Bell, Perrone to Enter RU Sports Hall of Fame

RADFORD -- Former Radford University sports stars Laurie Morris Bell and Mike Perrone will be inducted into the RU Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday, August 21, at the annual Highlander Club summer banquet. Soccer standout and Hall of Fame member Dante Washington will be a special guest speaker at the banquet.

Bell was a founding member of both the field hockey varsity team and the softball club at Radford and was at the forefront of the explosion of athletics at the university in the early 1980s. She was a letter winner and team leader on the first field hockey squads, including the first varsity team in 1981. The Virginia Beach native was a final cut from the U.S. Olympic team in 1980 and went on to a successful coaching career after her 1982 graduation, beginning with a four-year stint at Radford. Only 21 years old when she took over in 1982, by her second season she had turned Radford into a Division II powerhouse. The team went 14-2-3 and was ranked 10th in the nation in the final 1983 poll. Her final RU team was 10-7 in 1985, making the difficult transition to NCAA Division I play.

Arguably the greatest men's tennis player in Radford history, Perrone qualified for the 1984 NCAA Division II nationals. He played No. 1 singles and doubles for the Highlanders for three seasons and captained the 1984-85 squad, Radford's first season in NCAA Division I. He led the Highlanders to a second place finish in the Big South Conference that season, earning all-league honors and was also honored as an all-academic performer. The Woodbury, N.J., native burst upon the scene as a freshman in 1982, helping the Highlanders to a 20-5 record, and the team had winning records in three of his four seasons. He was ranked among the Top 10 players on the East Coast as a senior. Since graduation in 1985, Perrone has enjoyed a successful career as a tennis club director, instructor and as a player.

Inductees into the RU Sports Hall of Fame receive a replica of a plaque featuring their achievements. The original plaque is placed on permanent display in the Dedmon Center as part of the athletic department's trophies and team awards display.

Bell and Perrone comprise the ninth class inducted into the RU Sports Hall of Fame, which was started in 1995. They will become the 27th and 28th members of the hall.