Athletic Report
October 2, 2001

HALL OF HONORS INDUCTEES 2001
PORTALES, NM — Eastern New Mexico University will add eight individuals to the ENMU Athletics Hall of Honors during induction ceremonies at Eastern’s Homecoming Game against Angelo State University on Saturday, Oct. 6. ENMU’s Hall of Honors Class of 2001 includes Leo Brittain, Don Carthel, Benjamin “Benji” Dial, Dr. Kathleen Salter, Loretta Segura, Charlie Sorgen and Donna Messer Sorgen, and Lisa Coffey Williams.

Brittain played football at Eastern from 1960 through 1963. He played defensive end, and was chosen Hardest Blocker and Tackler in 1963. Brittain has been a successful high school football coach for 35 years, including 27 years as a head coach. He has guided teams to 12 District titles, 47 playoff games and one State title. He was named Fab-Knit “State Coach-of-the-Year” in Texas in 1990. Brittain is currently head football coach at athletic coordinator at Richland High School near Dallas, Texas. He has been named District Coach-of-the-Year and Area Coach-of-the-Year nine times each.

Don Carthel was a four-year letterman in football and track from 1970-71 through 1973-74. He graduated from ENMU in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education, and received a master’s degree in Physical Education from ENMU in 1975. In football, he was an All-American candidate for three season and was chosen NAIA All-District at center in 1973. He was named Greatest Greyhound as the outstanding at Eastern in 1973-74. Carthel also was a member of Eastern’s NAIA National Championship track and field team in 1974.

Later, he was head football coach at ENMU from 1985 through 1991, and earned a 44-28-1 overall record, while leading the Hounds to their first ever Lone Star Conference title in any sport in 1991. His .610 winning percentage is the highest among ENMU head football coaches with more than two seasons at Eastern.

Dial, who is being inducted posthumously, died from a heart attack this past spring at the age of 57. His wife of 27 years, Phyllis Dial, will receive his award at Homecoming. Dial was a quarterback for the Greyhounds from 1962 through 1965. He was named Honorable Mention All-American in 1965, and received a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1966. He passed for 3,491 yards and 25 touchdowns during his ENMU career. He also ran for 1,105 yards, giving him 4,596 yards of total offense. Dial held many of Eastern’s football records for passing and total offense when he graduated, and he still holds records for completion percentage in a game (84.6%) and a season (59.2% in 1964).

Dial played professional football for six years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins in the National Football League and with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He later coached for 25 years at the high school level. He spent his last nine years as the head football coach at DeSoto High School in Texas, where he led the Eagles to a 67-42-4 record and 7 playoff berths, including 5 in a row from 1996-00. He was named athletic director at DeSoto in 2000.

Dr. Salter has been Eastern New Mexico’s official scorekeeper at women’s basketball games since the Zias played their first ever game in 1974-75. She has been a volunteer during all but two of her 27 years as a member of Eastern’s gameday staff. Salter has also worked as the official scorekeeper at many of ENMU’s men’s basketball games. Salter began teaching full-time as a member of the ENMU faculty in 1972-73.

She is currently Chairman of the Department of Mathematics, and is a Professor of Mathematics at ENMU. She received the President’s Faculty Award for Outstanding Contribution in Teaching in 1978-79. Salter was a Spirit of Eastern Award recipient in 1996.

Segura was a four-year starter on the ENMU women’s volleyball team from 1979 through 1982. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Eastern in 1983, and was an assistant volleyball coach with the Zias during the 1983 season. She worked for 10 years at the Portales Reintegration Center, helping troubled youths return to regular social settings. Segura was a setter during her playing days at Eastern, and currently ranks 8th all-time at Eastern with 1,329 assists. She was named to the ENMU All-Century Volleyball Team.

As a player, Segura helped the Zias qualify for the NAIA District VII Playoffs for the first time ever in 1981. She also led Eastern to an 18-6 record an another NAIA District VII Playoff berth in 1982. She was an NAIA All-District pick in 1982, and was named Team MVP or Co-MVP three times. She led District VII in assists and was fourth in serving aces in 1981. She also ranked 3rd in the District in serving percentage in 1982 and was 7th in 1981. She is an elementary school teacher in the Southwest Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas.

Donna Messer Sorgen and Charlie Sorgen were chosen vice presidents of the ENMU Bench Club in 1998-99. They filled in as acting presidents of the Bench Club in 1998-99 and 1999-00 after Al and Lacy Whitehead moved to Oklahoma. The Sorgens led Bench Club meeting luncheons and helped cook at Steak Fey events.

They also worked tirelessly at tailgate cookouts at ENMU sporting events, and participated in a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life during the Roosevelt County Fair. Donna and Charlie led fundraising effort that brought in more than $50,000 during the truck giveaway promotion in 1999-00. Charlie attended ENMU from 1959 through 1964. He received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Eastern in 1964. The Sorgens live in Portales, N.M.

Lisa Coffey Williams was a four-year volleyball starter at Eastern from 1981 through 1984. She played outside hitter and middle blocker during her career. Williams received a Bachelor of Business Administration, with majors in Business Administration and Finance, from ENMU in 1985. She later completed an emphasis in Elementary Education, and earned a Master of Education degree from ENMU in 1991.

Williams was chosen ENMU Rookie-of-the-Year as a freshman in 1981, when she helped the Zias qualify for the NAIA District VII Playoffs for the first time. She also helped Eastern reach the playoffs in 1982, 1983 and 1984. She made significant contributions to the Zias’ NAIA District VII championship team in 1984, helping the squad finish with a 29-11 overall record. She currently ranks 4th all-time at Eastern with 963 career kills. She coached the junior varsity volleyball team at Ruidoso High School (N.M.) in 1987-88. She volunteered in the Ruidoso Public Schools for three years and was the director of the Volunteer in Public Schools program in 1998. She home schools her two children, Haley and Ryan.