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2004 Athletic Hall of Fame

The following individuals were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame and honored during halftime at Homecoming on October 23:

Brad Carson ’97, a three-year letterman on the defensive line for the football team from 1983-85, played both nose guard and defensive tackle, earning first-team All-Yankee Conference and second-team All-New England honors in 1985. He is still involved with the Rhode Island Football Fifth Quarter/105 Club. Carson has been ranked as high as No. 1 regionally and nationally in martial arts/wrestling.

Greta L. Cohen, former professor of physical education, exercise science, and women’s studies, was head coach of the women’s fencing team from 1966 to 1974. The fencing team was the first women’s team at URI to achieve national ranking. Now retired after 36 years of teaching at URI, Cohen is the author of Women in Sports: Issues and Controversies, which is now in its second edition.

Jackie Elmer Fagan ’79, the first woman to receive a full athletic scholarship at URI, became one of the best volleyball players in school history, leading the Rams to the AIAW National Championships in Provo, Utah, in 1977 and to a runner-up finish in New England in 1978. Fagan played professionally in the Italian Professional Volleyball League and with AVP Beach Volleyball Tour. She is now a chemistry teacher and volunteer assistant volleyball coach at South Kingstown High School.

Terry Lynch ’84, a four-year letterman on the football team as a starting quarterback and tight end, ranks ninth all-time in career passing percentage. He was named third-team All-New England as a quarterback in 1980 and was team captain in his senior year. After graduation, Lynch began a 15-year career as an assistant football coach for the Rams. He is now assistant principal at South Kingstown High School and color analyst for Rhode Island football radio broadcasts.

Anne Kelsen ’94 earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors in basketball and softball. In softball, Kelsen was Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 1994. She led the nation in home runs per at-bat in 1994 and led the Rams to the Atlantic 10 Championship for only the third time in team history. Kelsen also earned All-Atlantic 10 honors in basketball, making the women’s basketball team as a walk-on in her freshman year and earning a full scholarship after the first week of practice. She went on to become a four-year starter for the Rams.

Robert Peltier ’59, a three-year starter on both the football and baseball teams from 1956-59, was the Rams’ most athletic lineman, playing on the offensive line as a guard and playing linebacker on defense. Peltier became a successful high school football coach at Westerly High, West Warwick High, and Coventry High, where he reintroduced football in 1964. He taught high school physiology, biology, and physical education at Coventry High School for 29 years.

Jason Gailes ’92, a member of the men’s rowing team, was named to the U.S. National Rowing Team in 1993. As a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, he won a silver medal in quadruple sculls in the Atlanta games. Also in 1996, he was named both U.S. Rowing Magazine’s Athlete of the Year and the U.S. National Rowing Team’s Most Valuable Rower. A three time national rowing champion, Gailes earned a gold and a silver medal at the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia, and a silver medal at the 1994 Pan Am Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

The Top Soccer Coach

Rhode Island men’s soccer coach Ed Bradley became the winningest coach in URI soccer history when the Rams defeated La Salle 4-2 on Oct. 22 for Bradley’s 176th victory as head coach at Rhody.

Bradley won his 176 games in 16 seasons at URI, passing former Rhody coach Geza Henni, who had 175 career wins in 20 seasons. Bradley, a former All-Yankee Conference standout for the Rams, had already posted his 200th career victory on Oct. 3, also in Philadelphia against Saint Joseph’s.

“It’s been a lot of fun, hopefully there will be plenty more wins and several more years,”Bradley said. “Hopefully we can win an Atlantic 10 Championship this year and advance in the NCAAs.”

The Providence native had a 177-126-21 record at URI and a 204-135-35 overall record as of Oct. 28, including three seasons as the head coach at Rhode Island College. He also spent 11 seasons as the head coach at Barrington (R.I.) High.

Bradley has led the Rams to eight winning seasons in the last nine years, including six-straight. Under Bradley the Rams have won four Atlantic 10 regular season titles and four tournament championships, including last fall’s, which gave Rhody its fifth NCAA appearance in the last nine years.

RIRAA surpasses $1 million mark

The generosity of alumni and friends of URI Athletics put the Rhode Island Rams Athletic Association (RIRAA) over the $1 million mark during the 2003-04 fiscal year. RIRAA brought in nearly $400,000 in unrestricted funds and $285,000 in restricted funds. More than $290,000 was raised for athletic endowments, scholarships, and capital projects, and through a variety of special events, RIRAA and its affiliate booster groups took in more than $250,000. To all our generous supporters, thanks for being a part of URI’s success!