceremony inside the D.P. Culp Center, the ETSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics inducted five new members into the ETSU Athletics Hall of Fame.

The new inductees included former men's basketball coaches Les Robinson and Alan LeForce, 1996 Southern Conference player of the year in women's basketball Amy Engle, the SoCon's total offense leader in football Todd Wells, and 1984 Cross Country All-American Kim Bird.

"I think I speak for all the inductees when I say that ETSU is a special place and this is a special honor," Robinson said. "My home will always be in West Virginia, but this place is closer to my home than any other place I've ever been."

LeForce, who coached as an assistant for Robinson before taking the reigns himself in 1991, talked about his first head coaching job.

"You can be the President of the United States at 75 years old, but to be a Division I head coach at 55 you're an old man," said LeForce, who took the job at ETSU at the age of 55. "It was the greatest job I've ever had and a  wonderful experience."

Each of the inductees will have their pictures and career records placed in the Hall of Fame area located on the third floor of Memorial Center's west side. They join a group of former ETSU greats that includes well over 100 former athletes, administrators and fans.

Inductee bios:

Alan LeForce - Men's Basketball Head Coach 1990-1996

Alan LeForce coached the Buccaneers for six seasons, leading ETSU to two Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles in each of his first two seasons, and engineering the Bucs' upset of third-seeded Arizona in the first round of the 1992 NCAA tournament.  In his six seasons, LeForce compiled a 108-70 overall record, and a 60-32 mark against SoCon competition. Currently, LeForce is head coach of the Coastal Carolina women's basketball team.

Les Robinson - Men's Basketball Head Coach 1985-1990

In five seasons with the Buccaneers, Les Robinson took ETSU to two NCAA tournaments, securing a berth in the "Big Dance" with a Southern Conference Tournament title in 1989.  The 1989 squad went on to nearly pull off the biggest upset in tournament history, pushing top-seeded Oklahoma to the very brink before falling 72-71.  A victory would have made the Bucs the first 16 seed to ever defeat a number one seed.  Robinson ended his tenure at ETSU with an 81-70 record with two SoCOn tournament tiles and one regular season crown. He went on to become the head coach at N.C. State and is currently the Director of Athletics at The Citadel.

Amy Engle - Women's Basketball 1994-1996

In her two seasons as a Lady Buccaneer, Amy Engle scored 1,058 points, becoming the 11^th member of the 1,000 point club, and the first to reach the milestone in just two seasons.  A two-time All-Southern Conference and All-Southern Conference Tournament selection, Engle was named the 1996 Southern Conference Player of the Year, making her one of just four players in ETSU history to receive such an honor.  In 1994 she ranked 12^th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage, 18^th in 3-point field goals per game and 63^rd in scoring, and in 1996 was selected to participate in the National 3-Point Championship held in conjunction with the Men's Final Four.  Engle finished her career fourth in the ETSU record book in career scoring average at 18.8 and also third in single-game scoring with a 42 point effort against Chattanooga in 1996.

Todd Wells - Football 1997-2000

A four-year starter at quarterback for the Bucs, Wells threw for 7,735 yards and 37 touchdowns in his four-year career.  He is the Buccaneers' all-time leader in total offense, compiling 8,711 total yards in his time at ETSU.  The 1997 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, Wells was named SoCon Player of the Week on five occasions.  He directed three victories over ranked teams in his career, including two road wins over top-10 opponents.  In a 51-28 victory over sixth-ranked Appalachian State in 1997, Wells set ETSU single game records for total offense (447) and passing yards (377).

Kim Bird - Track & Field

Kim Bird ran for the Buccaneers from 1981-1984, and is the holder of four school records.  Her indoor marks in the 1,500 meters (4:47.01), the 3,000 meters (9:18.95) and the 5,000 meters (16:25.10) still stand in the record book, as does her outdoor mark in the 10,000 meters of 34:41.12.  Also a member of the cross country squad during her time at ETSU, Bird was selected as an All-American in 1984.