Athletics Hall of Honor Constitution
Adopted in October 1984 and amended December 1986, November 1988, April 1992, March 1993, April 1999, February 2000, March 2001, February 2003, February 2008, January 2014, June 2017, and September 2019.
ARTICLE I
Purpose
Recognizing the tradition of athletics excellence at Wittenberg University, this Athletics Hall of Honor is established to recognize those individuals who have made lasting and significant contributions to the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program.
ARTICLE II
Criteria for Nomination
Any individual of good character who has performed well in athletics competition for a minimum of two academic years at Wittenberg shall be eligible for nomination 10 years after the graduation of his/her social class. Persons who have not qualified for a degree, but left the university in good standing, may be nominated.
Nominees may also include coaches, managers, trainers and other persons who have made outstanding contributions to intercollegiate athletics at Wittenberg. Coaches cannot be considered for induction while employed by the university’s athletics department and must be disengaged from their Wittenberg coaching responsibilities for at least four years prior to being considered for induction into the Hall of Honor.
An individual may be nominated posthumously. No member of the Athletics Hall of Honor Committee nominated shall be eligible for consideration during his/her term on the committee.
ARTICLE III
Hall of Athletic Honor Committee
This selection committee shall be chosen initially by the ad hoc founding group and thereafter by the committee itself.
The Athletics Hall of Honor selection committee shall consist of 15 members. One of these will be the Director of Alumni and Lifelong Engagement, who is an ex-officio member who does not have voting privileges.
There shall be 14 members-at-large, all of whom have voting privileges. Twelve members-at-large shall be selected with staggered three-year terms (Note: four members’ terms expire each year), and the other two voting members will be the University’s Athletics Communication Director and its Director of Athletics. The committee shall aspire to represent the widest possible breadth of social class years, in addition to adequate representation of race and gender. The committee chairperson shall always come from the at-large membership.
The make-up of the selection committee should include at least four individuals who have been previously inducted into the Athletics Hall of Honor. Should any member resign or otherwise become unable to complete a term, a replacement shall be elected by the Athletics Hall of Honor Committee. There are no term limits; therefore, a committee member may be elected for additional terms. Committee members must attend at least one of the two annual meetings each year to be considered in good standing for continued participation. Terms of office shall begin at the meeting following induction of the current class of honorees.
The chair of the committee shall be elected by the group. The chair of the committee shall remain in that position for two years, with no term limits applicable.
The Athletics Hall of Honor Committee shall meet a minimum of two times each year. In order for the committee to conduct business, two-thirds of the committee must be present in order for official business to take place. A meeting will take place each year to review the constitution and fill vacancies, and a second meeting will take place during the calendar year to select inductees. Special meetings shall be called as needed by the committee chairperson.
At the first meeting each year, a sub-committee will be formed to assume the responsibility of compiling a list of no more than 25 nominees to be considered by the entire committee at the annual selection meeting. The committee chairperson will lead the nominating sub-committee, and he/she shall work closely with the Athletics Communication Director and two at-large committee members to prepare and distribute the list of nominees with qualifications no less than two weeks prior to the selection meeting.
At the selection meeting, nominees shall be voted on by ballot and arrangements for induction and awarding honors reviewed. The balloting process shall be determined by the committee chairperson.
ARTICLE IV
Nominations
Calls for nominations shall be made in appropriate issues of the Wittenberg Magazine, Wittenberg web site (www.wittenbergtigers.com), selected athletics publications, and in the Athletics Hall of Honor program. In addition, solicitations shall be made via emailed alumni newsletters.
Nominations may be made by anyone. Nominations may be made in writing, but whenever possible they should be prepared using the online nomination form available on the university’s website. Nominations should include supporting evidence of the nominee’s qualifying accomplishments, with statistics, honors and awards information available by utilizing www.wittenbergtigers.com or contacting the Director of Athletic Communication0.
The nominating sub-committee shall review annually all active nominations, and prepare a list for consideration of no more than 25 candidates. From this list, the entire committee assembled at the annual selection meeting shall choose up to 8 – but no less than 4 – nominees for induction.
Individual(s) not selected shall continue to be included for consideration for a 5-year period. Nominees who are not selected after five years of consideration will be archived, but they can be re-nominated at any time.
ARTICLE V
Inductions
For each of the first two years, the number of inductees shall be limited to 12, not more than four of them posthumously. In subsequent years, the number of inductees that can be elected shall be limited to eight, not more than two of them posthumously. At least one of the inductees must have graduated or served 40 or more years prior.
In selecting honorees, consideration shall be given to the representation of all intercollegiate sports. The committee shall also take into consideration Homecoming reunion events and the possibility of inducting nominees who are celebrating milestones.
ARTICLE VI
Lifetime Achievement Awards
The Athletics Hall of Honor committee may designate an individual(s) to receive one of two available Lifetime Achievement Awards:
- One award can be given to recognize Wittenberg graduates or other alumni of the university who departed in good standing who have made outstanding, widely recognized, and sustained contributions to the field of athletics. Such contributions could include but are not limited to, intercollegiate, interscholastic, or professional sports administration, management or coaching, sports medicine, sports journalism, or other sport-related professions. Candidates for the award cannot be considered prior to 20 years after graduation.
- One award can be given to recognize Wittenberg graduates or other alumni of the university who departed in good standing for exemplary, widely recognized, and sustained contributions to the Department of Athletics, as an undergraduate on the playing fields, in the classroom, as an alumnus providing lifelong support and leadership.
If the Athletics Hall of Honor committee selects an individual(s) to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, the honor is bestowed at the Homecoming weekend induction event. There will be no more than one Lifetime Achievement Award given each year. It is not mandatory that a Lifetime Achievement Award is given in any given year. Individuals may be nominated posthumously. Nominees must have completed their position of distinction in order to be considered for a Lifetime Achievement Award (i.e. not an active coach, administrator, etc.).
ARTICLE VII
Recognition
Each inductee shall receive an attractive memento, inscribed with an appropriate symbol, his/her name, year of induction, sport(s) and social class year. Names of inductees, along with information about their contributions to intercollegiate athletics to Wittenberg, shall be permanently displayed in an appropriate area in the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex and on the athletics website at www.wittenbergtigers.com.
ARTICLE VIII
Amendments
The constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the committee members of the Athletics Hall of Honor Committee. Amendments may be made each year as long as members have been provided copies of the proposed amendments at least two weeks prior to the meeting.