April 6, 2000

The inductees are Danny Ainge (Brigham Young University, class of 1992), a college basketball player of the year who went on to play 14 seasons in the NBA; Dr. Regina Cavanaugh Murphy (Rice University, class of 1987), a star shot-putter and Rhodes Scholar candidate; Oliver Luck (West Virginia University, class of 1982), a three-year starting quarterback who set many school passing records; and Pablo Morales (Stanford University, class of 1987), an 11-time NCAA swimming champion who won three Olympic gold medals.

Also entering the Hall of Fame as an honorary inductee is Dr. F. Sherwood Rowland (Ohio Wesleyan University, class of 1948/University of Chicago, class of 1952), a two-sport standout who became a Nobel Prize winner. (See complete inductee profiles below).

GTE, in conjunction with the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), established the Hall of Fame in 1988 to honor former college scholar-athletes who have excelled in their professions and have made substantial contributions to their communities. There are now 63 members of the Hall of Fame, including this year's class.

To be eligible, an individual must have been a GTE Academic All-America® Team member while in school and have graduated from college at least 10 years ago with an overall GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The 2000 inductees were selected from a group of 100 individuals who were nominated by a 90-member voting board representing CoSIDA's 1,800 members.

"GTE established the Hall of Fame to recognize the importance of academic preparation as a foundation for life," said Glen S. Gilbert, GTE's vice president - advertising and social responsibility. "All of this year's inductees are winners because they placed a tremendous value on succeeding first as student-athletes and then went on to distinguish themselves in community service and career success as well."

"All of this year's inductees are superior citizens," said Enberg. "The class of 2000 will help maintain the standard of excellence established by the entire group of previous inductees who make the Hall of Fame induction such a prestigious honor."

"This group of former student-athletes perfectly represents the types of individuals we had in mind when the Hall of Fame was created. They will uphold the continued tradition of this outstanding event," said Max Corbet, president of CoSIDA.

With 1999 revenues of more than $25 billion, GTE is a leading telecommunications provider with one of the industry's broadest arrays of products and services. In the United States, GTE provides local service in 28 states and wireless service in 18 states, as well as nationwide long-distance, directory, and internetworking services ranging from dial-up Internet access for residential and small-business consumers to Web-based applications for Fortune 500 companies. Outside the United States, the company serves customers on five continents. Additional information about GTE Corp. can be found in the Internet at www.gte.com.

GTE is also the "Official Telecommunications Consultant to the NCAA."

Danny Ainge, Brigham Young University, Basketball

A two-time Academic All-America" (1980-81) at BYU, Ainge ranks second on the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) career scoring list with 2,467 points. In his senior year he averaged 24 points per game and won the 1981 John Wooden Award as college basketball's player of the year. His last-second, length-of-the-court layup that upset Notre Dame in the third round of the '81 NCAA tournament is one of the most famous shots in tournament history.

A standout all-around athlete, Ainge played professional baseball with the Toronto Blue Jays during his college career. Drafted by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 1982 draft, Ainge played 14 years in the NBA with Boston, Sacramento and Phoenix, winning NBA titles with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986 and appearing in four other NBA finals.

Ainge retired following the '95-'96 season and became head coach of the Phoenix Suns. He retired from the position in December of '99 to spend more time with his family, and he is currently working as an analyst for Turner's NBA telecasts. He serves as a spokesman for the Children's Miracle Network and is active with the Phoenix area Cystic Fybrosis Foundations and Stay-In-School Campaigns. He and his wife, Michelle, have six children.

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