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WCU Athletics Number or Jersey Honor / Retirement Procedures (in PDF form)
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Baseball - #23 - Keith LeClair (1985-88)
Played on four consecutive Southern Conference Championship Baseball teams (1985-88) as a first baseman ... At the time of his induction into the WCU Hall of Fame, he ranked in the top 10 in six different WCU hitting categories while posting a career .375 batting average. He was named MVP of the 1988 Southern Conference Tournament (batted .600/12 RBI) ... In 1992 he became Western's head coach and led the Catamounts to the Southern Conference regular season and tournament championships as well as the championship of the NCAA south regional ... Overall he lead WCU to three Southern Conference tournament titles and three Southern Conference regular season titles ... LeClair was a three time Southern Conference Coach of the Year with a career record of 229-135. His number was retired on April 11, 2006.
Football - #54 - Art Byrd (1946-49)
First football All-America selection at Western Carolina University, playing guard on both the offensive and defensive side of the football ... Helped the Catamounts to an 8-2 regular season mark in 1949 and their first North State Conference title ... That team additionally holds the distinction of being WCU's first to earn a postseason bid, playing in the Smoky Mountain Bowl in Bristol, Va. ... Is the first Western Carolina student-athlete to have their jersey retired ... Inducted into the Western Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990, WCU's first-ever induction class.
Football - #23 - Jerry Gaines (1970-75)
Was an Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association All-America selection in 1974 ... Also earned All-America honors in baseball and track & field while at Western ... Set WCU records with 3,449 career receiving yards, a 20.6-yard per reception average for his career, and recorded 15 games with over 100 yards receiving ... Only the second Western Carolina football player to have his jersey retired ... Inducted into Western Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990, WCU's first-ever induction class.
Football - #41 - Brad Hoover (1996-99)
A 2008 inductee into WCU's Athletics Hall of Fame and a two-time All-Southern Conference selection at running back, Brad Hoover starred at tailback for the Catamounts from 1996 through 1999 before playing 10 seasons for the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League. Hoover ranks third in Western Carolina football history with 3,616 career rushing yards, trailing just second-place Detrez Newsome (3,728 yards from 2014-17) and all-time leader Darrell Lipford, (4,089 yards from 1974-77). His career tally includes a WCU single-season record of 1,663 rushing yards in 1998 which came on a single-season best 331 carries. Hoover's 708 career rushes additionally rank him third in program history, finishing fourth with a 5.10 career rushing average and tied for eighth with 23 scores on the ground. All told, Hoover recorded 15 career 100-yard rushing games, which is also third among Catamount running backs, surpassing the century mark in a program-best, seven-consecutive games in 1998.
Football - #14 - Kirk Roach (1984-87)
The most honored player in WCU's football history and a member of the Southern Conference's 75th Anniversary Football Team. He is WCU's and the Southern Conference's only three time All American Selection (1984, 1986, 1987) and one of only three conference players to be named All Southern Conference four times (1984-87). At induction he owned 10 Southern Conference, 18 WCU and five NCAA I-AA kicking records and owned the distinction of being WCU's highest NFL draft choice - fifth by the Buffalo Bills in 1987. He kicked 71 field goals including 11 of 50 or more yards and accounted for 302 points. He missed only one extra point attempt in four seasons. His jersey was honored on Sept. 30, 2006.
Men's Basketball - #15 - Ronald Rogers (1949-53)
Was Western Carolina's first basketball All-American ... Named NAIA All-America in 1951, '52, and '53, as well as a three-time First Team North State Atlantic Conference pick ... Scored 1,960 career points and currently ranks third on Western's all-time leading scorer list ... Led Western to its first 20-win season in 1953 (22-8) ... His number was retired on February 9, 2002; was inducted into the Western Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990, WCU's first-ever induction class.
Men's Basketball - #10 - Henry Logan (1964-68)
Finished his collegiate career as Western Carolina's all-time leading scorer with 3,290 career points, an average of 30.7 per game ... Also dished out a career 1,037 assists, another WCU record ... Was the first African-American to be recruited to and participate in intercollegiate athletics at a predominantly white institution in the Southeast ... Was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame during the summer of 2000 ... His number was retired on February 9, 2002; was inducted into the Western Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990, WCU's first-ever induction class.
Men's Basketball - #20 - Mel Gibson (1959-63)
An all-star on Western Carolina's most heralded basketball team as he was a first team Associated Press and NAIA All-American selection on the 1963 team that won its way to the NAIA National Championship Game ... Ranks second on WCU's all-time scoring list and averaged over 20 points per game as a junior and senior leading the Catamounts to 49 wins ... He was a key player on USA's gold medal team in the Pan American Games in Brazil in 1963 and was drafted in the second round by the Los Angles Lakers and played extensively as a rookie ... Was a successful collegiate coach with 251 wins in 16 seasons at Baptist (SC) College and UNC Wilmington ... His jersey retirement ceremony was on January 14, 2006; was inducted into the Western Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.
Women's Basketball - #25 - Jayne Arledge (1976-79)
Was first female to receive athletic grant-in aid at Western Carolina University in 1976 and the first female to have her jersey retired in school history ... She continues to rank as the all-time leading scorer in WCU women's basketball history with 1,928 points in four seasons and averaged 21.7 points per game for her career ... Led the Lady Catamounts to four consecutive winning seasons and was two time all-state selection. An honor student who has gone on to a successful collegiate coaching career. Inducted into the Western Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.
