Las Vegas, Nev. - Tiger All-American Keith Swagerty was inducted into the 2014 West Coast Conference Hall of Honor class on Saturday, March 8 at the Orleans Hotel. Ten individuals, one from each member institution, were honored as part of the sixth annual ceremony as part of the 2014 West Coast Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships from March 6-11 at the Orleans Arena.
"This year we welcome yet another remarkable group of inductees into the West Coast Conference Hall of Honor," WCC Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich said. "These 10 individuals are some of the best and brightest to ever represent our conference and their respective institutions. The Hall of Honor celebration will once again serve as one of the highlights of what promises to be another highly competitive West Coast Conference Basketball Championship."
The 2014 WCC Hall of Honor class includes: Pacific's Keith Swagerty (Basketball), BYU's Ed Eyestone (Cross Country), Gonzaga's Kelley Cunningham Spink (Volleyball), Loyola Marymount's Jeff Fryer (Basketball), Pepperdine's Mike Scott (Baseball), Portland's Laura Sale O'Connell (Basketball), Saint Mary's Tracy Morris Sanders(Basketball), San Diego's Jose Luis Noriega (Tennis), San Francisco's Ollie Johnson (Basketball) and Santa Clara's Leslie Osborne (Soccer).
Keith Swagerty, University of the Pacific
Keith Swagerty was a potent scorer and fierce rebounder who led University of the Pacific to two conference championships and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances from 1964 to 1967. A San Jose, CA native, he was one of the most highly-decorated players in Tiger history. He was named West Coast Athletic Conference (WCAC) Player of the Year twice (1966 and 1967) and was a first team Academic All-American. As a senior, he earned first-team All-America honors from the Helms Foundation, second-team honors from Converse, and was named honorable mention by the Associated Press and UPI.
In the 1966 NCAA Tournament, Swagerty scored 16 points and had 19 rebounds in a first-round 83-74 loss to Utah. He scored 26 points and collected 23 rebounds in a 102-91 loss to the Elvin Hayes-led Houston Cougars in the consolation game. A year later in the 1967 NCAA Tournament, Swagerty led Pacific to a 72-63 first-round win over defending national champion Texas Western (now UTEP). He scored 11 points and had eight rebounds in an 80-64 second-round loss to John Wooden's UCLA Bruins. Swagerty earned national recognition when he had 39 rebounds in one game against UC Santa Barbara on March 5, 1965; it is still a WCC and Pacific record. Upon graduating, he held the records for career totals in points and rebounds, and still holds the record for career rebounds today.
Swagerty went on to play two seasons in the ABA with the Houston Mavericks and the Kentucky Colonels. He also played in Italy before becoming a physical education instructor and coach at Seattle Pacific University from 1974-80. He compiled an 87-61 record and led the Falcons to the NCAA Division II Tournament with a 20-9 mark in 1976-77.
He was the first Pacific Basketball player to have his number retired (32). A 1985 inductee into the Pacific Athletic Hall of Fame, Swagerty was awarded the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award of Honor in 2005 for living a life of distinction.
