Six individuals and two teams comprise the Salem University Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2019, which will be inducted this afternoon at 2 p.m. at T. Edwards Gymnasium on the Salem University campus. The 68th Hall of Fame induction is free and open to the public. A reception will be held immediately after the ceremony.
 
This year's class includes Goran Bakovic (Men's Water Polo), David Lee Corsini (Men's Basketball), John "Jimbo" Fisher (Football), Daryl Pearson (Men's Basketball), Earnest Joseph Schumacher (Football) and Nicole Simon (Softball). Also to be inducted are the 1984 and 1985 Salem Football Teams, both coached by previous Hall of Fame inductee Terry Bowden.
 
Goran Bakovic - Men's Water Polo
Goran Bakovic graduated from Salem in 2006. He holds almost every goalkeeping record in Salem water polo history: most saves in a career (737), most saves in a season (326), most saves in a single game (25). He helped the 2004 team, coached by Keith Bullion, win the CWPA Division II Championship and also qualify for the CWPA Eastern Championship for the first time in school history.

Bakovic concluded his acceptance speech with a verse from a song that is considered an anthem in the state.

"Take me home, country roads, to the place I belong, West Virginia," said Bakovic.
 
David Lee Corsini - Men's Basketball
David Lee Corsini played at Salem from 1955-1957. He scored 1,734 points in his career in only three seasons. He posted a career scoring average of 20.9 points per game. He was named to the 1957 All-WVIAC Team and later named to the WVIAC All-Time Basketball Team. He was also a member of the Salem men's tennis team.

"I am thankful to Salem University for this honor," said Corsini. "It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life."
 
John "Jimbo" Fisher - Football
Jimbo Fisher played for Salem from 1983-1985. He helped lead the Tigers to two consecutive WVIAC Championships in 1984 and 1985. Salem qualified to play in the NAIA Championship Playoffs in both seasons. He finished his career as the WVIAC all-time passing leader. In his coaching career, Fisher led Florida State to four ACC titles and the 2013 BCS National Championship. He is currently head coach for nationally-ranked Texas A&M.

Fisher was unable to attend the ceremony, but did send a note of gratitude from College Station, Texas.

""This is a tremendous honor and I am humbled to be included in the 2019 Hall of Fame Class," said Fisher. "Salem and Coach Terry Bowden gave me a chance to continue to play football and I am forever indebted. It's very special to go into the Hall of Fame with my teammates from the 1984 and 1985 football teams."
 
Daryl Pearson - Men's Basketball
Daryl Pearson graduated from Salem in 1983. He led the Tigers to the 1982 and 1983 WVIAC Men's Basketball Championships. He was named First Team All-WVIAC in both 1982 and 1983. Pearson finished his career with 1,580 points.
 
Earnest Joseph Schumacher - Football
Earnest Schumacher was at Salem from 1966-69, playing much of his career on offense, defense and special teams. He was an All-WVIAC offensive guard as a freshman was the WVIAC Defensive Co-Player of the Year as a senior. He was also NAIA All-America Honorable Mention in his senior year. Schumacher was a member of the 1969 Tiger football team, which was inducted into the Salem Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.

"He had a great game against Salem's arch-rival - I won't mention them by name," said Robert Granata, who presented Schumacher with his induction.
 
Nicole Simon - Softball
Nicole Simon played softball at Salem from 1999-2001. Simon is one of the greatest all-around players that Salem has ever seen, both as a hitter and a pitcher. Offensively, she is in the Tigers' all-time top 10 for career home runs, runs batted in, hits, on-base percentage, total bases and triples. In the pitching circle, Simon is in the top 10 in career wins, earned run average, strikeouts and shutouts. She was named First Team All-WVIAC in 2000 and 2001.

"I want to thank my teammates and my coach, Vickie Bostic," said Simon. "She was like a mother and a sister to me."
 
1984 Salem University Football Team
The team was coached by Terry Bowden. The Tigers finished 8-3 after rebounding from a 3-7 record the previous season. The team tied with Concord for the WVIAC Co-Championship with a 7-1 mark. They finished the season ranked No. 4 in the nation in the NAIA. They finished first in the conference in team scoring and team passing. The Tigers had 12 All-WVIAC selections and three players went on to play in the NFL.
 
1985 Salem University Football Team
The team was also coached by Terry Bowden, who was named 1985 WVIAC Coach of the Year. The team finished the season 8-3, with one of those losses coming against Division I Morehead State. The Tigers won the WVIAC Championship with a conference record of 6-1. Salem ranked No. 1 in the nation in offense, averaging 468 yards and 35 points per game. The Tigers had nine All-WVIAC players, including the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. Two Tigers went on to play in the NFL.