Stillman Announces 2024 HOF Inductees

Five former student-athletes and one contributor have been chosen selected for the Stillman College Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024. The induction ceremony will be Friday, Feb. 16, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. during Homecoming Week.

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Here are the new inductees:

Dr. Donald Staffo (contributor)

Chris Brown (men’s basketball)

Purvis Presha (men’s basketball)

Lashaunda Spurgeon (women’s track & field / women’s volleyball) 

Bryan Walker (men’s tennis)

Oliver Wells (men’s track & field).

Tickets for the Hall of Fame Induction Breakfast are on sale for $35 at GoStillman.com/Tickets. The inductees will also be recognized at the Feb. 17 Homecoming basketball games against Life University at noon and 2 p.m. CST.

Here's a look at each honoree:

DR. DONALD STAFFO

Long time servant of Stillman College and decorated author Staffo is the first inductee into the Stillman College Athletics Hall of Fame as a contributor. An educator for more than 50 years, Staffo served 33 years at Stillman College. His roles included health and physical education professor, department chair, faculty athletics representative (FAR), sports information director and athletics director.

His documentation of Stillman College athletics events spanned decades in the Tuscaloosa News and other media outlets. He also served as interim athletics director and led the committee that began the process of reinstating the Stillman College football program in 1999.

As a sports journalist for more than 40 years, Staffo also covered the University of Alabama football and basketball programs for the Associated Press for 30 years and has published in national publications including The Sporting News, USA Today and Baseball Digest, in addition to authoring 10 books, more than 100 scholarly articles, more than 2,000 articles and more than 70 professional presentations at national conferences.

CHIRS BROWN

One of the top scorers in Stillman College men’s basketball history, Brown led the NAIA in scoring for most of the 1980-81 season. The Holt, Alabama native averaged 33.6 points per game to finish second in the nation in scoring, and first in NAIA District 27, during his senior campaign. His 12.3 rebounds per game ranked No. 18 in the nation.

In February 1980, Brown scored 55 points in a 104-81 win over Dillard University, believed to be the second-most points in a single-game by a Stillman College men’s basketball player.

A 1981 graduate of Stillman College, Brown died in September 2023, and is being inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously. 

PURVIS PRESHA

A 1998 Stillman College graduate, Presha averaged more than 20 points per game three of his four seasons at Stillman College in NCAA Division III from 1992-1996. He finished his career with 21.1 points per game and 1,963 total points to set the Stillman College career scoring record in 1996.

He also dished out 506 assists during his career. Presha went on to play professionally in Ireland, Belgium and London, England. He currently resides in Decatur, Georgia.

LASHAUNDA SPURGEON

A two-sport record-setter during her time at Stillman College, Spurgeon is the second student-athlete selected to the SC Athletics Hall of Fame for women’s volleyball and first in women’s track & field.

Spurgeon was a four-year letterwinner for Coach Pam Phillips in volleyball, setting Stillman records for single-season service aces (91) and service aces per set (.843).

Spurgeon collected 217 aces during her career, along with 754 kills and more than 200 total blocks.

In track and field, Spurgeon won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) women’s javelin throw championship in 2011 and 2012 and was runner-up in 2013. She was a three-time all-conference selection in track & field.

BRYAN WALKER

A 2010 graduate of Stillman College, Walker is the first student-athlete to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for men’s tennis. A four-year captain for the Tigers from the 2006-07 season through the 2009-2010 season, Walker was an All-Conference selection in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) in 2008.

He also helped lead Stillman College to its first SIAC trophy in 2013, finishing third in the SIAC tournament. A resident of Memphis, Tennessee, Walker went on to earn a MBA from Webster University and created “The HBCU Initiative” with Kohler Co., and was part of the inaugural Brick Laying Campaign to support the Stillman House.

OLIVER WELLS

A 2013 graduate of Stillman College, Wells joins his former teammate Chester Hightower and Olympian Jeffery Henderson as the third Hall of Fame inductee from men’s track and field.

A two-sport athlete during his time at Stillman College, Wells helped lead Stillman College to the 2011 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) 4x400-meter relay championship in 2011 to earn All-Conference honors and a spot in the NCAA Division II National Championships, where the Tigers finished 12th. Wells was an All-Region selection by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) in the 400-meter dash and 4x400-meter relay in 2011.

He ranks in the Top 10 in Stillman sprinter history in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash. In addition to track & field, Wells was also a member of the Stillman College football team.

Selections to the Stillman College Athletics Hall of Fame are made by a vote of the selection committee each December from nominations submitted by Stillman College graduates prior to September of each year.

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