The Hall of Fame Banquet will take place Friday, October 7, 2022 prior to the Missouri home game.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – An extraordinary group of Gators is set to be inducted into the 2022 UF Athletic Hall of Fame class, the University of Florida F Club and Gator Boosters announced Thursday.
UF Athletic Hall of Fame inductees are chosen by the F Club Committee based on three categories: Gator Greats, Distinguished Letterwinners, and Honorary Letterwinners.
The 2022 class is composed of seven Gator Greats, one Distinguished Letterwinner and an Honorary Letterwinner.
The list of Gator Greats on this year’s class includes Jeff Demps (Men’s Track & Field & Football), Conor Dwyer (Men’s Swimming), Joe Haden (Football), Michelle Moultrie (Softball), Chandler Parsons (Men’s Basketball), Christian Taylor (Men’s Track & Field) and Mike Zunino (Baseball).
Additionally, Steve Beeland (Men’s & Women’s Tennis) is set to be inducted to the Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Letterwinner, while former athletics director Jeremy Foley will enter as an Honorary Letterwinner.
Gator Greats are Letterwinners who brought recognition and prominence to the University of Florida and themselves by their athletic accomplishments as a student-athlete.
A Distinguished Letterwinner is a letterwinner who has made major contributions to the University athletic program through personal time, effort, interest and through many years of continued service. Additionally, Distinguished Letterwinners must have distinguished themselves as exception in their chosen field or endeavor.
An Honorary Letterwinner is a coach or athletic official (after retirement) who was not a letter winner or athlete at the University of Florida, yet rendered outstanding service to the program through personal time, effort, interest and through many years of continued service.
The Hall of Fame Banquet will occur Friday, October 7, 2022 prior to the Missouri home game.
2022 UF Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees
Gator Greats
Jeff Demps | Men’s Track & Field & Football, 2008-12
Jeff Demps is the only UF athlete to win a national championship in two different sports, as he competed for the Gators in both track & field and football.
On the track, Demps won three consecutive NCAA Indoor Titles (60m) from 2010-2012. He is also a two-time NCAA Outdoor National Champion (100m and 4×100) both of which he took home in 2010. He is a four-time NCAA team champion and two-time SEC team champion.
Additionally, Demps is a four-time individual SEC Champion (1 indoor, 3 outdoor). He holds second place in school history in the 60m and sixth in the 100m.
On the gridiron, he played running back and served as the team captain his senior year (2011). He ranks 10th all-time in career rushing yards with 3,592 and 11th all-time in total touchdowns with 23. Demps was an SEC All-Freshman selection in 2008 and a CollegeFootballNews.com All-Freshman Honorable Mention. He was a semifinalist for the 2011 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.
Conor Dwyer | Men’s Swimming, 2009-11
Conor Dwyer swam for the Gators from 2009-2011 and set many records in the pool throughout his career. Dwyer is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 4×200 free relay (2012 & 2016) and a bronze medalist in the 200m free (2016). He was also selected to the 2010-2011 U.S. National Team.
While at the University of Florida, Dwyer had a plethora of accomplishments. The 12-time All-American took home the SEC, NCAA Male Swimmer of the Year, and the SEC Male Commissioner’s Trophy awards in back-to-back years (2010 & 2011). While swimming for the Gators, Dwyer was a three-time national champion and an eight-time SEC champion. Dwyer holds the O’Dome Pool records in the 200 free, 500 free, 400 IM, 80 FR, 200 MR and 400 MR and was awarded the Ben Hill Griffin Award and the Skip Foster Most Valuable Swimmer award in 2011.
Joe Haden | Football, 2007-09
Joe Haden played football for the University of Florida from 2007 to 2009 and started all 40 games he played in. He became the first true freshman to start at cornerback in the season opener in 2007 and was selected to the Freshman All-American First Team (CollegeFootballNews.com), the SEC All-Freshman Team and was an Honorable Mention (Sporting News) that year. A member of the 2008 BCS National Championship team, he took home Consensus All-American honors and was awarded the Defensive MVP by Sporting News in 2009.
The Fort Washington, Md. native finished his career with the Gators with 218 total tackles, 157 solo, eight interceptions, 3.5 sacks and 34 pass break ups which rank fifth all-time. Haden was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the seventh overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Throughout his NFL career he has played with both the Cleveland Browns (2010-2016) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (2017-Present).
Michelle Moultrie | Softball, 2009-12
Michelle Moultrie played softball for the University of Florida from 2009 to 2012. The four-time World Cup of Softball gold medalist has been a member of the United State Women’s National Team every year since 2012 and was named the 2017 USA Softball Female Athlete of the Year.
Moultrie finished her Gators career as the single-season record holder for on base percentage (.519), triples (5), and stolen bases (31) and pair of career records in batting average (.395) and stolen bases (83). She was named a two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American. The centerfielder earned third team honors during the 2011 season and capped her senior year with first team honors in 2012.
The Jacksonville, Fla. native was the fourth player in Florida softball history to be named SEC Player of the Year as she earned the accolade in 2012 along with being named to the SEC All-Defensive team. She was named the 2011 Women’s College World Series (WCWS) Co-Most Outstanding Player after she led all participants at the WCWS in hits (13), doubles (2), home runs (4), total bases (27) and stolen bases (3). She was selected to the 2009 SEC All-Freshman Team, 2010 & 2011 All-SEC Second Team and 2012 All-SEC First Team. Moultrie appeared on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2010, 2011 and 2012 along with being a member of the 2009 SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll.
Chandler Parsons | Men’s Basketball, 2007-11
Chandler Parsons played basketball for the Florida Gators from 2007-2011 and became the first player in program history to be named the SEC Player of the Year in 2011. He was named an AP honorable mention All-American and selected to the first-team All-SEC during his senior season. Parsons also took home 2008 SEC All-Freshman Team honors and finished his collegiate career 12th on Florida’s all-time scoring list with 1,452 points
Parsons was drafted 38th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2011 NBA draft where he played for nine seasons with the Houston Rockets (2011-2014), the Dallas Mavericks (2016-2019), the Memphis Grizzlies (2016-2019) and the Atlanta Hawks (2019-2020). He finished with career averages of 12.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 2.7 APG. The Casselberry, Fla. native was also selected to Team USA from 2014-16.
Christian Taylor | Men’s Track & Field, 2009-11
Christian Taylor competed for the Gators from 2009 to 2011 and achieved a variety of accolades throughout his Track & Field career. Taylor is a four-time world champion in triple jump (2011, 2015, 2017, 2019). The two-time triple jump Olympic gold medalist (2012 & 2016) has his name written throughout Gators record books.
As far as indoor records, Taylor is sixth in school history in the long jump (8.02m/26-3.75) and second in triple jump (17.36m/56-11.5). In regards to outdoor school records, Taylor is fourth in Long Jump (8.19m/26-10.5) and second in Triple Jump (17.40m/57-1). The Fayetteville, Ga. Native is a four-time NCAA champion in the triple jump and a two-time team NCAA champion.
Mike Zunino | Baseball, 2010-12
Mike Zunino played catcher for the Florida Gators baseball from 2010-2012. The 2012 Golden Spikes Award winner is the only player to take home the award in program history while also being named Baseball America’s National College Player of the Year the same year. Zunino was the recipient of the NCBWA’s Dick Howser Trophy for his accomplishments on the diamond.
The Cape Coral, Fla. native won the 2011 SEC Player of the Year award and is a two-time First Team All-American (2011 and 2012). Zunino was also selected to the First Team All-SEC in back to back years (2011 and 2012). While at Florida, Zunino was a career .327 hitter and tallied 224 hit and 47 home runs. As far as Florida baseball records go, Zunino is all over the record book. Zunino ranks inside the fourth all-time for the Gators in: fielding percentage (fourth – .995), home runs (fifth – 47), doubles (fifth – 58), slugging percentage (sixth – .620), RBIs (seventh – 175) and total bases (eighth – 425).
Zunino is the highest draft pick in program history as he was drafted third overall by the Seattle Mariners in 2012. He is a nine-year MLB veteran coming off a career-high 33 home runs and his first All-Star game nod during the 2021 season. He is the current starting catcher for the reigning AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays.
Distinguished Letterwinner
Steve Beeland | Men’s Tennis, 1967 – 69 | Women’s Tennis Head Coach, 1982-84 | Men’s Tennis Head Coach, 1985-88
Steve Beeland competed in men’s tennis for the Gators from 1967 through 1969. Beeland is a two-time SEC Singles Champion (1968 No. 3 singles and 1969 No. 4 singles) and SEC Doubles Champion (No. 1 with Armistead Neely in 1968 and 1969). Beeland was selected twice to the Second-Team All-SEC (1968 and 1969).
Following his playing days, Beeland became the head coach for Gator Women’s Tennis from 1982-1984 (71-21 record) and later for Gator Men’s Tennis from 1985-1988 (54-49 record).
As the coach for the women’s team, Beeland led the Gators to two undefeated conference records along with two first place SEC finishes (1982 and 1984). The Gators took home second place in the SEC under his leadership in 1983. While coaching for the men’s team, the Gators placed fourth in the SEC during the 1987 season.
Honorary Letterwinner
Jeremy Foley | Athletic Director, 1992-16
Jeremy Foley served as the Athletic Director for the Florida Gators from 1992-2016, and was responsible for handling nearly all aspects of the University of Florida’s $119.3 million athletic budget. During his time as Athletic Director, Foley oversaw Florida’s investment of $397 million towards capital improvement projects including two football stadium expansion projects, a top-of-the-line academic advising building, a renovation to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, and the creation of the Florida Football Indoor Practice Facility.
The Washington, D.C. native also created a master plan for the University of Florida that addressed improvements in a variety of different sports, showing his commitment to Gators athletics. He was extremely committed to increased opportunities for women’s collegiate athletics and during his tenure as Athletic Director he added women’s teams for soccer, softball and lacrosse. Foley is the only athletic director in Division I history to have overseen a program that has won multiple titles in both football (1996,2006,2008) and basketball (2006 and 2007).
Student athletes thrived in the classroom during Foley’s tenure as 107 athletes were selected as academic All-Americans which was the highest total among sitting Athletic Directors and fifth best in the nation since 1992 prior to Foley’s retirement in 2016. He first began working at the University of Florida as a ticket Intern in August of 1976 and worked with the university throughout his entire career. He currently serves as the AD/Emeritus for the University of Florida.
