Nicholls State University will honor the 2014 Athletic Hall of Fame class this Saturday during half time at the Colonels’ football game against Henderson State.

The Nicholls Athletic Hall of Fame began in 1983 and stopped during the mid-nineties. The hall of fame program returned in 2003 when Rob Bernardi began as Nicholls Athletics Director.
“The hall of fame recognizes four to six inductees each year, with no more than four players per year and no more than two coaches per year,” Bernardi said.

The hall of fame recognizes the accomplishments of student athletes on and off the field.

“Because Nicholls is a relatively young university, it is a great way to recognize the accomplishments of its student athletes, and that is what makes this program unique.It gives the older athletes insight on how things are done now as opposed to when they were here.” Bernardi said.

The nominees have to be a two-year letterman and represent the university in a positive light to be considered for induction into the hall of fame. The nominees are only eligible to be inducted five years after leaving the university.

The nominations are held in the beginning of January and lasts through May, and the hall of fame committee chooses the inductees in the summer. This year’s inductees include Gerald Butler who played football for the Colonels from 1972 to 1976, Mike Mohler who played baseball from 1988 to 1989, Christina Thorton who played softball from 1993 to 1994 and 1996 to 1997. The 2014 class will bring the total number of inductees to 98 total athletes and coaches.

Gerald Butler said, “I am very excited to be inducted after such a long time away from the university.”

When Bernardi called to confirm Butler’s nomination, Butler said, “I was almost in tears, I was so excited.”

What matters most to Butler, is that he will be able to share this moment with his wife and family. Butler was a redshirt wide receiver and played for the Colonels under Nicholls first football head coach, Gary Kinchen, and Coach Bill Clemons.

Butler said his first year was the first varsity team at Nicholls. In 1975, Nicholls won the Gulf South Conference Championship. After Butler’s college career, he was drafted to the Chicago Bears and was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent one season with the Chiefs before being traded to the New York Jets.
Butler spent only two seasons in the NFL due to injuries, but was able to play in the East-West All Star game in Palo Alto California at Stanford University and the North-South All Star game in Detroit.

Butler felt he had the notoriety to be inducted into NSU’s hall of fame because he was named to the Kodak All-American 1st team. Because of the time he spent away from Nicholls, he did not know the process to which he could be inducted.

Bernardi said, “The hall of fame is unique because it brings recognition to not only the athletes that are inducted, but to the schools as well.”