Throughout the years, Nevada has seen and celebrated numerous Black athletes who have ultimately shaped athletics at the university.
Here are just a few Nevada sports icons and Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame inductees who we recognize not only during this month, but year round:
Colin Kaepernick (Football):
Colin Kaepernick has become a well-known name during time at Nevada and in the NFL. Kaepernick was a four-year starting quarterback at Nevada from 2006-2010, setting numerous records as he passed for 10,000 yards and rushed for 4,000 yards, making history as the only college football player in history to do so. Kaepernick led the iconic 2010 team through their 13-1 season and a WAC conference championship. Inducted in the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020, Kaepernick’s legacy remains a huge part of Nevada sports.
Dellena Criner (Women’s Basketball):
Dellena Criner was a star on the Nevada women’s basketball team in her four years at the University (2005-2009). Criner is a decorated athlete, winning WAC Defensive Player of the Year twice (2008-2009), first-team All-WAC, WAC All-Academic honors and first-team All-WAC three times in her career (2007, 2008, 2009). Criner was inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020 and still holds the school record for most steals in a single season (87 during the 2006-07 season).
Otis Burrell (Track & Field):
Otis Burrell is known as “one of the best track athletes in school history”. Burrell spent 1964-1967 at Nevada, where he won three straight national championships (1965-1967) in high jump. In the 1966 Championship, Burrell also placed fourth in the 120-yard hurdles. The two-time All-American and four-time American Athletic Union Champion was inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978.
Salaia Salave’a (Volleyball & Women’s Basketball):
Salaia Salave’a, a four-year starter for Nevada Volleyball, played 124 of her 125 matches during her career (2002-2006). Salave’a received the AVCA honorable mention All-American honors in 2005; this is the highest honor awarded to a Nevada volleyball player in history. After starting her career off with a bang by being named the 2002 WAC Freshman of the Year, Salave’a won multiple titles including three-time first-team All-WAC, three-time All-WAC Preseason team selection and four-time All-WAC Tournament team. Salave’a currently holds the top-ranking career point total in Nevada history (2,097), is second-ranked in career kills (1,665) and appears in the Nevada volleyball record book 30 times. In addition to her impressive performance in volleyball, Salave’a also played one season (2005-06) with the Nevada women’s basketball team. Salaia was inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
Armon Johnson (Men’s Basketball):
Armon Johnson played three seasons at Nevada for the men’s basketball team (2007-2010) where he was named WAC Freshman of the Year (2008), first-team All-WAC honors (2009) and two-time all-district selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and second-team accolades (2010). Currently ranked fifth in all-time assists at Nevada (445), Johnson led in assists all three of his seasons. He is also only the sixth player in school history to score at least 1,000 points over their collegiate career. Johnson was drafted during the second round of the NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers after declaring for the draft following his junior year (2010). With an accomplished career at Nevada, starting in 99 of 101 games and helping the team reach a WAC title (2007-08), Johnson was inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020.
Atoya Shaw Burleson (Women’s Track and Field):
Atoya Shaw, now Atoya Shaw Burleson, ran for the Nevada women’s track and field team from 1995-2000. Shaw Burleson won gold in the 2000 Big West outdoor championship for the 100 hurdles with the second-fastest time in Nevada Athletics history; this helped the women’s team win their first conference championship for the season. As the owner of three impressive school records — 400-meter hurdles, 4×100 and 4×400 relay — and holding fifth in 55 hurdles and 10th in both 100 meters and 100 hurdles, Shaw Burleson was inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.
Rob Richie (Baseball):
Rob Richie had an impressive four-year (1983-1987) career at Nevada. In just his freshman year, Richie was hitting .298 with seven home runs, 13 stolen bases and 39 RBI. Named All-West Coast Athletic Conference second team both his freshman and sophomore years, Richie only struck out 20 times in his second year, bumping his hitting average up to .322, and his RBI to 40 with eight homers and a team-best seven triples. With an impressive performance on the mound in just eight games, Richie struck out 39 batters in 35.1 innings. As a junior Richie was hitting a team best .407; this alongside his other growing stats led him to be named All-WCAC First Team. In his last season, The Sporting News named him an All-American and he grabbed yet another WCAC first-team all-selection. Still holding school records in career games played (198), runs scored (197), doubles (55), home runs (30), RBI (181), at-bats (723), hits (254), triples (22), steals (47) and walks (120), Richie was inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.
Since its establishment in 1973, only 49 Black athletes have been inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame; The names of these athletes are listed below.
All Black athletes inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame:
Chris Singleton (Baseball) Induction: 2006
Nate Burleson (Football) Induction: 2012
James Cannida (Football) Induction: 2008
James Curry (Football) Induction: 1991
Bernard Ellison (Football) Induction: 2001
Charvez Foger (Football) Induction: 2001
Virgil Green (Football) Induction: 2025
Frank Hawkins (Football) Induction: 1992
Sherman Howard (Football) Induction: 1995
Derek Kennard (Football) Induction: 1996
Charles Mann (Football) Induction: 1995
Brock Marion (Football) Induction: 2006
Dontay Moch (Football) Induction: 2020
Larry Moore (Football) Induction: 1996
Marion Motley (Football) Induction: 1973
DeShone Myles (Football) Induction: 2009
Geoff Noisy (Football) Induction: 2011
Bryan Reeves (Football) Induction: 2004
Henry Rolling (Football) Induction: 2000
Tony Shaw (Football) Induction: 2010
Vai Taua (Football) Induction: 2020
Treamelle Taylor (Football) Induction: 2011
Alex Van Dyke (Football) Induction: 2007
Alex Boyd (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 1983
Deonte Burton (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 2024
Michael “Fly” Gray (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 2005
Faron Hand (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 2022
Johnny High (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 1991
Trent Johnson (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 2013
Edgar Jones (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 1989
Marcelus Kemp (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 2018
JaVale McGee (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 2023
Napoleon Montgomery (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 1992
Eathan O’Bryant (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 2021
Kevin Pinkney (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 2015
Ramon Sessions (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 2017
Kirk Snyder (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 2025
Kevin Soares (Men’s Basketball) Induction: 2003
Donadelle Cannida (Women’s Basketball) Induction: 2015
Mimi Mungedi (Women’s Basketball) Induction: 2025
Dawn Pitman (Women’s Basketball) Induction: 2010
Angie Taylor (Women’s Basketball) Induction: 2019
