Kevin Cooney (baseball) and Shontavia Williams (women’s basketball) are set to be inducted into FAU’s hall of fame on Feb. 24.

Wait, FAU has a hall of fame? Since 2006, apparently. If this shocks you too, don’t feel bad. It’s pretty easy to miss. FAU’s hall of fame is literally … in a hallway.

Buried in The Burrow are pictures of various former players and coaches who contributed to FAU athletics. There is also a page on FAU sports’ website with information on the members of its hall of fame.

Cooney coached the baseball team from 1988-2008. Along the way he amassed a record of 750-480-5, as his teams were perennial contenders, advancing to seven NCAA regionals. The pinnacle of his coaching career

came in 2002, when FAU defeated Alabama to win the regional championship. Cooney is one of FAU’s best coaches in the brief history of Owls athletics, but he will go virtually unnoticed.

Likewise for Williams. She was a member of the women’s basketball team from 2002- 2006. Williams’ 1,466 points are the most in school history for the women’s team. Her 394 free throws are a school record. Williams led the Owls to an Atlantic Sun (FAU’s conference before the Sun Belt) Tournament title and a birth in the NCAA Tournament in 2006.

Yes, there will be an induction ceremony for the two at FAU stadium, but that is not enough.

UF, FSU and UM all have hall of fames, but those schools market theirs better. UM has a celebrity bowling tournament for the public to mingle with hall of fame alumni. FAU athletics does not have the history of a program like UM, but it should still think big.

The hall of fame should be a separate room, with bronze busts, similar to the NFL hall of fame. Hire and train students to enthusiastically give fans a tour of the hall. If the school wants tradition as badly as it claims — go about it in the right way.

Howard Schnellenberger, the father of FAU football and the man responsible for the arrival of the new football stadium, should be the centerpiece of the new hall of fame. The exact statue that sits near the gates of the stadium should be in the room. Have a large television that plays highlights of the inductees. Bring all the members — not just the ones from the current year’s class — back for activities throughout the weekend. Hold a barbeque meet and greet for fans with the hall of fame alumni on the front lawn of the stadium.

Dexter LaMont, associate athletic director for external affairs, said it best — traditions don’t start overnight. But, they have to start somewhere. When it was first formed in 1998, the football team was practicing barefoot in a gym and playing in a stadium a half hour away from campus. Now, they have a state of the art facility in Boca, which is the most impressive stadium in the Sun Belt Conference.

The future of athletics at FAU is on the rise, but like the old saying goes: You don’t know who you are until you know where you came from.

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Shontavia Williams

Shontavia Williams fought for loose balls on the women’s basketball team at FAU from 2002-2006.

Now? She’s fighting crime.

Williams is a police officer in Boca Raton. She studied health administration at FAU, but had a change of heart after realizing her passion was in the police field. After FAU, Williams played overseas in Germany. She only lasted four games before she realized the lifestyle was not for her. While at FAU, every game she had at least 15 family members in the crowd. In Germany, she was all alone and the transition was not easy.

“Worst experience of my life,” Williams said. “I cried every day. I was home sick.”

Her grandfather became ill and passed away, prompting her to move back home, where she immediately joined the police force.

Her fondest memory at FAU came in her senior season, when she led the Owls to the Atlantic Sun title.

“We played three games in three nights. We won all three and cut the nets. It was excitement at first. Hard work paid off. I was there for four years and we finally did it in my senior year.”

She finished her career as the all-time leading scorer in school history with 1,466. “It was pretty cool,” Williams said. “It’s something I never even thought about when I came to FAU.”

Kevin Cooney

When Kevin Cooney retired from FAU after 20 years of coaching in 2008, he traded in the beaches of Florida for the mountains of Tennessee. It is a decision he does not regret.

“Every night I watch the sun go down on the Tennessee River,” Cooney said. “It’s a beautiful spot.”

Cooney now owns an antique store in an old, downtown district of Sweetwater, Tenn. He is also a Sunday school teacher at his church St. Thomas, something he expects his old players to be shocked to discover.

“Some of my players would probably find that kind of funny that I teach Sunday school,” Cooney said. “I had to learn to change my vocabulary talking to nine year olds as opposed to 19 year olds.”

While Cooney admitted his passion for baseball is still there, he is quite happy with the opportunity to spend more time with his wife and two children, and enjoy a different lifestyle.

“I never had time to be part of a community other than my team when I was coaching,” Cooney said. “So, God allowed me to make this move and I wanted to do something positive in that regard.”

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Making the “Hall”

So, what exactly is the process of selecting FAU’s hall of fame inductees?

According to fausports.com, “The Florida Atlantic Athletics Hall of Fame was founded to honor, pay tribute and perpetuate the memory of those individuals who either through participation, support or interest, have made outstanding contributions in intercollegiate athletics and who have helped bring recognition, honor, distinction and excellence to the University.”

Some requirements:

• A coach must be retired for at least five years
• A player has to be three years removed from graduation or the completion of their eligibility
• An administrator must have served for three years
• Under the special consideration category, eligibility is possible for any person which has made a significant contribution to the program

To be elected, a candidate must receive a three-fourths vote from the Hall of Fame Selection Committee, who were unavailable for comment.