After the nomination process, candidates are considered and voted on by the ENMU Hall of Honors Committee. The committee which selected this year's inductees was made up of the following members: Mike Maguire, Dr. Kathleen Salter, Wayne Moore, Bill Joy, Charles Chambers, Thurman Elder, Jerry Wright, Buck Wilson, Bryan Principe, and Jeff Geiser (ex-officio).
Tickets can be purchased through the ENMU athletic office for $15. For more information, please contact Karen Doherty in the ENMU Department of Athletics at 575.562.2153. The event will begin on Saturday, October 15, with a "Meet-and-Greet" at 6:30 p.m., with dinner to follow at 7 p.m. The other Hall of Honors inductees will be: Michael Benton (football), Bria Galt (women's basketball), Marjorie Goble-Houghton (volleyball), Darwin Pauley (men's basketball), and Charles Bennett (support).
Former Greyhound football coach and 2001 Hall of Honor inductee Don Carthel had a number of high powered teams at ENMU. This year, Rufus Smith will be honored for his contributions to the program from 1984-1987. On November 2, 1985, against Howard Payne, he became the first Greyhound to cover the length of the field on a kickoff return. That feat has been duplicated just four times. Smith garnered all-conference honors for his performance and was named academic all-conference in each of his four season.
His 100-yard kick return was part of a season which saw Smith lead the nation in that statistic. The following year, he was chosen as ENMU's running back/receiver of the year. As a senior in 1987, he was recognized as a preseason All-American.
A well-rounded student athlete, Smith also was a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, Epsilon Mu Beta Honor society, and Reserve Officers Training Corps.
