Carbondale Reporter

The Southern Illinois University Department of Athletics announced its 2024 Saluki Hall of Fame class today. The distinguished class will be formally inducted in a ceremony on Friday, Oct. 11, and then make public appearances during Homecoming festivities on Saturday, Oct. 12.

The 2024 six-person class features Jorge Delgado (Swimming), Korey Lindsey (Football), Rick Murray (Baseball), Rishonda Napier (Women's Basketball), Sally Perkins (Athletic Trainer) and Rick Walker (Swimming & Diving Coach).

Delgado (1975-76) earned four All-American honors in two years at SIU, placing sixth in the 200 butterfly at the NCAAs in both 1975 and 1976, and adding All-American marks in the 400 medley relay and 800 free relay. Delgado swam in the Olympics for Ecuador in 1972 and 1976, finishing fourth in the 200m butterfly in Munich, and was ranked among the top ten swimmers globally in 1978 when he competed in the World Championships. He is currently a member of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee.

Lindsey (2007-10) was a two-time First-Team All-American cornerback and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award in 2010, which goes to the nation's best FCS defensive back. A two-time national player-of-the-week and a member of the SIU All-Century team, he finished his career ranked third in school history in interceptions with fourteen. Lindsey joined an elite list of Saluki football players when he was selected in the NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2011.

Murray (1975-77) played third base for the Salukis and was instrumental in leading SIU to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a third-place finish at the College World Series in 1977. He was a First-Team All-American and Academic All-American in 1976 when he hit .398. Murray was a career .326 hitter with eighteen home runs, one hundred twelve runs, and one hundred seven RBIs. The Southern Illinois native was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1977.

Napier (2012-17) finished her career among the all-time leaders in school history across multiple statistical categories. She finished second in scoring with one thousand seven hundred twenty-eight points, third in assists with four hundred thirty-six, and first in three-pointers with two hundred seventy-seven. Napier became just the third player in school history to earn First-Team All-Conference honors three times during her career. She was also a three-time MVC Scholar-Athlete and helped guide SIU to two WBI postseason appearances during her tenure.

Perkins (1976-2001) served as director of athletic training and head athletic trainer for twenty-five years at SIU. She was responsible for overseeing graduate athletic programs within physical education at SIU and was highly regarded by coaches and student-athletes for her care and expertise. A member of the Illinois Athletic Directors Hall of Fame, she received SIU's Student Affairs Service award for her collaborative work with departments of psychology and nutrition on programs addressing athletes' eating disorders.

Walker (1987-2019) spent thirty-two years on SIU's coaching staff, including twenty-six seasons as head coach. He earned thirteen conference Coach of the Year titles while his teams won sixteen conference championships—five-straight men's MVC titles from 1994 to1999 among them. An accomplished open-water swimmer himself, Walker qualified for the 1980 Olympics, won a silver medal at the Olympic Sports Festival in 1979, held a top-fifty world ranking during his swimming career, coached U.S National teams at multiple World Championships from late '90s through early '00s periods—a fourteen-time USA Swimming Olympic Committee member—and served as head coach/director for USA Swimming's Open Water National Team over twelve years.

Gallery: Saluki Hall of Fame Class of 2024