Key Takeaways
- • Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) athletes Hines and Richmond, along with University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM) athlete Taylor, were elected to the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Hall of Fame, recognizing elite athletic achievement within the 13-institution collegiate sports conference.
- • SIUE's Ray'Sean Taylor was named 2024-25 OVC Player of the Year and OVC Male Athlete of the Year, becoming the program's all-time leading Division I scorer with 1,908 career points and ranking 37th nationally in scoring (19.2 points/game) during the 2024-25 season.
- • SEMO's Brad Korn earned 2024-25 OVC Coach of the Year honors, leading the Redhawks to a program-record 13 OVC wins and the No. 2 seed in the OVC Tournament—the highest postseason seed in the institution's Division I history.
- • The OVC recognized 38 Southeast Missouri student-athletes with Academic Medals of Honor for the 2021-22 academic year, the second-highest total league-wide, with 283 total award winners across the conference maintaining exceptional academic standards.
- • Five former OVC football student-athletes and two former coaches are on the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot for potential induction, with the election announcement scheduled for early 2026 and official induction ceremony set for December 8, 2026, at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Summary
The Ohio Valley Conference announced its 2025 Hall of Fame class elections, recognizing SEMO's Hines and Richmond and UTM's Taylor as inductees into the conference's hall of honor. The Hall of Fame selections celebrate sustained excellence across the OVC's institutional membership, which comprises 13 colleges and universities competing at the NCAA Division I level.
Concurrent with the Hall of Fame elections, the OVC released its 2024-25 postseason awards, highlighting exceptional athletic and academic performance. SIUE's Ray'Sean Taylor earned both OVC Player of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year honors in what represented his fifth season with the Cougars. Taylor's statistical profile demonstrates elite Division I performance: he ranked 37th nationally in scoring at 19.2 points per game, 39th in steals at 2.03 per game, and 57th in three-pointers made per game. Over 20 OVC conference games, Taylor averaged 20.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 steals per contest. His 1,908 career points at the Division I level established him as the program's all-time leading scorer, positioning him 41 points away from the institution's all-time scoring record across all competitive levels. SEMO's Brad Korn was recognized as OVC Coach of the Year after directing the Redhawks to a program-record 13 OVC wins and securing the No. 2 seed in the OVC Tournament—the highest postseason seeding in SEMO's Division I history.
Academic recognition also featured prominently in the OVC's 2021-22 awards cycle, with 38 Southeast Missouri student-athletes claiming OVC Academic Medals of Honor, representing the second-highest total in the league. Eastern Illinois led the conference with 46 selections, while SIUE recorded 34. The Academic Medal of Honor recognizes student-athletes achieving the highest grade point average in conference-sponsored sports, with all 2020-21 recipients maintaining perfect 4.0 GPAs. Across the OVC, 283 total student-athletes received academic recognition, with softball producing 49 honorees league-wide, followed by women's track and field with 46 and soccer with 43.
The OVC's visibility in postseason honors extended to football, with five former OVC football student-athletes and two former coaches appearing on the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot. The former student-athletes include Middle Tennessee's Joe Campbell, Don Griffin, and Steve McAdoo; Western Kentucky's Paul Gray; and Eastern Kentucky's Markus Thomas. Former coaches Jim Feix (Western Kentucky) and Charles Murphy (Middle Tennessee) also appear on the ballot. Currently, the OVC has three former players in the College Football Hall of Fame—Tony Romo, George Floyd Jr., and Jim Youngblood—alongside three former coaches: Roy Kidd, Boots Donnelly, and Frank Beamer. The 2026 Class selection will be announced in early 2026, with official induction scheduled for December 8, 2026, at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Concurrent with the Hall of Fame elections, the OVC released its 2024-25 postseason awards, highlighting exceptional athletic and academic performance. SIUE's Ray'Sean Taylor earned both OVC Player of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year honors in what represented his fifth season with the Cougars. Taylor's statistical profile demonstrates elite Division I performance: he ranked 37th nationally in scoring at 19.2 points per game, 39th in steals at 2.03 per game, and 57th in three-pointers made per game. Over 20 OVC conference games, Taylor averaged 20.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 steals per contest. His 1,908 career points at the Division I level established him as the program's all-time leading scorer, positioning him 41 points away from the institution's all-time scoring record across all competitive levels. SEMO's Brad Korn was recognized as OVC Coach of the Year after directing the Redhawks to a program-record 13 OVC wins and securing the No. 2 seed in the OVC Tournament—the highest postseason seeding in SEMO's Division I history.
Academic recognition also featured prominently in the OVC's 2021-22 awards cycle, with 38 Southeast Missouri student-athletes claiming OVC Academic Medals of Honor, representing the second-highest total in the league. Eastern Illinois led the conference with 46 selections, while SIUE recorded 34. The Academic Medal of Honor recognizes student-athletes achieving the highest grade point average in conference-sponsored sports, with all 2020-21 recipients maintaining perfect 4.0 GPAs. Across the OVC, 283 total student-athletes received academic recognition, with softball producing 49 honorees league-wide, followed by women's track and field with 46 and soccer with 43.
The OVC's visibility in postseason honors extended to football, with five former OVC football student-athletes and two former coaches appearing on the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot. The former student-athletes include Middle Tennessee's Joe Campbell, Don Griffin, and Steve McAdoo; Western Kentucky's Paul Gray; and Eastern Kentucky's Markus Thomas. Former coaches Jim Feix (Western Kentucky) and Charles Murphy (Middle Tennessee) also appear on the ballot. Currently, the OVC has three former players in the College Football Hall of Fame—Tony Romo, George Floyd Jr., and Jim Youngblood—alongside three former coaches: Roy Kidd, Boots Donnelly, and Frank Beamer. The 2026 Class selection will be announced in early 2026, with official induction scheduled for December 8, 2026, at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
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