Central Methodist Inducts Eight into Hairston Hall of Fame

BY RACHEL MOORE

The Central Methodist Department of Athletics welcomed seven individuals and one team as the newest members of the Hairston Hall of Fame on Saturday, Jan. 28.

The Hall of Fame honors the outstanding accomplishments of CMU athletes, coaches, administrators, and teams and recognizes significant contributions to the University’s athletics programs.

This year’s Hall of Fame Inductees include Charles Bentley Jr., ‘73; Nate Breland, ‘06; Travis Day, ‘97; Kate Fulton, ‘13; Justin Gerald, ‘10; Alex Nichols; Gene Williams, ‘79; and the 1955-56 men’s basketball team.

Charles Bentley Jr. built a perennial power as the head boys’ basketball coach at Harding High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut. During his 34 years as a coach, Bentley compiled a career record of 651-155, which included nine state championships. He took over the program prior to the 1977-78 season, winning a state title in his first year as coach. From 1983-87, Bentley’s programs won five consecutive CIAC Class L Championships. In addition to his duties as the basketball coach, Bentley also served as the head track & field and cross-country coach as well as a physical education teacher at Harding. During his time at the helm of Harding, Bentley coached both John Bagley and Charles Smith, who would go on to have careers in the NBA. Prior to his coaching career, he was a member of the men’s basketball program at CMU, where he served as a team captain.

Nate Breland played for the CMU baseball program from 2003-06, serving as one of Central’s top offensive weapons for the better part of his four seasons. During his time with the Eagles, Breland was a Heart All-Conference selection four times, three times as a catcher and once as an outfielder. He was named to the Heart First Team All-Conference and All-Region First Teams as a senior. Upon finishing at CMU, Breland owned several career records including hits (241), at-bats (646), and runs scored (211), with two of those records just recently being broken. As it stands today, Breland’s name can still be found in the top 10 of nine different CMU baseball career records.

Travis Day played for two seasons on the men’s basketball team before graduating from the university in 1997. During his time with the Eagles, Day set the single-season program record for rebounds with 388 during the 1995-96 season. He was a two-time Heart First Team AllConference selection and is considered the best rebounder in program history. In just two seasons with Central, he eclipsed 1,000 career points to become the 21st member of the 1,000-point club. Day was named the 1997 Estes Award Winner, which is given to a senior athlete on the basis of scholarship, spirit, ability, leadership, citizenship, and moral and spiritual qualities.

Kate Fulton was a four-time NAIA All-American and five-time conference champion in the high jump in track & field. She placed third at indoor nationals in 2011, fifth in 2012 and 2013 and fifth at outdoor nationals in 2011. She set the school record in the high jump with a mark of 1.68 meters as a sophomore in 2011. Altogether, Fulton qualified for nationals every season she competed in. In addition, she competed in the long jump, javelin, and the 4x400 relay during the conference championships. Fulton graduated from CMU in 2013 with a degree in biology and a minor in criminal justice.

Justin Gerald played multiple positions throughout his career with the Eagles football program including running back, wide receiver, and return specialist. He was a three-time Honorable Mention AllAmerican and a four-time Heart All-Conference performer, primarily as a return specialist for the Eagles from 2005-08. He was consistently ranked nationally in yards per punt return, climbing as high as No. 4, averaging 16 yards per return during his junior season. The 16 yards per return was also good enough to lead the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

Alex Nichols completed his ninth year as head men’s soccer coach in the fall of 2022. Coach Nichols built a soccer power at Central, having compiled a 153-30-13 overall record in those nine seasons. Nichols led the Eagles to back-to-back NAIA National Championships in 2018 and 2019 and has twice been named the NAIA National Coach of the Year. In the last four seasons, Nichols has led Central to four Heart Regular Season and Tournament Championships, including four straight NAIA National Tournament Semifinal appearances from 2018-2021. At the end of the 2022 campaign, Central pushed its undefeated streak at home to 46 games, with their last home defeat coming in November of 2018. Altogether, Nichols coached 56 Heart All-Conference selections and 27 NAIA All-Americans.

Gene Williams played for the Central Methodist football program from 1975-78 as a wide receiver. During his final two seasons with the Eagles, Williams was a part of one of the most lethal passing attacks in the country, a team that set national records in 1977, averaging 383.7 passing yards per game in only an eight-game schedule. He finished his junior year with 44 receptions for 853 yards and five touchdowns. His 107 receiving yards per game were good for second on the team and sixth in all the NAIA. Williams improved upon his junior season accomplishments with 46 catches for 1,080 yards, good for No. 4 in the country. In 1978, he joined teammate Steve Luetjen in becoming the first two receivers in school history to record over 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

The 1955-56 men’s basketball team, led by head coach Richard Brumitt, posted a 20-4 record to win the MCAU Conference Championship. The team, at the time, became just the fourth to win at least 20 games in school history. Team members include Elbert Haenssler, Jerry Linneman, Don Williams, Jim Snell, Charles Leonard, Foster Sadler, Bob Morgan, Ronald Hampton, William Meyer, Ron Gulley, Duane Sterling, Don Hammelman, Tom Crews, Wally Crawford, Dallas Wetzler, Dennis Eckert, Donald Slater, Don Spalding, Dick Schultz, Bob Schnatmeier, Jerry Cantlon, and coach Richard Brumitt. Lee Brumitt, ’81, son of Coach Brumitt, represented his father and the team at the ceremony.

In addition to the induction ceremony, the inductees were also recognized in between the men’s and women’s basketball games against rival Missouri Valley College.