Dillon native John Alford is among five athletes who will be inducted into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame on Friday, March 15, 2013.
The group includes three student-athletes and two coaches, all of whom have made “significant contributions to their communities, institutions, and the conference,” according to MEAC Commissioner Dennis E. Thomas. The MEAC Hall of Fame honors former student-athletes, coaches, university and conference administrators, and special contributors who have enriched the legacy of the conference. The inductees were selected by a committee of 13 administrators and representatives from member institutions.
Alford led the South Carolina State Bulldogs with a defense that ranked among the best in their division in his junior and senior years. The team won three MEAC titles and went 10-1 overall and 5-0 in the conference in 1980. Alford was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1980 and was a first-team All-MEAC selection. He led his team in tackles and was selected to play in the Black College All-Star game.
In 1981, Alford was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the 12th round of the NFL Draft. He was inducted into the South Carolina State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and named to their Centennial football team in 2007.
Alford was also a wrestler for the Bulldog wrestling team. He is currently treasurer of the former South Carolina State Athletes Association.
The other honorees include:
• Louis Breeden of North Carolina Central, who was a four-year letter winner and was an All-MEAC first team selection in 1975 and 1976. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 1977 NFL Draft and played 11 seasons. He set a club record on November 8, 1981 with a 102-yard interception return against San Diego and was named to the All-Pro first team in 1982. He was inducted into the NCCU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985.
• Yvette Lewis of Hampton, who was a track and field student-athlete from 2004 to 2007, earning four All-MEAC first team selections, three All-MEAC second accolades, and one All-MEAC Third Team honors. She was a four-time NCAA All-American in track and field and holds MEAC indoor track and field records in the high jump at 1.78m in 2005, and in individual points at 48 in 2006. She won a gold medal in the 2011 Pan-American Games in the 100m hurdles, ranking eighth in the world.
• Sharon D. Brummell of Maryland Eastern Shore coached at UMES for 14 seasons and became the first African-American woman to win a women’s bowling championship in 2008. It was also the first win for a Historically Black College and University. In 2011, Brummell led the Lady Hawks to win the team’s second NCAA title and UMES won the US Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Championships to become the first team to win two national championships during the same year. She was named National Coach of the year in 2008 and 2011 and is a five-time MEAC Coach of the Year. She was also named MEAC Outstanding Coach five times and won five MEAC titles.
• Steve Wilson coached the Howard football team from 1989 to 2001. In his first year, he led the team to an 8-3 record and was named MEAC Coach of the Year. In the 1990s, the team was named Black College national champions and held a 70 percent winning percentage. In 1993, the team went 11-0 and competed i the NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) playoffs for the first time in the school’s history. He was named to the Black College Hall of Fame and a MEAC/SWAC Challenge Legend in 2012.
