THIBODAUX, La. – Nicholls Director of Athletics Rob Bernardi announced the six newest members of the Nicholls State University Athletics Hall of Fame today, and joining the previous inductees this year will be a former Major Leaguer, Louisiana Basketball Hall of Famer, two football standouts that went on to professional careers, a Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year in softball and the winningest coach in women's basketball history.
 
The 2012 class of Scott Sanders, Gerard King, Chris Thompson, Jay Pennison, Amy Orr and Ben Abadie will be inducted prior to the Nicholls football home opener against Evangel on Sept. 22 at the Bollinger Memorial Student Union in the Plantation Suite at 3 p.m. The group will then be honored at halftime of the game later that night.
 
“The Nicholls Hall of Fame is so important to our department, and we are excited to welcome these six individuals into it,” Bernardi said.
 
After spending 13 years in the professional ranks, seven in Major League Baseball, Sanders was a two-year letterwinner for the Colonels in 1989 and 1990, setting the single season record for strikeouts with 133 during the '90 season. He played in 41 career games at Nicholls earning 24 starts in his career before being drafted 32^nd overall in the first round of the MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. He is still the highest draft pick in Nicholls baseball history.
 
Even with missing a year with a knee injury, King still played four years for the Colonels men's basketball team, earning multiple all-conference, All-Louisiana and NABC honors by the time he was done. In his senior season he was a part of the first Southland Conference regular season and tournament championships, finishing his career as the fifth-leading scorer in Nicholls history with over 1800 points scored, and second in games played in a career with 110.
 
Thompson ranks seventh all-time in football history with his 11 career interceptions, and still holds the record for the three he had against Arkansas State as a sophomore to begin what became an All-Southland and All-American career in Thibodaux. Named a national player of the week in 2001, Thompson would be rated as one of the top cornerbacks in all of Division I-AA (FCS) and went on to be drafted in the fifth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2004, where he played five years in the NFL before joining the Canadian Football League in 2007 where he has been named a CFL All-Star twice.
 
Another Colonel NFL'er, Pennison was a two-time AP All-American in 1982-83, also earning first team All-Louisiana honors and being named team captain in his final season. The four-time letterwinner was drafted by the Jacksonville Bulls in the 13^th round of the USFL and played from 1984-85. Pennison wouldn't stop there, as he was picked up by the Houston Oilers, playing for Houston's original football franchise from 1986-1990.
 
A junior college transfer, Orr needed just two years to rewrite the Nicholls softball record books, setting the single season record for wins (32), strikeouts in a game (19) and complete games (31) in the 1994 and 1995 seasons.  Orr won 60 games at Nicholls to finish with a .800 winning percentage and in 1995 as a senior was named the SLC Pitcher of the Year, but what stands out was the 50-inning scoreless streak she set from March 19 – April 1, 1995.
 
Abadie played baseball at Nicholls from 1962-68, but really made his mark 20 years later when he assumed the role of head coach for the women's basketball team. In his ten-year stint from 1983-1993, Abadie became the school's all-time wins record holder, and had the first winning season in team history. During that span he had four double-digit winning seasons and five seasons of nine or more wins.
 
For banquet reservations and ticket information, please contact Michelle Keife at (985) 448-4794