EKU Athletics Hall of Fame
RICHMOND, Ky. – The 2025 Eastern Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame induction class of seven distinguished individuals and the 2004-05 women's basketball team was inducted on Saturday at the EKU Center for the Arts.
The 2025 induction class included: Soufiane Bouchikhi (track/cross country, 2010-14), Billy Burton (men's basketball, 1968-72), Ernest Dalton (track/cross country, 1959-63), Leon Hart (football, 1976-88), Leanna Pittsenbarger (softball, 2012-15), John Revere (football, 1972-76) and Mark Sandy (administration, 2005-15, 2019-20). The entire 2004-05 women's basketball team will be inducted as a team of distinction.
Bouchikhi was an NCAA cross country All-American in 2012 and 2013, and was a 4-time NCAA All-Southeast Region selection. He was named the Southeast Region Runner of the Year in 2012 and picked as the Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Runner of the Year four times. Bouchikhi was a first-team NCAA All-American in outdoor track in the 10,000-meter run in 2012, OVC Male Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2014 and a 4-time OVC 5,000-meter run champion. He was a second-team NCAA All-American in the indoor 5,000-meter run in 2012 and a 4-time OVC indoor 3,000-meter champ. Bouchikhi won the OVC indoor 1,500 in 2011.
Burton was the driving force in EKU's basketball success from 1969-72, starting all 71 games at point guard while drawing the assignment of guarding the other team's top player. Freshmen were ineligible for varsity play his first season at EKU, but Burton was an offensive star averaging 15.1 points and 8.4 rebounds as the frosh went 12-6 and averaged 90.4 points per game. He averaged 9.5 points per game as a sophomore as the Colonels finished tied for third in the conference. As a junior, Burton led the team in assists and averaged 10.2 points per game while EKU tied for second in the OVC, winning 10 of its last 12 games of the year. His playing career culminated in 1972 with an OVC Championship. The Colonels played five teams in the top 25 that season, finishing with a 15-11 record. In the NCAA Tournament, EKU came within a whisker of defeating eventual NCAA runner-up Florida State, losing by just two points 83-81. Burton finished his Eastern career with 928 points and 480 rebounds. He was drafted by the ABA's Indiana Pacers in the spring of 1972.
Dalton competed in men's track for four seasons, leading the team in scoring all four years, and also played one season on the freshman basketball team. He set school records for outdoor long jump, indoor long jump, intermediate hurdles and outdoor triple jump. He also competed in the high jump, javelin, high hurdles and low hurdles. Dalton held the OVC broad jump record for one season. He once competed in seven events in one meet. Dalton finished second in the Southeast Decathlon, becoming the only EKU athlete to ever compete in a decathlon. He was asked by EKU head coach Glenn Gossett to help the first African-American athletes to ever come to the university be accepted by their teammates. Although a teenager at the time, he bonded the members of the team together. He drove them into the South for competitions, finding them places to stay and eat while being discriminated against along the way. Upon graduation, he taught gymnastics for one year and coached the cross country team for two seasons. He was named the Outstanding Health, Physical Education and Recreation Student his senior year. Following graduation, Dalton returned to the Dayton area – teaching special education, serving as head basketball coach, high school counselor and finally principal of Carlisle High School for a total of 23 years in the educational field.
Pittsenbarger was a 2014 All-OVC First Team selection as well as a NFCA All-Region choice. In 2012 she earned a spot on the OVC All-Newcomer Team and was second team all-conference in 2013. She holds EKU single season records for most strikeouts (297), most shutouts (12) and lowest opponent batting average, all of which were set in 2012. Pittsenbarger has EKU career records for most innings pitched (761.1), most games played (155) and most strikeouts (885). She is second in EKU history in career wins (68).
Hart coached wide receivers, running backs and quarterbacks, and then served as offensive coordinator from 1981-88. While he was an EKU assistant, the Colonels won two national titles (1979 and 1982) and finished as the national runner-up twice (1980 and 1981). Hart also helped EKU make the playoffs in 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1988. In 1985 EKU missed the playoffs, but the team went 8-3 and closed out the season with 45-21 rout of Louisville. The Colonels compiled an overall record of 120-37-2 in his 13-year stint on the staff, which included eight OVC titles to go along with the two national titles and two national runners-up finishes.
Revere was a two-sport participant at EKU for four seasons. He earned first-team All-OVC football honors as a junior wide receiver after making second-team all-conference a sophomore. He hauled in 95 passes in his career for 1,501 yards and 13 touchdowns, while rushing the ball 53 times for 419 yards and two touchdowns. Revere also handled punt and kickoff return duties for the Colonels. He served as a co-captain his senior season as the Colonels went 8-2-1 in 1975. As a baseball player in 1974 he hit .371 and stole 11 bases in 12 attempts. In limited plate appearances his senior season, he hit .434. Revere concluded his career with a .354 career batting average. After coaching football and track in his home state of Georgia at LaGrange High School, Revere returned to EKU in 1997 as an assistant coach for running backs on Roy Kidd's staff. In 2012, he was selected as the FCS Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.
Sandy served as athletics director from 2005-2015 and then again during the 2019-2020 academic year. During his tenure, EKU captured 34 OVC team championships and won the Commissioner's Cup in 2012, 2014 and 2015. Prior to the formation of the Commissioner's Cup all-sports championship, the Colonels won the Men's All-Sports Trophy from 2005-2008. At the national level, EKU qualified for 19 NCAA Championship events during his tenure, including the football program reaching the NCAA FCS playoffs four times. The men's basketball team went to the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and 2014. EKU student-athletes excelled in the classroom as evidenced in the 2014 APR calculation that showed 10 programs receiving perfect single-year scores. Several EKU athletics facilities were updated during his tenure. Sandy oversaw the addition of the women's soccer program in 2005 and the creation of the EKU Athletics Hall of Fame that same year. He also served EKU as interim vice president for development for seven months in 2013 and as interim vice president for marketing and communications for six months in 2014. He continued his athletics administration career, serving as athletics director at Ball State from 2015-2018.
The women's basketball team had a magical season in 2004-05 when the Colonels went 23-8 overall, 15-1 in conference play and won the OVC Tournament with a thrilling double overtime victory against Southeast Missouri. EKU was awarded a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament and played No. 5 seed Arizona State in Fresno, California. There were many elements leading to this championship season which actually started the year before when Eastern lost in the OVC Championship game to Austin Peay. The returning players were dedicated to coming back strong and making it to the NCAA. The team was led by EKU Hall of Fame head coach Larry Joe Inman and featured four players that received all-conference recognition. The consistent senior leadership of Miranda Eckerle and Pam Garrett and the inspired play of Ashley Cazee and Tamara Arnold took this team to the top and help them realize the ultimate goal of making it to the NCAA tourney.
For more information on the EKU Athletics Hall of Fame, please contact
Karl Park, Executive Director of the EKU Athletics Hall of Fame, at karl.park@eku.edu.
