Fairmont State announces 2023 Hall of Fame class

The Fairmont State University Department of Athletics and the Fairmont State Athletic Association announced the 2023 Fairmont State Athletics Hall of Fame Class on Thursday, August 10.

The Class of 2023 includes Mackenzie Harrison (volleyball), Billy Johnson (baseball), Gordon Moon (football), Kristy Rausch Murphy (softball), DeWayne Richardson (basketball), Joseph “Mike” Rogers (equipment manager) and Natasha Ross Merrell (basketball, volleyball). 

“I am honored to welcome these outstanding members of the Fairmont State University athletic family to the Hall of Fame as members of the class of 2023,” said Fairmont State University President Mike Davis. “Their contributions on and off the field made Fairmont State a better place and they are deserving of the highest honor.”  
The Fairmont State Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on Friday, September 29 in the Falcon Center Gym 1. The social hour begins at 5 p.m. with the dinner and induction ceremony to follow at 6 p.m. Tickets and table sponsorships can be purchased by visiting the Fairmont State Foundation’s website. 

“Congratulations to this year’s selections of our hall of fame class,” said Fairmont State Director of Athletics Greg Bamberger. “We are excited to celebrate each inductee’s remarkable journey and the legacy they have built within Fairmont State Athletics.” The Fairmont State Athletic Association is a group designed to unite alumni, letterwinners, friends, fans and corporate sponsors to help support the competitive success of Fairmont State Athletics.

Mackenzie Harrison (Volleyball, 2014-17)

Mackenzie Harrison finished her four-year career at Fairmont State as the school’s all-time leader in kills with 1,968. A four-time All-Mountain East Conference performer and a two-time All-American, Harrison was voted the Ron Lenz National Player of the Year by D2CCA in 2017 after leading NCAA Division II with 710 kills (5.87 avg.), 105 more kills than any other player. The right-side hitter from Twinsburg, Ohio holds the MEC record for kills in a single season. 

Harrison eclipsed the 30-kill mark four times in her career and holds the top two spots in the MEC record book in total kills in a single match. She broke her single-match kill record on Oct. 7, 2017, and totaled 38 kills versus Notre Dame (Ohio) in a five-set Fairmont State victory. She was a three-time first-team All-MEC selection and was named MEC and Atlantic Region Player of the Year in 2017. Harrison was selected to the MEC All-Tournament Team three times in her illustrious Fairmont State career.

Billy Johnson (Baseball, 1991-94)

Billy Johnson was a four-year letterwinner as a member of the Fairmont State baseball team. He was voted the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Player of the Year and WVIAC Co-Hitter of the Year in 1994 after leading the country with a .501 batting average.  

He is the only Fairmont State baseball player to be named WVIAC/MEC Player of the Year. The Fairmont State catcher was a three-time first-team All-WVIAC selection (1991, 1993, 1994) and held the third-highest single-season batting average in WVIAC history.

Gordon Moon (Football 1988-90)

A three-year starter on the Fairmont State football team from 1988-90, Gordon Moon was voted into the Fairmont State Athletics Hall of Fame. The punter from New Cumberland, Pa. was a member of the 1988 WVIAC Championship team and was selected to the All-WVIAC team twice (1989 & 1990). Moon was honored as an NAIA All-American in 1990 after totaling 1,947 yards on 53 punts, including a career-high 65-yard punt. He ranks fifth in Fairmont State history in career punt yards (5,722) and holds the school record for the highest average punt yards in a single game (54.0) vs. Glenville State, 1989. 

Following his football career in Fairmont, Moon served in the United States Army and was deployed to the Middle East five times. He has held several positions in the Army including Mortuary Affairs Officer, Chief of the Quartermaster Advance Course and Inspector General. While on tour in Iraq in 2003, he received the Bronze Star Metal and the Soldier’s Medal for Heroism after saving the life of one of his soldiers while under the barrage of shrapnel. Moon is currently the Senior Army Advisor to the Governor of the state of Connecticut.

Kristy Rausch Murphy (Softball, 2006-09)

A two-time All-WVIAC First Team member, Kristy Rausch Murphy was the recipient of the 2009 Feaster and Colebank awards. She garnered CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2009 and was a two-time first-team Academic All-Region recipient. Rausch Murphy was selected to the All-Atlantic Region team after her senior season at Fairmont State. 

The Fairmont State catcher appears several times in the Fairmont State softball record book. Rausch Murphy racked up 212 hits and 53 doubles in her Fairmont State career, which are the highest career marks of any Falcon. She hit .350 in four seasons donning the Maroon & White and is in the top 10 highest career batting average leaders in school history. She clubbed 27 home runs and drove in 135 RBIs while racking up 358 total bases, the highest career total out of any Fairmont State softball player. Rausch Murphy started in 192 games and appeared in 196 contests, which are the highest marks in school history.

DeWayne Richardson (Basketball, 1997-99)

DeWayne Richardson was named the 1999 WVIAC Player of the Year after shooting 65.9% from the field and averaging 14.3 points per game. The Riverside, Calif. native was named to the 1998 All-WVIAC First Team after averaging 14.4 points per game and was voted Most Valuable Player of the 1998 NCAA East Regional Tournament. Richardson averaged 14.4 points per game in his two seasons playing for the Fighting Falcons. The two-time All-WVIAC First Team honoree was named the Jasper Colebank Award Winner in 1999 and was selected to the Daktronics All-East Region Team in 1998. 

After his Fairmont State career, Richardson played 13 seasons overseas in professional basketball leagues. His stops included playing in Norway, Finland, Austria, Chile, Argentina, Turkey, Germany and Syria.

Joseph “Mike” Rogers (Equipment Manager, 1971-2016)

A native of Rivesville, W.Va., Joseph “Mike” Rogers served as the Equipment Manager for Fairmont State Athletics for 45 years and has been selected to the Hall of Fame for his meritorious service to the advancement of Fairmont State Athletics. 

Before taking over as equipment manager in 1971, Rogers was a two-sport athlete at Fairmont State and played football for a pair of Fairmont State Athletics Hall of Fame coaches: Deacon Duvall (football) and Squibb Wilson (baseball). Rogers officiated local high school football, basketball, baseball and softball games and the equipment room inside Joe Retton Arena was named in his honor in 2015.

Natasha Ross Merrell (Basketball, Volleyball, 1998-01)

An all-conference student-athlete in basketball and volleyball, Natasha Ross Merrell is one of the most accomplished dual-sport female athletes in Fairmont State Athletics history. In basketball, Ross Merrell was named Second Team All-WVIAC her senior season after averaging 13.2 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game, 4.9 assists per game and 2.3 steals per game. She appeared in 69 basketball games as a Falcon and averaged 11.6 points per game and 8.8 boards per game in her three seasons. 

Ross Merrell was a four-year letterwinner in volleyball (1998-2001) and helped the Fighting Falcons capture WVIAC Championships in 1998 and 1999. She was selected to the All-WVIAC Volleyball team three times (1999, 2000 & 2001) and the All-WVIAC Tournament team three times (1999, 2000 & 2001). She led the team with 621 kills in 1999, which ranks second in a single season in Fairmont State history.