‘Star-studded’ student-athletes elected to 49ers Hall of Fame
The Charlotte 49ers 2024 Hall of Fame class is the first to feature all student-athletes.
This year’s honorees are Eddie Basden, men’s basketball; Mac Cozier, men’s soccer; Sharonda Johnson LeBlanc, women’s track and field; William H. Montgomery III, men’s track and field; and Barry Shifflett, baseball.
During their playing careers, each of the inductees earned all-America honors including the program’s first baseball All-America, the first First-Team All-America in men’s soccer, a two-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in men’s basketball, the first three-time All-America in men’s track and field history, and the Athletics Department’s first athletic and academic All-America.
“This is a star-studded class,” said Mike Hill, 49ers director of athletics. “What a tremendous tribute to the history of our program to honor these former student-athletes, who were so significant in laying the foundation for what this program has become.”
The 2024 Hall of Fame Class will be inducted Friday, Sept. 13, and recognized at halftime of Charlotte’s Sept. 14 football game vs. Gardner-Webb. Register to attend the induction ceremony online.
Basden was named 2005 Conference USA Player of the Year and was a rare two-time C-USA Defensive Player of the Year. Considered one of the country’s top defenders that year, he shared the cover of Sports Illustrated for the publication’s NCAA Tournament preview. He finished his career with a school and CUSA record for steals and currently ranks second all-time for the 49ers in that category. His 93 steals in 2005 remain a single-season school record and ranked fifth in the nation that season. He also joined the 49ers 1,000-Point Club with 1,066 career points.
Cozier, full name Mangea Allan Cozier, was a 1994 First Team All-America in men’s soccer and a finalist for the 1995 MAC Hermann Award for National Player of the Year. He was the first player in 49ers men’s soccer history to be named National Soccer Coaches Association of America First Team All-America. He starred for the 49ers from 1992-95 and led the program to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and top 10 national rankings in three seasons.
Johnson LeBlanc earned All-America honors in the triple jump in 2004 while being named Academic All-America by CoSIDA. In 2005, she was named the Arthur Ashe Jr. Top Female Student-Athlete to become Charlotte’s first student-athlete to be recognized with that National Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. She still holds school records in the indoor and outdoor triple jump and the indoor high jump.
Montgomery is a three-time All-America in the long jump; his sixth-place NCAA finish in 2001 stood as the best of any male athlete until 2016. He still holds the school record in both the indoor and outdoor long jump. His mark of 25′ 9.25 in the outdoor long jump, which he hit twice, included his CUSA Championship in 2002.
Barry Shifflett, one of the nation’s top hitters in 1985, became the baseball program’s first All-America. He set still-standing single-season records for batting average and on-base percentage, ranking among the program’s top five in career batting average, home runs, RBIs and stolen bases. As a junior in 1985, among players that played at least 40 games, Shifflett led the nation with a .467 batting average in 62 games played. Shifflett’s career .387 batting average ranks second all-time for the 49ers, while his .516 on-base percentage is still tops in school history
Read more on the Charlotte 49ers website.