Clarksville, TN – Induction ceremonies for the Austin Peay State University (APSU) 2024 Athletics Hall of Fame Class will be held February 23rd-24th at F&M Bank Arena in Downtown Clarksville.
Tickets for Saturday’s basketball doubleheader are available now on Ticketmaster.com. Tickets are no longer available for Friday night’s reception, which officially sold out Tuesday.
The 46th Hall of Fame Class, which will be inducted during ceremonies held February 23rd-24th, 2024, includes baseball’s Tyler Rogers and Alex Robles, men’s basketball’s Chris Horton, volleyball’s Ashley Slay, athletic trainer Joni Johnson, and football’s Philip Farinella.
The 2024 Hall of Fame Class will be inducted during a Friday 6:00pm reception in the Queen City Suite at F&M Bank Arena. That event officially sold out as of Tuesday morning.
The athletics department will recognize the class at halftime of the men’s basketball game against Lipscomb on Saturday, February 24th. Tickets for that day’s basketball doubleheader, including the women’s basketball game against North Alabama, are available online through Ticketmaster.
The APSU Athletics Hall of Fame, displayed in the front lobby of the Winfield Dunn Center, inducted legendary director of athletics and coach David Aaron as its first member in 1977. This year’s class of six inductees will bring the total number of individuals recognized to 139. The APSU Athletics Hall of Fame can be visited online at LetsGoPeay.com/HOF.
Tickets for Saturday’s Basketball Doubleheader
Austin Peay State University Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 Biographical Sketches
Philip Farinella, Football (1964-67)
Farinella was a linebacker and middle guard for the Governors’ string of great teams in the mid-1960s, which won 20-plus games in a three-year stretch for the second time and one of only seven such stretches in program history. A two-time Second Team All-OVC selection (1966, 1967), Farinella finished his career with 407 tackles and 215 solo tackles, both among the Governors’ career Top 10, including a 121-tackle performance during his senior season.
In addition, Farinella’s unparalleled nose for the football has withstood the test of time as he continues to hold the APSU career record for fumbles recovered (eight), including four fumble recoveries in 1966. All that from an athlete who began his career as a 5-8, 165-pound linebacker and evolved into a 5-9, 195-pound middle guard that opposing offenses feared.
Chris Horton, Men’s Basketball (2012-16)
Inarguably the best true center of the Dave Loos Era, Horton finished his career as Austin Peay’s career leader in blocked shots and games started (126). At the same time, he became the first Governor since Tom Morgan (1952-58) to record 1,000 rebounds during their career.
Horton was the centerpiece of the Governors’ improbable 2016 OVC Championship run that saw an eighth-seeded Austin Peay State University win four games in four days to claim the tournament title, with Horton named the tournament’s “Most Valuable Player” after averaging 22.5 points and 14.0 rebounds per game.
Horton also earned First Team All-OVC and NABC All-District honors in 2015-16 and set program records for rebounds (431) and free throws attempted (290) while scoring 676 points – the ninth-best single-season performance in program history.
Beginning with his 100-block shot season as a freshman – which set the single-season record – each of his four seasons ranks among the program’s Top 10 in blocked shots, and his 325 career blocked shots are 68 more than any other Governor.
Joni Johnson, Athletic Trainer (1991-2021)
A member of Austin Peay’s athletic training staff for 30 years, Johnson came to Austin Peay in 1991 after attaining her undergraduate degree from the University of Evansville. Starting her APSU career as a graduate assistant, she became a full-time assistant the following year.
Following the retirement of Hall of Fame member Chuck Kimmel in 2007, Johnson became the department’s third head athletic trainer – a role she served until her retirement. She became well-known as the men’s basketball athletic trainer and worked directly with the Governors’ tennis teams throughout her career.
She also worked with Austin Peay State University’s football team and could be seen on the sideline at many other athletics events. In 1995-96, she received the Southeast Athletic Trainers Association (SEATA) Backbone of the Year Award, annually presented to the top assistant trainer of the year.
In 2000, she received the Order of the Nanook Award presented to the outstanding trainer at the 2000 Top of the World Men’s Basketball Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. Finally, in 2018, Austin Peay’s student-athletes voted her as Austin Peay State University Athletics Support Staff Member of the Year.
Alex Robles, Baseball (2014-18)
The best two-way player in program history, Robles finished his four-year career as the first student-athlete to earn five All-OVC honors during their career and also was the first to receive First Team All-OVC recognition at two different positions in the same season.
His performance against UT Martin during the 2018 season epitomized his overall talent when he became the first player to go 5-for-5 at the plate while hitting for the cycle and also picking up the victory as a starting pitcher in the same game.
Robles led the Governors’ pitching staff in victories each of his four seasons, finishing second all-time with 28 wins. His 295 career strikeouts are second only to Hall of Fame member Shawn Kelley, while his 268 career hits are third all-time behind Hall of Famers Reed Harper and Greg Bachman.
Robles was Second Team All-OVC as a starting pitcher in 2016 following a 10-win campaign before closing his career with First Team recognition as a utility player after batting .347 with a career-best 47 RBI.
Tyler Rogers, Baseball (2012-14)
The closer by which all others will be judged, Tyler Rogers was a key member of the Governors 2012 and 2013 OVC championship teams. A junior college transfer, Rogers began his Austin Peay career by setting the program record with 12 saves in a season in 2012, leading the Govs to a sweep of the regular-season and tournament titles.
Rogers followed that with one of the most dominating performances by a closer in NCAA history in 2013, becoming the first relief pitcher to win OVC Pitcher of the Year honors and earning Second Team All-America recognition from both the American Baseball Coaches Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
The Governors set a program record with 47 wins that season, and Rogers had a hand in 30 of those victories, posting a 7-2 record with a program-record 23 saves. He struck out 41 batters in 49.2 innings, posted a 1.63 ERA., and held opponents to a .169 batting average.
Rogers’ 23 saves in 2013 was tied for the NCAA single-season record until it was broken later by UCLA’s David Berg in the NCAA College World Series.
Ashley Slay, Volleyball (2014-18)
One of the most versatile players in APSU volleyball history, Slay was both a middle blocker and a right-side hitter during her four-year career and helped lead the Governors to the 2017 Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships.
During her storied career, she became one of only six APSU volleyball student-athletes to earn multiple First Team All-OVC honors (2016 and 2017) while capping her career as the fourth APSU volleyball athlete to earn the league’s Player of the Year in 2017 following a 475-kill, 104-block campaign.
Slay also became the first APSU volleyball athlete to earn AVCA National Player of the Week recognition after posting 37 kills and seven blocks in wins against SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois, posting a 22-kill, 11-dig double-double against SIUE with five blocks and two service aces.
Slay finished her APSU career as the program’s leader in career blocks (349), fourth in attack percentage (.271), sixth in total kills (1,289) and 10th in matches played (128).
