NORFOLK, Va. (March 14, 2018) – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) officially inducted the Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Thursday, March 8 at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel. Among the five new members were Howard University's Jay Walker, quarterback of the undefeated 1993 HU football team.
 
Walker's Hall of Fame class included Bethune-Cookman's Nick Collins, South Carolina State's Chartric Darby and Charlene Johnson, and Morgan State's Janina Lee.
 
"I would like to once again congratulate the 2018 Hall of Fame class for all their accomplishments, athletically, academically and professionally," said Dr. Dennis E. Thomas, MEAC Commissioner before Thursday's brunch. "This year's honorees have made significant contributions to their families, communities, institutions and this conference. They are to be celebrated, and I look forward to their official induction."
 
Festivities began with a welcome gathering, followed by the induction ceremony. Several friends, family members, Howard Athletics administration, and teammates witnessed the ceremony, including former HU Coach Steve Wilson, who was Walker's presenter.
 
In addition to the ceremony, the Class of 2018 was also recognized before the 6 p.m. men's basketball game between No. 3 Savannah State and No. 6 North Carolina Central during the 2018 MEAC Basketball Tournament at the Norfolk Scope Arena.
 
After transferring from Long Beach State, Walker became one of the most prolific football names in Howard history. In 1993, he was a two-time All-MEAC First-Team selection and the conference's Offensive Player of the Year. That season, the Bison went undefeated en route to winning MEAC and Black College National Championships. He passed for 3,324 yards in 1993, which ranks as the second-highest single-season total in MEAC history, and his 223 completions that season rank fifth in conference history. He also threw 24 touchdown passes in 1993, tying for the sixth-highest single-season total in MEAC history.
 
In 2005, Walker was inducted into the Howard University Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
A seventh-round draft pick in 1994 by the New England Patriots, Walker played in the NFL for four seasons (two with the New England Patriots and two with the Minnesota Vikings).
 
Since 2007, he has served on the Maryland House of Delegates and currently works as a college football analyst for ESPN.
 
The MEAC Hall of Fame highlights former student-athletes, coaches, university and conference administrators, as well as special contributors, who have enriched the legacy of the conference since its inception in 1970. Enshrinees were selected by a 13-person committee made up of administrators and representatives from member institutions.
 
The inaugural Hall of Fame class was inducted on May 29, 1981 during a 10-year anniversary banquet in Greensboro, N.C. Since its establishment, the MEAC Hall of Fame has enshrined 143 people, including the class of 2018.
 
Since the inaugural, 17 Bison have been enshrined into the MEAC Hall of Fame and every year since 2010.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.