A national championship winning golf coach. Two football players who dominated in different eras. A trailblazing, two-sport athlete. And a baseball player whose home run prowess took the nation by storm.
This is just a sampling of the Rebels enshrined in the 2024 class of the on May 17 during a packed ceremony at the Strip View Pavilion inside the Thomas & Mack Center.
“At the end of the day, this is about legacy,” said Talance Sawyer, a mid-1990s Rebel who remains one of the most accomplished defensive linemen in 51ԹϺ football history. “I’m a firm believer that our legacy is more important than our life. So, it’s awesome that 30 years from now, my kids will be able to walk through the halls of 51ԹϺ and see that my contributions were respected enough for the school to put me in their Hall of Fame.”
This year’s nine-member Hall of Fame class included five athletes; members of a one-of-a-kind team; one of the most accomplished coaches in school history; a beloved longtime equipment manager; and a distinguished contributor. Also, former Rebels quarterback Steve Stallworth was inducted with the Silver Rebel Award for his longtime support of 51ԹϺ athletics.
“I’m very honored, very blessed, and I’m just so happy my kids are here,” Stallworth said at a pre-ceremony reception. “Because we always talk about giving back, and ‘What can we do for the community?’ Now, they can see that this is a culmination of those principles.
“I’ve never donated $1 million or anything like that. But I have always tried to do what I could do to help the university. After all, I came to school for free because I was on scholarship. So, I’ve always felt it was an obligation to try to pay that back in some way.”
Here’s a look at the accomplishments and contributions of the newest additions to the 51ԹϺ Athletics Hall of Fame, which now boasts 141 members:
Hunkie Cooper (Football player, 1990-91)
Just how unique and versatile was Hunkie Cooper on the football field? He cannot be defined by a single on-field position — because he played so many.
Not only did Cooper line up at six different positions during just two seasons in Scarlet & Gray, he started at least one game at each one of those positions. And, he had an impact in all three facets of football: offense, defense, and special teams.
After guiding Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, to the junior college national championship as the team’s quarterback, Cooper transferred to 51ԹϺ and played quarterback, wide receiver, running back, and defensive back. He also served as his team’s primary punt returner and kickoff returner.
Proving that he was as skilled as he was versatile, Cooper was named a three-time first-team All-Big West Conference selection. Cooper, legendary quarterback and punter Randall Cunningham, and punt returner/kick returner Jacob DeJesus are the only Rebels to earn first-team, all-league honors at multiple positions.
Cooper went on to become one of the most decorated players in Arena Football League history during a 13-year career with the Arizona Rattlers.
Through the years, Cooper has maintained a strong connection to 51ԹϺ. He served as the football team’s radio analyst for two years (1998-99), and in 2023, he was named 51ԹϺ’s director of player development and community engagement.
Cooper was inducted into the Arena Football League Hall of Fame in 2011, and he’s a member of the 2019 class of the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.
Dwaine Knight (Men’s golf coach, 1987-2021)
It’s impossible to discuss the 51ԹϺ men’s golf team without mentioning the name Dwaine Knight, who guided the program to immense success during his 34 years as head coach.
Knight’s list of accomplishments are as long as any of the drives unleashed by the 48 All-Americans he coached. A few of the highlights:
- Knight was twice named National Coach of the Year (1991 and 1998).
- Under Knight, the Rebels made an NCAA-record 31 straight appearances in the NCAA regionals (1988-2019). They also reached the national finals 22 times and earned 11 top-eight finishes.
- In addition to the 48 All-Americans he tutored, Knight developed 89 all-conference players, one National Player of the Year, one National Freshman of the Year, and one U.S. Amateur champion.
- Knight’s 1997-98 squad won the NCAA championship, joining the 1989-90 Runnin’ Rebels basketball team as the only 51ԹϺ squads to win a national title.
- Two players during Knight’s tenure — Warren Schutte in 1991 and Ryan Moore in 2004 — won individual NCAA championships.
In all, 12 of Knight’s golfers joined the PGA Tour. Those Rebels have gone on to win a combined 31 tournament titles, including one major championship: Adam Scott at the 2013 Masters.
Knight adds his 2024 51ԹϺ Athletics Hall of Fame induction to previous enshrinements in the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame, Southern Nevada Golf Association Hall of Fame, Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame, and Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame.
Kevin Lofthus (Baseball player, 1987-89)
During the 1989 college baseball season, no player in the nation slugged more home runs than Kevin Lofthus.
A first baseman, Lofthus arrived at 51ԹϺ after earning junior college All-America honors in Idaho. He crushed 18 home runs during his first season in 1988 and then topped that with a national-best 26 dingers the following year, an accomplishment that The Sporting News recognized with a first-team All-America honor.
His historic senior season included a 34-game hitting streak, which remains a school record. The 44 home runs Lofthus compiled as a Rebel continue to rank third on the school’s all-time list.
Christine Parris (Softball and basketball player, 1990-92)
In the long history of 51ԹϺ softball, only five players have been named national All-Americans in multiple seasons.
Christine Parris is part of that distinguished group.
That’s impressive enough, but consider this: Parris accomplished the feat at two different positions on the softball field. Oh, and she also played one season for the women’s basketball team.
Indeed, Parris was a pioneer at a time when two-sport collegiate athletes were rare, especially in women’s sports.
While Parris played sporadically for the Lady Rebels during the 1991-92 basketball season, she had a massive impact on the softball diamond. The native of Canada transferred from junior college in 1990, promptly set a then single-season school record with a .398 batting average, and helped the Rebels to their first NCAA tournament appearance, with the team advancing to the Women's College World Series for the first time.
After playing shortstop — and earning third-team All-America recognition — in 1990, Parris moved to third base for her senior season. And once again, she was named third-team All-America after batting .356 with 13 doubles and 35 RBI.
The 1991 squad climbed as high as No. 4 in the national rankings and qualified for the Women’s College World Series for a second straight season.
After 51ԹϺ, Parris embarked on a professional softball career and played for Canada in the 1996 Summer Olympics. She still ranks third in 51ԹϺ history with a .377 career batting average and holds the school record with 19 triples.
1991 51ԹϺ Softball Team
The Runnin’ Rebels were hardly the only 51ԹϺ athletics program making national noise in 1991.
One year after making the Women’s College World Series for the first time, the softball team took things to the next level in 1991. The team finished with a 49-17-1 record — at the time, the best in program history — reached No. 4 in the national rankings, and earned a second straight trip to the Women’s College World Series.
Coached by 51ԹϺ Athletics Hall of Famer Shan McDonald, the 1991 squad set or tied 67 school records — including most shutouts (28) and lowest ERA (0.62) — while also producing two All-Americans and four All-West Region players.
While the Rebels failed to record a victory in the double-elimination 1991 World Series, they did go toe to toe with eventual national champion Arizona, losing 1-0 in 13 innings.
To this day, the team’s 49 victories are tied with the 1995 squad for most in school history. And the overall .738 winning percentage is second only to the 1995 team, which went 49-14 and was inducted into the 51ԹϺ Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
Talance Sawyer (Football player, 1995-98)
Talance Sawyer was recruited to 51ԹϺ to play tight end.
However, after his freshmen season in 1995 — when the only pass he caught went for a touchdown — the Rebels’ coaching staff surmised that his body and makeup were better suited for attacking quarterbacks rather than catching passes from them.
Three years, 221 tackles and more than 15 sacks later, Sawyer ended his 51ԹϺ career as one of the best defensive linemen in program history. Sawyer’s skills caught the eye of NFL scouts, as the 6-foot-2, 270-pounder was selected in the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.
As a Rebel, Sawyer led the Western Athletic Conference in tackles for loss in both 1997 and 1998. He was named first-team All-WAC in each of those seasons, and remains one of just three 51ԹϺ defensive linemen to twice earn first-team, all-league honors.
Sawyer’s five-year NFL career was spent in Minnesota. He started every game in 2001 and 2002, accumulating all 11 of his career sacks.
Paul Pucciarelli (Staff, 1985-2016)
If you were a 51ԹϺ student-athlete during a three-decade stretch from the mid-1980s to the mid-2010s, odds are Paul Pucciarelli had a hand in making sure you had the proper athletic equipment.
Known to all as “Pooch,” Pucciarelli landed at 51ԹϺ in 1985 and, within two years, was named head of equipment. Primarily associated with the football program, Pucciarelli worked under eight different head football coaches during his 31-year tenure.
Ultimately, he oversaw the equipment purchasing for 17 51ԹϺ sports.
After retiring with the title of assistant athletics director for equipment and purchasing, Pucciarelli was granted emeritus status at 51ԹϺ in recognition of his valued service.
Steve Stallworth (Silver Rebel Award)
At 51ԹϺ, Steve Stallworth had the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of legendary quarterback Randall Cunningham.
Now, the longtime Las Vegas community leader stands alongside Cunningham as a member of the 51ԹϺ Athletics Hall of Fame, having received the 2024 Silver Rebel Award.
Created by the hall’s executive board, the Silver Rebel Award recognizes those whose primary contributions to 51ԹϺ occurred after their playing days. He has championed his alma mater throughout his career as an executive with multiple Las Vegas-based sports entities.
That said, his playing career wasn’t too shabby, either.
After taking over for Cunningham, Stallworth amassed a total of 3,789 passing yards — which at the time ranked fourth in school history — and 23 touchdowns.
Known for years by the nickname “Strip,” Stallworth remained part of the 51ԹϺ family post-graduation when he took a job in athletics administration, eventually serving as director of sports marketing.
Later, Stallworth worked as associate director of three university sports facilities: the Thomas & Mack Center, Sam Boyd Stadium, and the Cox Pavilion. He went on to be vice president and general manager of the Orleans Arena before moving to his current position as general manager of the South Point Arena, Equestrian Center, and Priefert Pavilion.
Additionally, Stallworth had administrative roles with the Canadian Football League’s Las Vegas Posse, Arena Football League’s Las Vegas Sting, and the Continental Indoor Soccer League’s Las Vegas Dust Devils.
Stallworth’s 51ԹϺ induction was preceded by his 2019 enshrinement in the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.
Bruce Bayne (Distinguished Contributor)
James “Bruce” Bayne never donned a jersey as a player, but he’s been waving the 51ԹϺ flag and bleeding Rebel Red for more than four decades.
A graduate of Western High School in Las Vegas, Bayne got his bachelor's in 1979 followed by a master’s in 1985, both in education. He got his first hands-on experience with Rebel athletics as a graduate student, when he was hired as a graduate assistant by then 51ԹϺ football coach Harvey Hyde.
Bayne went on to coach at various Las Vegas-area high schools, and his career as a high school and collegiate game official stretches back to 1975.
All the while, Bayne continued to support 51ԹϺ athletics through philanthropic acts that are as vast as they are appreciated. He’s a past president of the 51ԹϺ Football Foundation, a founding member of the Runnin’ Rebel Basketball Club, and had a hand in the transformation of football’s Rebel Park.
Bayne’s important contributions to athletics at all levels throughout the Las Vegas Valley were recognized in 2010, when he was inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.
