The Ӱר and the RaginӰר Cajuns Lettermen Club have announced the 2012 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees. They are: Jackie Causey, track and field; Danyele Gomez, softball; and Charles ӰרPeanutӰר Tillman, football.
A reception will be held in their honor on Friday, Oct. 5, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the UL Alumni Center. On Saturday, Oct. 6, they will participate in the Homecoming Parade and will sign autographs at the Alumni Association tent prior to the Homecoming game. LouisianaӰרs RaginӰר Cajuns will face the Tulane Green Wave; the newest Athletic Hall of Fame members will be inducted during halftime.
The purpose of the UL Lafayette Hall of Fame is to give recognition to athletes who have demonstrated exceptional ability and sportsmanship on the playing field, commendable scholarship in the classroom and high-quality leadership on campus.
ӰרOur goal is to remind each new generation of athletes of the tradition they must uphold and the ideals that they should strive for while they are wearing the UL Lafayette uniforms,Ӱר said Tom Carroll, RaginӰר Cajuns Lettermen Club president.
The RaginӰר Cajuns Lettermen Club Alumni Chapter is composed of men and women who lettered in a sport while they were students. It retains close ties to the Athletics Department.
Jackie Causey was a three-year letterman in track and field for USL from 1968 to 1970. He was the Gulf States Conference Champion in the high jump in 1969 and 1970, setting the school record in 1969 with a jump of 6Ӱר-10.Ӱר
Causey won the NCAA II Outdoor National title in 1969 with a jump of 6Ӱר-10Ӱר and was the NAIA Indoor Champion in 1970 with a jump of 6Ӱר-10Ӱר. He earned All-American honors in high jump in 1969 and 1970. In 1970, Causey broke the 7Ӱר barrier at the USTFF Indoor National Championships, where he won first place.
His personal best while at USL was 7Ӱר-3/4Ӱר. His post-USL career continued at Southern California College and in international competition, where he posted a personal best jump of 7Ӱר-2.Ӱר
Causey is CEO of Vernon Home Health in Leesville, La. He is married to Debbie Stracner Causey and has three children, Andrew, Aimee and Rachel. Causey lives in Leesville, La.
Danyele Gomez was a four-time softball letterman as an outfielder at UL Lafayette from 2003-2006. She was a three-time NFCA All-American; four-time All-Louisiana selection; and a three-time All-South Region selection. Gomez was also a two-time Sun Belt Player of the Year; a two-time Louisiana Player of the Year; and was the Sun Belt and Louisiana Freshman of the Year.
Also, Gomez was selected to compete on Team USA as a member of the Elite team. She completed her career as a RaginӰר Cajun with a .359 batting average, 83 home runs, 588 hits and a .946 fielding percentage.
She received a bachelor of science degree in nursing in 2007. Gomez lives in Metairie, La.; she is a nurse at Tulane Medical Hospital.
Charles ӰרPeanutӰר Tillman was a four-time letterman in football for UL from 1999-2002. In 2002, he received All-American recognition; was named an All-Independent selection in 2000; and was a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection. He ended his career as a RaginӰר Cajun with 284 tackles, 12 interceptions, seven fumble recoveries and three blocked punts.
After his stellar career at UL Lafayette, Tillman was the third pick in the second round by the Chicago Bears. He remains the BearsӰר starting cornerback. As a Bear, Tillman was named Sports Illustrated Rookie of the Year and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003. He has recorded 686 tackles, 30 interceptions, 29 forced fumbles and four touchdowns and has been named to a Pro-Bowl team.
Tillman has also received the prestigious Walter Peyton Man of the Year award four times, the Brian Piccolo award twice, the Ed Block Courage Award and the NFL Neighborhood MVP Award.
Tillman received a bachelorӰרs degree in Criminal Justice in 3 1/2 years and is enrolled in graduate school at Kaplan Ӱר. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Jackie, and their children.