Four to join University of Dallas Athletics ‘Hall of Fame’ in 2013

IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas is pleased to announce the following as 2013 inductees into the Athletics Hall of Fame: Mike Hasson, Paul Rydberg, Adam Todd and J. Allen Whyte.

The 2013 enshrinees will be honored in a ceremony tentatively taking place Sunday, Nov. 17, in the Haggar University Center's Rathskeller dining area.

With the inaugural class inducted in 1998, these four deserving individuals will respectively increase the number of Hall of Fame selections to 56 at a university where an emphasis on student-athlete reigns supremely.

For a complete list of University of Dallas Athletics Hall of Fame members, click here.

Mike Hasson's arrival as the University of Dallas men's soccer goalkeeper in 2003 signaled the start of an unprecedented run of success for the program. His efforts helped the 2007 team claim the Association of Division III Independents championship with a 17-1-1 record, the best single-season mark in school history. Mike's career consisted of 53 games, seven shutouts, a 1.54 goals against average and 310 saves, as well as a school record .29 goals against average in 2005 and a 2006 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) All-American selection.

In the 1980's when athletics at the University of Dallas were trying to find a place on campus, one of the mainstays was the men's soccer team. A stalwart on the squad from 1984 to 1987, Paul Rydberg was a noted staunch defender and deft distributor of the ball. In 1984, he had five goals -- including a hat trick -- and three assists for a team that fell after four overtimes in a shootout to Hardin-Simmons University in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) District 8 playoffs. Paul also led the team to the 1985 NAIA District 8 playoffs, and was selected the university's Scholar-Athlete Award winner for the 1987-88 academic year.

In the annals of University of Dallas track history, Adam Todd clearly stands out. He holds school records in the 100-meter dash and the decathlon, as well as 2004 USCAA championships in those events. A 10.57 100-meter dash -- the fifth best time in the country that year -- qualified him for the National Collegiate Athletic Association championships as the only track athlete in school history to qualify for those championships. He additionally holds school records for career individual event victories, points and events competed in. Adam was recognized a two-time (2003, 2004) USCAA Track All-American.

The first athletic successes Holy Trinity College experienced occurred in 1909. The baseball team won the North Texas Interscholastic Association championship in the spring, then the football team duplicated this fete in the fall. The star of both squads was J. Allen Whyte, a center fielder on the baseball team and fullback on the football team. His 70 points scored for the 1908 football team stood as a school record for eight years, are the second most in history and represent 46 percent of the team's total output that season.