ENMU Athletics Hall of Honors Class of 2005 Set for Induction during Homecoming Game

PORTALES, N.M. — Eastern New Mexico University will induct eight individuals into the ENMU Athletics Hall of Honors during ceremonies at Eastern’s Homecoming game against Angelo State University on Saturday, Oct. 1. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT, with the Hall of Honors ceremony set for halftime. ENMU’s Hall of Honors Class of 2005 includes Jennifer (Harrer) Buzard, Betty Gayle Cooper-Ratliff, Harold “Bud” Elliott, Tommy Hightower, Russell Knudson, Jimmy Joe Robinson, Stacey (Estlund) Vladimiroff and Michael Walton.

Buzard, Cooper-Ratliff, Hightower, Robinson, Vladimiroff and Walton are being inducted as athletes. Elliott is being inducted as a coach and Knudson is being inducted in the support category. Cooper-Ratliff and Knudson are posthumous selections.

Jennifer (Harrer) Buzard played softball at Eastern New Mexico University as a pitcher during the 1998 through 2001 seasons. She was the top pitcher in 2001, as the Zias won the Lone Star Conference South Division title, took second place at the LSC Tournament and were selected for the NCAA Division II Tournament. ENMU won the South Central Regional championship and advanced to the National Finals in Salem, Va., where the Zias tied for fifth place.

In 2001, Buzard was named Third Team All-America and First Team All-Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and was selected for the All-Tournament Team at the South Central Regional. She earned First Team All-LSC South honors in 2001 and was an Honorable Mention All-LSC South selection in 1998 and 2000. During her senior season, she was named LSC South Pitcher of the Year and was chosen for the LSC All-Tournament Team.

Buzard was 24-8 as a pitcher in 2001, as she set ENMU season records for victories, earned run average (0.86), appearances (41), complete games (24), shutouts (16), innings pitched (212), strikeouts (214) and opponent batting average (.169). She also set ENMU career records with 45 victories, 431 strikeouts, 516.0 innings pitched, 20 shutouts, two no-hitters, a 2.55 earned run average and 113 appearances as a pitcher. Buzard also established the Zias’ single game strikeout record (19) in a 2-1 victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville in 10 innings on Mar. 11, 2001.

She was named to the LSC South All-Academic Team and earned Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-District recognition in 2001. She earned a spot on the LSC South Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and was an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete in 1999 and 2000. She qualified for the ENMU Athletic Honor Roll all eight semesters. She graduated from ENMU with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education in 2001. She currently works as a physical education teacher at Yucca Junior High School in Clovis, N.M.

Buzard was Eastern’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year in 2000-01. She also was chosen as the NCAA Woman of the Year for the State of New Mexico. After graduating, she pitched for the United States at the University World Games in Australia. She went 4-0 at the University World Games, including a win for the United States in the gold medal game. Buzard is married to ENMU head women’s basketball coach Dan Buzard.

Betty Gayle Cooper-Ratliff was an outstanding member of the ENMU rodeo team from 1971 through 1974. She was the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) All-Around Cowgirl at the 1972 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR). She also was the break-away roping national champion in 1972, as she led Eastern to the CNFR women’s team title. She won four Southwest Region championships in goat tying and recorded two Regional titles in break-away roping. She received the Outstanding Female Athlete Award at ENMU in 1973.

Cooper-Ratliff coached the men’s and women’s rodeo teams at Southeastern Oklahoma State University for many seasons. She led her athletes to nine team titles at the CNFR and recorded the most wins by a coach in collegiate rodeo history. She was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1987 and joined the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1998.

She also experienced great success in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. She was a four-time world champion in calf roping, won one world championship each in goat tying and break-away roping, and was the WPRA’s All-Around Cowgirl three times. She earned reserve champion honors in the WPRA in goat tying three times and in the all-around competition twice. She was the first-ever recipient of the WPRA Pioneer Award in 1996.

Cooper-Ratliff graduated from ENMU in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in Education. She taught at Lovington High School in Lovington, N.M. in 1974 and 1975. She was the director of equestrian athletics and an instructor of equestrian studies during her many years of service at Southeastern Oklahoma State. Cooper-Ratliff died in 1999 after battling cancer.

Harold “Bud” Elliott was the head football coach at Eastern New Mexico University for 11 seasons from 1994 through 2004. He led the Greyhounds to a record of 68-49-2 (.580) to become the winningest head coach in the history of ENMU football. He finished his 37-year career as a collegiate coach with an overall record of 205-179-9 (.533). He became the 46th head coach in NCAA history to reach 200 wins when Eastern shut out Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 39-0, at Greyhound Stadium on Sept. 11, 2004.

During his extensive career, he was the head coach at six different colleges and led five to at least one season with seven or more victories. At ENMU, the Greyhounds were 8-3 in 1998, 1999 and 2002. He coached Eastern to back-to-back LSC South Division co-championships in 1999 and 2000 as part of seven consecutive winning seasons (1998-2004) to end his career. He was named LSC South Coach of the Year four times, in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2002.

Elliott guided Southwestern College (Kansas) to three Kansas College Athletic Conference (KCAC) titles (1964, 1967, 1968) and led Emporia State University (Kansas) to two Great Plains Athletic Conference crowns (1972, 1973). He coached the University of Texas at Arlington to the Southland Conference title in 1981. Elliott also guided Northwest Missouri State University to an NCAA Division II Playoff berth in 1989 with an overall record of 9-3.

He received Coach of the Year honors at the conference level twice at Emporia State and once at UT-Arlington. He was named NAIA District 10 Coach of the Year three times while coaching at Southwestern and once at Emporia State. He coached numerous athletes who went on to careers as professional athletes or as coaches at the high school, college or professional levels. Elliott also was a high school head coach for 11 seasons in Kansas at Turon HS (1953-55), Geneseo HS (1955-58), Mulvane HS (1958-60) and Kansas City Turner HS (1960-64).

Elliott already holds positions in the athletic halls of fame at Baker University (Kansas) and Southwestern. He received his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Baker in 1953 and earned a master’s degree in School Administration from Wichita State University in 1963.

Tommy Hightower was a fullback and defensive back for the ENMU football team from 1954 through 1957. He helped Eastern earn a winning record all four years, as the Greyhounds achieved a combined record of 27-10-1 (.724). He played on the only undefeated football team in ENMU history, as he helped the 1957 squad achieve a 9-0-1 record.

Hightower graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education. He then became the assistant varsity football coach and head junior varsity coach at Farmington High School in Farmington, N.M., from 1958 through 1959. He was the varsity backfield coach and offensive coordinator for the Farmington football team from 1959-60 through 1962-63.

He was the head football coach and athletic director at Los Alamos High School in Los Alamos, N.M. from 1963-64 through 1965-66. He concluded his coaching career as the head football coach at Western New Mexico University in Silver City, N.M. during the 1966, 1967 and 1968 seasons.

Hightower worked in the insurance industry from 1969 through 1981. He advanced from being a recruiter and salesman in 1969 to becoming a regional vice president supervising 11 states from 1971 through 1981. He later was the chairman of the board and chief administrative officer for Carpet Center, Inc., which became a multimillion dollar company. His efforts with Carpet Center earned him a spot on the New Mexico Private 100, which features the largest privately-held companies in the State.

Russell Knudson was a longtime supporter of ENMU Athletics. He was a very active member of the ENMU Bench Club, the booster organization for the Greyhounds and the Zias. He was regularly in attendance at most of ENMU’s athletic events until his death from cancer in 2004. He always had good things to say about Eastern’s student-athletes and coaches, and was a true fan of the Greyhounds and Zias.

He graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and added a Master of Arts degree from New Mexico Highlands University in 1955. He received an Education Specialist degree from Eastern New Mexico University in 1969. He was chosen for an Honorary Lifetime Alumni Award from ENMU in 2002.

During World War II, he was a bombardier in the Navy and served in the South Pacific. Later, he was a teacher, coach, counselor, principal and superintendent during 34 years at public schools in New Mexico. He retired in 1984 after 12 years as the superintendent of the Raton Public Schools.

Knudson served six years as the District 4 representative on the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) Executive Board. He was a commissioner with the New Mexico Commission on Higher Education from 1995 through 2001.

Jimmy Joe Robinson played basketball, ran track and was a member of the rodeo team at ENMU from 1955 through 1959. He was chosen All-Around Cowboy on the 1959 ENMU rodeo team. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education from ENMU in 1959 and earned a Master of Science degree in Physical Education from Eastern in 1964.

He was a high school boys’ basketball coach for 27 seasons at high schools in Clovis, Grady, and Melrose in New Mexico and in Lubbock, Texas. Robinson achieved a career record of 528-213 (.713) and coached four State Championship teams. He led Clovis High School to back-to-back State titles in 1978 and 1979.

He coached 55 players who earned All-State recognition and also worked with 75 players named to All-District teams. Five of his players went on to careers in professional basketball.

Robinson was named Coach of the Year numerous times. He was inducted into the New Mexico High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1995. During his various coaching assignments, he served as a sponsor for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He also directed the summer basketball program in Clovis for 16 years.

Stacey (Estlund) Vladimiroff played for the ENMU volleyball team as a setter in 1996 and 1997. She recorded the third highest assist total in ENMU history with 2,393 career assists. She earned 1,240 assists in 1997 for the sixth highest season total at Eastern and achieved 1,153 assists in 1996 for the eighth highest total. She was named to the Zia All-Century Team (1976-99) and the Zia All-Decade Team (1990-99).

During her career at ENMU, she was a two-time All-Conference selection. She was named First Team All-LSC in 1997 and was Honorable Mention All-LSC in 1996. She played in a total of 63 matches at ENMU and recorded 220 career kills and 643 career digs. She registered 348 digs in 1996. Her .373 hitting percentage in 1996 was the third highest in ENMU history.

Vladimiroff played two seasons at Columbia Basin College, a junior college in Pasco, Wash. She was an Honorable Mention All-America selection at CBC and set the school record with 2,659 career assists. She was chosen for First Team honors on the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) All-Eastern Region Team in 1994 and 1995.

She completed a bachelor’s degree in Heath and Physical Education at Eastern New Mexico University in 1999. She received a master’s degree in Health and Physical Education from Emporia State University (Kansas) in 2002. She was named to the ENMU Athletic Honor Roll in Fall 1996, Spring 1997, Fall 1997 and Spring 1998.

She is currently an instructor in Health and Physical Education at Columbia Basin College. She also serves as an NWAACC Eastern Region Women’s Athletic Commissioner.

Michael Walton played middle linebacker for the ENMU football team from the 1996 season through the 1999 season. He started all 44 games during his career and set an ENMU record with 515 total tackles. He achieved 214 unassisted tackles and provided 301 assists to go with 15 quarterback sacks and 58 tackles for losses. He forced 12 fumbles, recovered six fumbles, broke up seven passes and grabbed three interceptions. He was an ENMU co-captain for three seasons.

He was named First Team A.P. Little All-America in 1999 and was a Second Team selection in 1998. He was recognized as a First Team AFCA/Burger King Division II Coaches’ All-America pick in 1998 and 1999. He also earned Daktronics, Inc. Division II All-America honors twice and was named to the Football Gazette Division II All-America Team three times. He received First Team All-West Region recognition as a junior and a senior, and was named Second Team All-West Region as a sophomore.

Walton earned First Team All-LSC South recognition twice and was selected Second Team All-LSC South once. He was named LSC South Defensive Lineman of the Year in 1998 and led the LSC in tackles all four seasons. He was chosen LSC South Defensive Player of the Week three times.

He was chosen GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-District VI in 1999. He was named to the LSC South All-Academic Team three times and qualified for the ENMU Athletic Honor Roll all eight semesters.

He graduated from ENMU with a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education in 2000 and earned a Master of Science degree in Physical Education at ENMU in 2002. He was named Greatest Greyhound as Eastern’s top male athlete in 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-00.

Walton is in his sixth season on the Eastern football coaching staff. He is a full-time staff member who coaches quarterbacks, fullbacks and special teams.