Nov. 23, 2015
By Chris McManes
Catholic University will recognize five alumni for their outstanding athletic achievements at the Athletics Hall of Fame Inductions on Saturday, January 30, 2016, at noon. The Athletics Hall of Fame committee, comprised of alumni along with athletics staff, completed its review of nominees in June 2015 and selected the following alumni athletes for induction.
Jeff ClayB.A. 1998Football
Jeff Clay for two years (1996-97) was the top NCAA Division III wide receiver in the nation. He rewrote the Catholic University receiving record book and was twice named first-team All-American.
Clay fashioned one of the finest seasons ever for an NCAA receiver in 1997 when he led the nation in receptions (112), yards (1,625) and touchdowns (20). In a 61-21 victory over Division 1-AA La Salle, he caught 17 passes for 310 yards and four TDs.
He and quarterback Kevin Ricca helped Coach Tom Clark's team post an undefeated regular season (10-0) and qualify for the Division III playoffs for the first time in school history.
Clay was a unanimous first-team All-American in 1997 and runner-up for the Melberger Award, the Division III equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. The Pigskin Club of Washington recognized him and Ricca as its Co-Independent Players of the Year. Clay also joined the finest Division II, III, and NAIA players named to the Associated Press Little All-America first team.
After playing for the legendary Maus Collins at nearby Gonzaga College High School, Clay joined fellow newcomers Clark and Ricca at CUA in 1994. Marty Favret, his offensive coordinator at Gonzaga, took the same role with the Cardinals. The club, 1-9 the previous year, improved to 8-2.
"I've been doing this over 20 years at this level, and there's still nobody like Jeff," said Favret, now a highly successful head coach at Hampden-Sydney (Va.) College. "He was built like a fullback but had incredibly great feet and was smart."
During his freshman year, the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Clay played tight end, returned punts and caught just 10 passes. The Cards' big-play receiver was senior Steve Wilkerson, who had 90 receptions and earned first-team All-American honors.
"We've Really Got Something"
Clay was in much-better shape his sophomore season and caught 66 passes for 881 yards and seven TDs.
"What we were doing on offense at the time was perfectly suited to Jeff: screens and quick slants," Favret said. "And I don't think people give him enough credit for his toughness. I'm probably a head coach in large part because of guys like him and Kevin Ricca that put up some great numbers for us in the '90s."
Favret recalled a preseason scrimmage - he thinks from 1996 - against Montgomery College, Rockville.
"They had a couple of Division I kids who tried to play Jeff man-to-man and get in his face and push him around a little bit, and he made them look silly," he said. "I remember Tommy [Clark] and I saying, 'Wow, we've really got something with this kid.'"
In game one of the 1996 season, a 68-11 romp at Muhlenberg, four of Clay's seven receptions went for touchdowns. In CUA's 45-14 victory over Hampden-Sydney, he grabbed nine passes for 203 yards and two scores. The win was the Cards' fourth of six straight.
Clay had a school-record-tying 18 receptions in a season-ending 47-40 loss at Albright for a then NCAA-record 364 yards. His three touchdown receptions from Ricca - who threw for 410 yards - covered 69, 38 and 56 yards. The Cardinals finished 7-2.
"He's incredible from this standpoint: He plays his best in the biggest games, against the best people," Clark told the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader in December 1997. "Albright literally double- and triple-teamed him the whole game. Yet he still scored three touchdowns."
Clay finished his junior season with 81 receptions for 1,460 yards and 16 TDs and was a consensus first-team All-American.
He picked up right where he left off in the 1997 season opener - a 49-7 victory over Greensboro - when he collected 15 passes for 210 yards and four TDs. Ricca threw for a school-record six touchdowns, a mark he would tie five games later against La Salle.
CUA kept the first perfect regular season in school history alive with a 44-22 win over Albright. Early in the second quarter, Clay got behind two defenders and caught a 73-yard scoring strike from Ricca, sprinting the final 40 yards. It was the Lions' first loss of the year and propelled the Cardinals to their first postseason appearance since facing Arizona State in the 1940 Sun Bowl.
Clay punctuated his brilliant career in the Cards' 44-33 loss at Trinity (Texas) by catching an NCAA playoff-record 17 passes for 247 yards and four TDs.
"He had the vision of a Marcus Allen-type of running back," Favret said. "He'd take that little quick screen we threw five, six, seven times a game, and sometimes he'd end all the way on the other side of the field. You just don't teach that stuff. And he could break tackles. He had that running back set of skills for a guy playing wide receiver, with soft hands.
"A lot of the reason our offense was so successful was because he was so good."
An Outstanding Career
Clay's 112 receptions and 20 TDs that season remain atop the CUA record book. His receiving yards total ranks second to Nick Bublavi, who amassed 1,797 yards in 2005. Bublavi that year also eclipsed Clay's single-game reception yards mark with 386 against La Salle.
Clay caught a school-best 269 passes to rank No. 1 in program history. His receiving touchdown total (44) is also tops, and his 4,101 yards ranks second to Bublavi's 4,485. Clay's 15.2-yard average per reception ranks sixth. His 266 points is third behind teammates' Andrew Notarfrancesco's 398 and Matt Taylor's 328.
The Cardinals' record during Clay and Ricca's four years was 31-7-1 (.808). The pair were among Division II and III players invited to Shreveport, La., to play in the 1998 USA III/Mardi Gras All-Star Classic. Clay had workouts for the Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints.
Clay, who earned a degree in communications from CUA in 1998, added a master's degree in management and public leadership from Johns Hopkins University. He is now a detective in the Washington Metropolitan Police Department.
John B. DouglasB.A. 1995, M.A. 1997Baseball and Basketball
It's tough enough to become one of the top players in the country in one sport. John Douglas did it in two.
Douglas, a three-time basketball All-American at Catholic University, was also a Major League Baseball draft pick. His dual achievement left a lasting impression on his basketball coach, Mike Lonergan.
"John was one of the best all-around athletes I ever coached," said Lonergan, now head coach at George Washington University. "To become a professional baseball player and also be an All-Conference basketball player for the top Division III program in the nation is quite a feat."
Douglas was a four-year starting shortstop (1992-95) for the Cardinals and three-time All-Capital Athletic Conference selection (second team 1993 and first team in 1994-95). He was a career .348 hitter with 13 home runs, five triples, 32 doubles, 58 stolen bases, 90 RBIs, and 129 runs. In 139 career games, he struck out just 52 times (vs. 85 walks).
In 1994, he batted a career-high .395 with four homers, 24 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. The Toronto Blue Jays selected in the 31st round of the 1995 Major League Draft.
Douglas was assigned to Toronto's rookie affiliate in Dunedin, Fla., the Gulf Coast Blue Jays. He played third base, shortstop and second base, and in 55 games, batted .235 with two home runs, six doubles, 26 RBIs and 21 runs. Roy Halladay, one of his teammates, later enjoyed a 16-year career with Toronto and the Philadelphia Phillies.
A Star on the Hardwood
Douglas, who came to CUA from Vienna, Va., was also a four-year starter in basketball, primarily at small forward. He scored 30 or more points seven times and is the sixth all-time leading scorer (1,774 points) in school history.
As a junior and senior, he was a first-team All-CAC selection. In 1994 through 1996, he was named honorable mention All-American.
In a January 1994 game against Skidmore, Douglas pumped in a career-high 36 points. He averaged 21.5 points in 1994-95, garnered MVP honors of the CUA Coca-Cola Classic, and was an ECAC South Region All-Star. In an 86-78 overtime victory at St. Mary's (Md.), he tallied 34 points and 14 rebounds.
"J.D." played his final season as a post graduate and averaged 18.4 points and 8.4 rebounds. In the Cardinals' 92-88 victory over No. 1 Rowan at DuFour Center on Jan. 15, 1996, he scored 12 points in 19 minutes and surpassed the 1,500-point mark. He punctuated the win over the eventual national champions with an emphatic dunk as time expired.
Douglas was named CUA Senior Athlete of the Year in 1995-96. He was the first person in school history to play on two NCAA Tournament teams (1992-93 and 1995-96). The first squad finished 21-6, then a school record for victories. The second won the CAC regular-season title (12-2) en route to a 19-8 record.
"John was instrumental in taking a successful Catholic University program to the next level," Lonergan said. "He was a quality young man and had a tireless work ethic. He was truly a joy to coach."
Douglas earned a bachelor's (1995) and master's (1997) degree in sociology. His wife, Jen (Keegan), played field hockey for the Cardinals and graduated in 1993. In 2008, he was inducted into the Georgetown Prep Hall of Fame.
Douglas works as a vice president for Homeward Residential Capital in Mount Laurel, N.J.
Anthony (Tony) GallisB.A. 1986Football
Tony Gallis was a three-year starting quarterback at Catholic University who was named first-team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference in 1983. He led CUA to three victories over Georgetown, its biggest rival at the time.
When Gallis finished his career, he was No. 1 in the Cardinal record book in career completions (361), yards (5,138) and touchdowns (40). His number would have been better had he not missed the final 10 games of his senior year.
Gallis, who came to CUA from Dickson City, Pa., in 1982, made his presence felt immediately, helping the team improve from 1-8 to 5-4. He passed for 297 yards and three touchdowns in the season opener, including an 80-yarder to John Hildreth, in the Cardinals' 21-14 victory over Emory & Henry.
The next week, with CUA trailing Fordham by one, Gallis threw a 63-yard TD to Mike Kosar with 1:11 to play to rally the Cards to a 24-18 triumph. He finished 13 of 27 for 220 yards and was named ECAC Rookie of the Week.
Gallis, who also punted that season, threw for 300 yards two games later in a 17-14 loss to St. John's. In CUA's 19-18 victory over Georgetown, he brought the Cardinals back from a 9-0 deficit with two TD passes to Kosar, one for 46 yards and another from 2 yards on fourth and goal with just 11 seconds left before halftime.
Gallis continued his magic against the Hoyas the following season by leading his team to 18 second-half points in a 40-23 win. He completed 12 of 25 passes for 236 yards and four TDs. For the year, he broke CUA Hall of Famer Steve Stanislav's school records for touchdowns (12) and completions (124).
In 1984, Gallis succeeded on 53.7 percent of his passes to become the first Cardinal at the Division III level to complete more than half of his pass attempts. His career-high 17 touchdowns stood as a school record until Kevin Ricca tied it in 1994 and broke it (22) two years later.
The '84 season began with Gallis connecting on 14 of 25 passes for 250 yards, including a 52-yard scoring strike to Chris Veno in a 72-0 victory over St. Peter's. CUA downed Duquesne 21-16 when Gallis threw a 71-yard TD to Walt Kalinowski with 5:52 remaining.
The junior signal caller made it 3-for-3 against Georgetown with a 56-6 thrashing. On the Cardinals' first play from scrimmage, he threw a 35-yard TD to his brother Ed. He added 22- and 23-yard scoring strikes to Kalinowski. The Cards' third straight win over the Hoyas kept the Steve Dean Memorial Trophy in Brookland.
Gallis' career ended in the 1985 season opener against Dickinson - the first game at DuFour Field - when he suffered a devastating left knee injury. Prior to his second-quarter misfortune, he and Ed connected for their final touchdown together. CUA won the game, 29-26.
Gallis, who finished school with a marketing degree in 1986 from the University of Scranton (Pa.), is a successful insurance agent in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Cristine Waterhouse KosnikB.B.E. 1995 Volleyball and Basketball
Cristine (Waterhouse) Kosnik was such an outstanding student and athlete that she was named 1995 NCAA Woman of the Year for all divisions in Washington, D.C. She graduated with a 3.8 grade-point average in biomedical engineering.
Her coach, Nagy Abdelrazek, who still leads the Catholic University volleyball team, was in just his second season her senior year.
"She was so disciplined and so determined to achieve her goals," Abdelrazek said. "She managed her time well and gave 100 percent in everything she did. She proved to everyone she could be an 'A' student and also a very good athlete."
Abdelrazek is excited that Kosnik is being recognized as one of the finest athletes in school history.
"It's such a great honor to be a member of the Catholic University Hall of Fame," he said. "For me, it's very special because she is my first Hall of Famer."
Kosnik's play in 1994 led the Cardinals to their first Capital Athletic Conference championship and helped Abdelrazek become CAC Coach of the Year.
Despite not being very tall (5-foot-8) for a middle hitter, Kosnik finished ninth in the nation in kills per game (4.46). She demonstrated her uncanny versatility by also leading the nation in digs per game (6.18).
"Playing middle hitter and being No. 1 in digs, that was amazing," Abdelrazek said. "These days, the middle hitter won't even consider playing the back row to dig or receive any balls. Cris was our best hitter at the net and led the country in digs.
"This is something I say will never happen again - never."
First Impression
Kosnik had already been named a first-team (1991) and second-team (1992) All-CAC selection when Abdelrazek arrived on campus two weeks before the start of the 1993 season. What he found was a program with only three returning starters. Things were so bleak that he had to recruit walk-ons from campus just to have enough players.
The biggest positive Abdelrazek found was Kosnik, who was not only a great player but an inspiration.
"Her skills were up there - wonderful hands, really quick arm speed - but her heart on the court, her motivation and her personality were huge," he said. "With her love for the sport, I felt like we had something in common."
Abdelrazek would often run practices that featured him and Kosnik on one side and five to six players on the other. Kosnik was so talented that despite all the forces working against the Cardinals, they won their first 11 games and finished 32-13.
Had things not gone well, Abdelrazek would likely not have been around to lead CUA to a school-best 38-3 record in 2001 and its first of two straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
"Players like Cris helped me a lot to continue coaching here because she had the spirit and the heart," said Abdelrazek, who enters the 2015 season with 484 career victories. "Without her we would not have been able to do much. If my first season went bad, that probably would have been my first and last here."
Capturing the Crown
Bolstered by outside hitter Kristin Bufka and setter Kathleen McNeilly, the Cardinals were much better prepared to start the 1994 season.
"With Cris and the rest of the team, especially a new setter, it was really an exciting year for us," said Abdelrazek, who came to the United States from Egypt.
CUA improved to 36-7 and won the CAC championship by downing two teams on their home court. The Cards dropped the first semifinal game at Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va., before rallying to win the match, 3-2. Next it was on to York (Pa.) College to challenge the top-seeded and heavily favored Spartans.
"The gym was packed," Abdelrazek said, "and they were supposed to win. Getting to the final was probably the most we could dream of back then."
York showed why it won the CAC regular-season title by smashing the Cardinals in game one, 15-6. Instead of rolling over, CUA picked itself up and won the next three games, 15-10, 15-8, and 15-8. Less than two years after taking over a rag-tag bunch, the Cards were conference champions.
"After we dropped the first game, I felt like we really had a chance and could do better," Abdelrazek said. "And sure enough, once we got the momentum on our side and started playing our game, it was the most amazing win I ever had.
"To win at York, the favorite to win the conference - and York back then had very, very good players - to be able to win it was an amazing time for us."
Kosnik played a key role in the championship.
"Her performance was incredible," Abdelrazek said, "and she was playing the middle position and we were doing a single block back then. For her to start from the middle of the net and try to catch on the right side and the left side, it was amazing.
"I mean, you can't do that anymore."
One of the Top Players in CAC History
Kosnik, a three-time, first-team All-CAC honoree from Melbourne, Fla., had one of the best seasons in league history in 1994. She set the CAC season record for aces per game (1.17) and total attacks (1,807). She also established the conference standard for most attacks in a match when she recorded 90 against Goucher on Oct. 5.
Kosnik's performances are still remembered in CAC circles despite the school having left the league in 2007 for the Landmark Conference. In 2014, she and Bridget Guetle were named to the CAC Silver Anniversary Volleyball Team. They are the only two Cardinals Abdelrazek has coached to have their numbers retired.
Kosnik, who also played three years on the women's basketball team, received the highest honor for a CUA female student-athlete when she was presented the 1995 Donley Cup.
"She had a great impact on the volleyball program and on me," Abdelrazek said.
Brent RaueB.S. 1996 Swimming
Brent Raue is one of just two men in Catholic University swimming history to qualify for three consecutive NCAA championships (1994-96). In 1995, he turned in a record-setting performance to earn All-American honors.
Raue, (pronounced Rou-ee) was a three-time, first-team All-Capital Athletic Conference performer in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and helped CUA win the 1994 and 1995 CAC championships. Including the 100 fly (1993) and 200 free (1995), he earned eight first-team All-CAC awards.
The league named Raue 1995 men's Swimmer of the Year. In 2014, he was one of six Cardinals recognized on the CAC Silver Anniversary Men's Swimming Team.
Raue, who came to Brookland from Silver Spring, Md., was nominated for the Hall of Fame by his coach, the late Tom Calomeris.
"Brent is the fastest swimmer in the history of CUA swimming, and that goes back to 1924," Calomeris wrote in his 2012 nomination letter. "In the CAC, he dominated the freestyle events for four years."
The Cardinals also traveled to the University of Notre Dame and captured the 1994 and 1995 Division III National Catholic College Swimming Championships. Raue won the 50 freestyle in 1995, beating swimmers from all three NCAA divisions.
Matt Tallman, Notre Dame's current men's swimming and diving head coach, was one of Raue's teammates on those title-winning teams.
"Brent was a tremendous teammate and a huge part of our team success in the mid-'90s," Tallman said. "It was a great feeling to finish my leg of our medley relay and know that he was going to be in the water at the end. Knowing that helped give the rest of us the confidence to succeed."
Raue placed 13th in the 100 free at the 1995 NCAA Division III Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in Oxford, Ohio, to become an All-American. His time of 46.54 seconds is still a CUA record. He held the school mark in the 50 free (21.24) from 1996 until 2014.
Raue was also part of the Cardinals' 1996 record-setting 400-medley relay team. His school-best time in the 100 fly (51.95) has stood since 1993.
"In swimming," Calomeris wrote, "it is outstanding for records to stand so long."
Raue and two-time national champion Keats Baugher (1965-67) are the only two CUA swimmers to qualify for three straight NCAA championships, and Raue is only one to do it at the Division III level. In 1994, he qualified in the 50 free. In 1996, it was the 50 and 100 free. Raue, who graduated in 1996 with a degree in mathematics, is now officially recognized as one of the finest athletes in Cardinal history.
"This is a very well-deserved honor for Brent," Tallman said, "and I could not be more proud to have a teammate in the CUA Athletics Hall of Fame."