Director of Athletics Bob Krimmel announced on Tuesday that 12 individuals and two teams will be enshrined into the Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame, which will hold its induction ceremony after a men's and women's basketball doubleheader on Feb. 5, 2011.

The 2011 inductees are Tony Bova (football), Barry Bimbi (men's soccer), Nicole (Hollman) Walters (women's track & field), Mary Markey (women's basketball), Father Jack O'Malley (men's basketball), Jenny Przekwas (women's basketball head coach), Dominic Joseph “Mike” Ryba (baseball), Dr. Ferdinand Shields (men's basketball), Wilbur Trosch (men's basketball), Kate (Wallace) Remillard (women's cross country/track & field), Jess Zinobile (women's basketball), and Jack Zebo (men's volleyball). In addition to the individuals being inducted, Saint Francis will enshrine its 1951-52 men's basketball and 1995-96 women's basketball teams.

“The Class of 2011 of the Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame is a distinguished group of individuals and teams who have shaped the history of our athletics program,” Krimmel said. “I am appreciative of the many alumni and friends who nominated candidates for this year's class, our President, Fr. Gabriel Zeis T.O.R. for his support and to the selection committee for their diligent work in selecting these outstanding men and women who have meant so much to Saint Francis. I look forward to welcoming them back to campus for their official induction on February 5th.”

The Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame was established with its inaugural class of 10 on November 16, 1996. Five more members were inducted in 1999, 2001 and 2003, and six more in 2007. The 2011 class of 12 individuals, plus two teams, will be the largest induction class in school history.

Tony Bova, who was blind in one eye and partially blind in the other, is one of very few Saint Francis football players to enjoy success in the National Football League. He played football at Saint Francis, and left at the start of World War II to enlist in the Navy, but was discharged from the military once it was discovered that he was legally blind. He then went on to the NFL and played with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1940s, including stints with the Philadelphia Eagles (in 1943) and Chicago Cardinals (1944) when the Steelers merged with those franchises during World War II to form the “Steagles” and “Card-Pitt.” Bova led the NFL in average gain per completed pass, netting 419 yards in 19 completed aerials, in 1943. He is listed on the NFL honor roll, located at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which lists the over 1,000 NFL personnel who served in the military during World War II. Bova received his college degree in 1943.

Barry Bimbi was a four-year starter and three-year captain for the Saint Francis men's soccer team, and he was the first player in school history to be named All-Northeast Conference on multiple occasions. He is still the only player in program history to be named All-Northeast Conference during all four years of collegiate eligibility. He burst onto the scene by leading the Northeast Conference with school records in goals (14) and points (33) during his freshman season in 1990. Bimbi's career numbers still rank among Saint Francis' all-time best as he is tied for first in goals (40), second in points (98), second in shots (184), second in assists (18), and second in goals per game (0.7). His 33 points in 1990 is still a school record, and his 29 points in 1992 are fourth at SFU. Bimbi, was the recipient of the 1994 Eugene & Rosemary Turano Athletic Award, has continued his career in collegiate soccer. He was an assistant coach at Saint Francis for four years, moved on to Marquette, and is currently a women's soccer assistant coach at Pittsburgh.

Nicole (Hollman) Walters, a former teammate of fellow inductee Kate Wallace, lettered in women's track & field at Saint Francis from 1996-2000 when she collected seven Northeast Conference individual titles. She won the 1998 and 1999 indoor conference titles in the shot put, the 1999 and 2000 indoor titles in the weight throw, the 1997 and 1998 outdoor championships in the shot put, and the 2000 outdoor title in the hammer throw. Hollman's best season was in her senior campaign when she was named the MVP of both the Northeast Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championships Field Events. She left the Red Flash program as the school-record holder in the indoor weight throw, and the outdoor shot put and hammer throw. Her toss of 184'4” in the outdoor hammer throw still stands as a school record.

Mary Markey attended Saint Francis from 1994-98 and helped lead the Red Flash to their first three Northeast Conference titles in women's basketball. When she left the program, Markey was the all-time leading scorer at SFU, and currently sits third with 1,709 points. She is also tied for fifth in rebounding (818), third in blocks (129), and fifth in steals (197). Markey was the 1994-95 Northeast Conference Newcomer-of-the-Year, a two-time honoree on the All-Northeast Conference First Team, and the 1996-97 Northeast Conference Player-of-the-Year, but she often saved her best basketball for the end of the season. She was a four-time honoree on the Northeast Conference All-Tournament Team, and won the tournament MVP award in 1996 and again in 1998. Markey led the Red Flash to a remarkable 81-38 record (.681) during her career, including a 58-12 (.829) mark in Northeast Conference contests.

Father Jack O'Malley preceded his priesthood by leading the Red Flash to a 52-22 record in three seasons as a standout point guard, including back-to-back 20-5 seasons. He lettered from 1956-59, and was a member of the Saint Francis National Invitation Tournament (NIT) team that faced Fordham at Madison Square Garden. Although the official assist stats can't be confirmed from his era, Fr. O'Malley led the Red Flash in assists all three seasons in Loretto, and finished with 791 points (11.0 ppg) and 422 rebounds (5.9 rpg) in three seasons. He was well known as a clutch player and served as the team captain during the 1958-59 season. Fr. O'Malley helped Saint Francis win the Carousel Tournament in 1958, and earlier in the season hit a pair of free throws with no time remaining to help the Red Flash defeat in-state rival Duquesne, 65-64. It was a win that helped Saint Francis get into the NIT. Fr. O'Malley is presumed to be the only Saint Francis men's basketball player to become a priest.

During eight seasons at Saint Francis, Jenny Przekwas turned a struggling women's basketball team into one of the most storied small-school programs in the nation. She inherited a Red Flash program that won 155 games in 23 seasons of existence, but left as the school's all-time winningest coach with a 133-99 career record from 1991-99. She helped guide the Red Flash to their first four Northeast Conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. She compiled an amazing 99-50 record in her last five seasons, the final four ending in conference titles. Przekwas' foundation for success continued into the 2000s as Saint Francis has gone on to win a Northeast Conference record 10 league titles.

Dominic Joseph “Mike” Ryba lettered in baseball at Saint Francis in 1924 and 1925 before signing a professional contract. The Delancey, Jefferson Country, Pa. native was hitting .745 as a first baseman for Saint Francis when he signed the contract. Ryba, who attended the Loretto campus on football and baseball scholarships, will also be inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in August of 2010. (The International League consists of AAA affiliates of Major League Baseball teams). Ryba was the 1940 International League MVP when he led the league in wins and innings pitched. In two seasons (1939-40) with Rochester, which is now the AAA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, Ryba posted a record of 42-20 and won the 1939 Governors Cup. His .677 winning percentage and 2.82 ERA rank fifth in franchise history. In 1939, Ryba won 18 games with a 2.69 ERA to lead Rochester to its first Governors Cup. He led the IL in complete games and shutouts in 1939 and 1940, and briefly managed Rochester during its pennant-winning season of 1940.

Dr. Ferdinand Shields played men's basketball at Saint Francis from 1924-28, and is believed to be the only person to be Mr. Frankie, captain of the basketball team, valedictorian of his graduating class and president of the senior class. Representing the true spirit of a student-athlete, Shields was extremely success as a high school basketball coach before devoting his life to teaching and administering education at the elementary and secondary school level. His final career position was as Director of an Intermediate Unit of a large number of schools in Pennsylvania. Shield was a president of the Saint Francis Alumni Association, and was chosen as an outstanding alumnus of Saint Francis in Education. He was a member of the University's Board of Trustees when he passed away in 1993. Shields was presented the Most Distinguished Alumnus Award at the annual Saint Francis homecoming celebration in 1969. Each year, the Dr. Ferdinand K. and Frances Little Shields Scholarship is presented to a Saint Francis student. Shields led Saint Francis to a 52-41 record during his career.

Wilbur Trosch, nicknamed “Tree,” was taken by the Saint Louis Hawks in the fourth round of the 1958 NBA Draft, and helped guide Saint Francis University to a 54-19 record in his three seasons of collegiate eligibility from 1957-60. The team's .740 winning percentage during his career is the highest of any Red Flash team since that three-year span, and the 1958 team is the last SFU squad to play in the National Invitation Tournament. Trosch, who led Saint Francis in scoring all three seasons, left the program as the school's third-leading scorer, and still ranks 12^th on that list with 1,361 career points (18.6 ppg). He is also sixth on the school's all-time rebounding list (875), fourth in rebounds per game (12.0 rpg), and sixth in field goal attempts (1,308).

Kate (Wallace) Remillard is a former teammate of fellow inductee Nicole Hollman, and lettered with the Saint Francis women's cross country and track & field teams from 1996-2000. She is perhaps the pioneer of women's distance running success at Saint Francis, capturing four Northeast Conference individual titles during her career. Wallace was the Northeast Conference Outdoor champion in the 3,000-meters and 5,000-meters in 2000, and a two-time NEC Indoor titlist in the 5k, in 1999 and 2000. Additionally, Wallace was two-time All-Northeast Conference in cross country, and was named the NEC Most Valuable Runner during the league's outdoor championships in 2000. She held four school records when she left Saint Francis in 2000, and still sits second in the outdoor 3k (10:00.28) and indoor 5k (17:40.50). Also strong in academics, Wallace was the first Saint Francis student-athlete to be voted as an Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Jess Zinobile, who lettered at Saint Francis from 1996-2000, is perhaps the most recognizable name in Northeast Conference women's basketball history. She holds the Northeast Conference (and Saint Francis) all-time records for scoring (2,338 points) and rebounding (1,295 rebounds). Zinobile was the 1996-97 Northeast Conference Newcomer-of-the-Year, a two-time Northeast Conference Player-of-the-Year, and a three-time Northeast Conference Tournament MVP. Zinobile holds the league record for most times being selected Northeast Conference Player-of-the-Week (14) during their career. In addition to her school records in scoring and rebounding, Zinobile holds the Saint Francis career records for field goals made (tied with 831), free throws made (645), free throws attempted (810), and field goals attempted (1,731), and is second in steals (282), fifth in assists (381), seventh in blocks (60). She also holds Red Flash single-season records in points scored (724) and rebounds (366).

Jack Zebo assaulted the Red Flash men's volleyball record books while playing at Saint Francis from 1993-96. During the serve and volley era, he holds all-time Red Flash records for kills (1,808) and attacks (3,493), and is second in hitting percentage (.334), service aces (121) and blocks (343), and fourth in digs (518). He helped guide Saint Francis to 23 wins in 1995 and 19 wins in 1993, giving the Red Flash their two best single-season win totals in program history.

In 2007, the Maurice Stokes Teams of 1953-54 and 1954-55 were the first teams in school history to be inducted into the Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame. Two more basketball teams will join the hall this time around.

The 1951-52men's basketball team will be enshrined as the only Saint Francis team to compete for a national title of any kind. During the 1951-52 season, the Red Flash lost, 76-64, on Mar. 22, 1952, in the finals of the National Catholic Invitation national championship game against Marquette University. During the tournament played in Troy, N.Y., Saint Francis defeated Loyola-Md. (66-52), Saint Joseph's (65-56) and Siena (54-51) before falling to Marquette. The Red Flash completed the regular season with 23 wins, and scored over 80 points in six games during the season. The team produced three players – Edward F. Dugan (1,003), John F. Bodner (1,125) and Maurice Stokes (2,282) – who scored more than 1,000 points during their careers. Stokes was selected to the National Catholic Invitation All-Tournament Team as the Red Flash finished the season 23-7. Another member of Saint Francis Athletics Hall of Fame, Dr. William “Skip” Hughes, was in his seventh season as head coach during the 1951-52 season. He was assisted by coach William Wanish and manager James Brown. Team members included George M. Banchansky (Banky), Thomas Barry, John F. Bodner, Larry F. Chernauskas, John T. Clancy, Edward F. Dugan, Pasquale (Pat) F. Farace, Marion Lampkins, Edward A. Sharick, Maurice Stokes, Eugene Phelps, and Charles Trzuskowski.

The 1995-96 Saint Francis women's basketball team was the first to win a Northeast Conference championship, and is now the first women's team to be enshrined in the Athletics Hall of Fame. Led by head coach Jenny Przekwas, another 2011 inductee, the 1995-96 Red Flash set the standard for what has become one of the nation's marquee small school Division I basketball programs. It was the first of five straight Northeast Conference championships Saint Francis, four of which came under Przekwas' watch. The 1995-96 team finished 19-11 overall, and 13-5 in the Northeast Conference. The 19 wins tied the school record at the time, and had a nine-game winning streak, which was second-longest in program history. Finishing second during the Northeast Conference regular season, Saint Francis defeated Marist (91-78) and Rider (88-68) to advance to the championship game against perennial power Mount St. Mary's. The Red Flash traveled to Emmitsburg, Md. and upset the top-seeded Mount, 98-66, to advance to the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament. SFU played Georgia in the NCAA Midwest Regional. On the 1995-96 team, Stacy Alexander and Colleen Joyce were named First Team All-Northeast Conference, Mary Markey was the Northeast Conference Tournament MVP, and Markey, Alexander and Joyce were all named to the All-Tournament Team. Markey, Joyce and Alexander are ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively, on Saint Francis' all-time scoring list. Przekwas was assisted by Pippa Pierce and Carol Holtz. Team members were Stacy Alexander (Portage, Pa.), Kristy Balliet, Carolyn Bull, Casey Burke, Dayna Dougherty, Colleen Joyce, Sally O'Donnell, Kamara Price, Colleen Connors, April Sanner, Jean Williams, Mary Markey, Latoya Moore, and Nicole Whitworth.