The 2008 class of the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Sports Hall of Fame will include Brian Clothier of Edmond; Jeff Ellison of Dallas, Texas; Michael Perkins of Quartz Hill, Calif.; and Willie Tennyson of Milledgeville, Ga.

This year’s class will be honored at a luncheon at 11:30 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 16, and at halftime of the Ranger men’s basketball game with Wayland Baptist University that afternoon. The women’s game will tip off at 2 p.m. and the men’s game at 4 p.m.

The luncheon is open to the public, but reservations are required. The cost is $20 per person and reservations need to be made with the Alumni Association Office, (580) 327-8593, by Feb. 6. Along with the Hall of Fame inductees, the recipients of the 2007-08 Hall of Fame Scholarship and the Dr. Yvonne Carmichael Faculty Enhancement Award will be announced at the luncheon. The event will be held in the Student Center Ballroom.

Mr. Brian Clothier

Clothier was a member of the 1974 and 1976-78 Northwestern football teams and is the current owner of the Insurance Advisory Group in Edmond. Clothier was a wide receiver for the football team; however, his freshman year he also ran track and roamed the outfield for the baseball team.

Clothier held 13 Ranger football records when he left Northwestern in 1979. He currently holds three records, most receiving yards in a game (199 vs. East Central in 1978), most receptions in a career (140 from 1974-78) and most receiving yards in a career (2,640 from 1974-78).

In 1976 and 1978, Clothier was named NAIA Honorable Mention All-American and all four seasons in a Ranger uniform he was named to both the all-conference and all-district teams.

In a 2002 article published by the Daily Oklahoman, Clothier was ranked second in regional universities in the state of Oklahoma for receiving yards in a career at 2,640.

He said his best memory was catching a last minute touchdown against Langston and Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson, who went on to play ball for the Dallas Cowboys.

Clothier and his wife, Colleen, have two daughters, Lindsy and Leslie, and two stepsons, Marcus and Luke Jerry.

Mr. Jeff Ellison

Ellison is a 1984 graduate and currently is a credit adviser for Americredit in Dallas. He graduated in 1980 from Bolivar Central High School in Bolivar, Tenn., and majored in business administration at Northwestern.

Playing point guard all four years at Northwestern, Ellison was nicknamed “Outlaw” by his teammates. He holds every record for assists at Northwestern including career assists (564 from 1981-84), season assists (170 from 1981-82) and game assists (16 vs. Cameron in 1984).

In 1984, Ellison was named to the All-District IX First Team, Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference All-Conference selection, and an NAIA All-American honorable mention selection.

Mr. Michael Perkins

Perkins, a 1982 graduate, is the principal in the Keppel School District in Palmdale, Calif. He began his teaching career at Tuttle High School in Tuttle.

The Alva native played first base, pitcher and catcher for Ranger baseball teams from 1977-81. He was a four-time, all-conference selection and was twice voted to the All-District IX squad.

Perkins, whose father Cecil was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 following successful years as a coach and athletic director at Northwestern, had a career average of .329 with 186 hits. His senior year was his best season statistically as he flirted with a .400 batting average before settling with a .392 mark in 1981. He was named an NAIA All-American honorable mention selection that year.

During his junior year in 1979, Perkins pitched a no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader against Central State and then got behind the plate to catch the second game. That year the Ranger baseball team set a record for wins in a season at 34.

Mike and his wife, Diana (Jakubek), have two children, Megan and Dillon.

Mr. Willie Tennyson

Tennyson, a 1993 graduate, is an activity therapist at the Bill Ireland Youth Development Campus in Milledgeville, Ga. He has worked there since 1995.

Tennyson played four years as a forward for the Northwestern Ranger men’s basketball team. He ranks 12th out of only 19 Ranger men to reach 1,000 points in a career at 1,123. Tennyson currently holds three records for blocked shots: career blocked shots (264 from 1988-92), blocked shots in a season (76 in 1989-90) and most blocked shots in a game (10 vs. High Point (N.C.) in 1991).

His greatest memory was winning the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference his senior year and making it to the National Tournament in Kansas City. That team ranks fourth all-time in Ranger history, as they went 25-7 and made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the NAIA National Tournament.

Along with being an activity therapist, Tennyson also has taken part in the movie business. He has worked alongside such actors as Terrance Howard, Blair Underwood, Queen Latifah and Morgan Fairchild. He also wrote and directed his first film in 2006, a rap musical called, “Me vs. Myself.”

He has three children, Willie, Quartavious and Faith.