University of Delaware Athletics
2018 UD Athletics Hall of Fame Class Announced
9/12/2018 9:54:00 AM | Delaware Athletics
NEWARK, Del. –University of Delaware Athletics announced today a star-studded group of former Blue Hen greats who make up the Class of 2018 of the UD Athletics Hall of Fame.
Highlighting the Class of 2018 is multi-year All-American, Olympic gold medalist, and WNBA women's basketball superstar Elena Delle Donne; football All-American lineman Herb Beck; All-American and former Major League Baseball outfielder Cliff Brumbaugh; former women's basketball all-time leading scorer Debbie Eaves Curbeau; women's athletics coaching pioneer Susana Occhi; and former UD athlete, coach, and administrator Bob Siemen, who dedicated his entire adult life to Blue Hen athletics.
Founded in 1997, the UD Athletics Hall of Fame includes nearly 200 former standout student-athletes, coaches, and administrators.
The invitation-only induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Oct. 26 at the Bob Carpenter Center and the group will be introduced at halftime of the Delaware vs. Towson football game on Saturday, Oct. 27, at Delaware Stadium at 3:30 p.m.
The Class of 2018 includes six standouts who starred or coached in the sports of football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, volleyball, men's soccer, men's tennis, and men's track & field and made major contributions dating all the way back to the 1940's.
Elena Delle Donne – Women's Basketball & Volleyball
One of the most recognized and accomplished student-athletes in the history of Delaware Athletics and women's college basketball, Delle Donne has followed a record-breaking All-American tenure at UD with an impressive career as an Olympic gold medal winner and WNBA superstar.
A native of Wilmington, Del., Delle Donne began her UD career as a member of the volleyball team in 2008 and earned CAA All-Rookie honors before returning to the basketball court to begin an incredible career in 2009-13.
During her four seasons on the hardwood, she set nearly every school record, led the 2013 team to a 32-4 record and a first-ever trip to the NCAA Sweet 16, and paced the 2012 team to a 31-2 mark and a second round NCAA Tournament appearance.
She captured the Honda Award as national Player of the Year in 2013, was a three-time All-American, two-time consensus first team All-American, and three-time CAA Player of the Year.
Delle Donne finished career as No. 5 all-time leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,039 points, set Colonial Athletic Association career records for points, field goals, free throws, and blocked shots and established 45 Delaware game, season, and career records. She averaged 26.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game for career.
An outstanding student as a human services major, she was a two-time Capital One National Academic All-American of the Year and two-time CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Since graduating with honors from Delaware in 2013, Delle Donne has enjoyed national and international fame as an athlete, spokesperson, author, and role model and become one of the most recognized names and faces in women's basketball.
She helped the U.S. team win the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and has been a perennial All-Star in the WNBA with the Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics. She was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2013 and the league's Most Valuable Player in 2015.
She and her wife, Amanda Clifton, were married in 2017.
Herb Beck
Beck, a native of Drexel Hill, Pa., becomes only the second offensive lineman to earn induction into the UD Athletics Hall of Fame, joining former NFL standout Conway Hayman who was recognized in 1999.
During a stellar three-year career at offensive guard for Hall of Fame head coach Tubby Raymond in 1977-79, Beck led the Blue Hens to a combined record of 29-8-1 that included a 1979 NCAA Division II national championship, a national runner-up finish in 1978, two Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Team of the Year awards, and a Lambert Cup eastern crown.
He was a three-time All-American, earning first team honors as a senior in 1979, second team laurels in 1978, and honorable mention recognition in 1977. His 50 games played ranks among the most ever by a UD offensive lineman and he was named to the Delaware Football All-Time team in 1989. His outstanding blocking helped the Blue Hens lead the nation in total offensive yards per game in 1979 and rank No. 2 in 1978.
Beck earned his degree in criminal justice from Delaware in 1979, has worked in the food business for 38 years, and currently serves as Senior Vice-President for Sales for Devault Foods. He and his wife, Anne, reside in Mount Pleasant, S.C. They have three children and three grandchildren.
Cliff Brumbaugh
One of the all-time great sluggers in Delaware's rich baseball history, Brumbaugh was a standout for the Blue Hens and Hall of Fame head coach Bob Hannah from 1993 to 1995.
A native of New Castle, Del. and William Penn High School, Brumbaugh led teams that compiled an overall record of 117-48, won two North Atlantic Conference regular season titles in 1994 and 1995, and captured the NAC Tournament crown and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1995.
A three-year starter at third base, he earned American Baseball Coaches Association All-American honors in 1994 (third team) and 1995 (second team), was a two-time first team All-NAC selection, and was named the NAC Player of the Year in 1995 when he batted .442 and knocked in 56 runs for the league champions. He also batted over .400 as a sophomore in 1994.
He set a UD single season record for doubles in a season in 1995 with 32, tied a school record for home runs in a game (3 vs. Delaware State in 1995), and his career batting average of .393 ranked No. 4 all-time.
Brumbaugh was drafted in the 13thround of the 1995 MLB Draft by Texas and rose to the Major Leagues with the Rangers in 2001 and played with the Colorado Rockies later that season.
His minor league career included a 1995 New York-Penn League Most Valuable Player award and five All-Star game appearances. Following his MLB stint, he played professionally for seven years in Asia, was a four-time All-Star, and was home run shy of the Korean Triple Crown in 2004.
Brumbaugh resides in Edmond, Okla. with his wife, Tanya, and their three sons. Since retiring from baseball in 2010 he has served as a hitting instructor for Fuel Oklahoma Athletics training facility.
Debbie Eaves Curbeau
One of the all-time great forwards in the history of Delaware women's basketball, Eaves Curbeau enjoyed outstanding success during her stellar career with the Blue Hens in 1986-90 for Hall of Fame head coach Joyce Perry.
She played for teams that posted a combined record of 72-43 overall and 37-19 and won East Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles in 1989 and 1990. She led the team to a record of 23-6 as a junior and to a mark of 21-9 as a senior when she served as a team co-captain and led the team with 17.3 points per game.
After earning ECC Rookie of the Year honors in 1987, she went on to earn first team All-ECC laurels in both 1989.
A four-year starter, she was the first player in school history to start every game of her career (115) and graduated having set eight school records, including most career points (1,551), field goals (641), and blocked shots (177). She also ranked No. 2 all-ime at UD with 992 career rebounds and averaged 13.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for her career.
A native of Penn Yan, N.Y., Eaves Curbeau earned her degree in health and physical education from Delaware in 1990 and her master's degree in education from Elmira College in 1994. She has taught physical education and health at Penn Yan Middle School for 26 years and previously served has varsity girl's basketball and boy's golf head coach.
She and her husband, Robert Curbeau, reside in Penn Yan, N.Y. and have two children.
Susana Occhi
One of the true pioneers of women's athletics at the University of Delaware, Occhi served as the Blue Hens' first basketball and volleyball coaches during her career.
A native of Argentina, Occhi served as Delaware's first volleyball head coach in 1972 and led the squad to an 18-13 record and a spot in the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. She set the foundation for a program that has gone on to post seven conference titles and eight national tournament appearances. She served as head coach of the volleyball club teams for two seasons before the program earned varsity status.
While at Delaware, she also served as head coach of the first two UD women's basketball teams during the 1969-71 seasons. She was a graduate assistant within the women's physical education department and later served as assistant director of recreation and intramurals where she was responsible for organizing intramurals for women and co-ed. The UD Women's Recreation Association was created, resulting in the organization of "sports days" with other colleges and universities - the forerunner to the women's athletics program.
Following her stint at Delaware, she moved on to Princeton University where she served as women's volleyball head coach in 1974-84 and led the men's volleyball program in 1973-76, earning NCAA Coach of the Year honors. She later was an assistant coach with the Argentina National Team at the Pan American Games in 1983.
She earned her degree from the Instituto Nacional de Educacion Fisica in Sante Fe, Argentina in 1962 and her master's degree in education from Delaware in 1970. Following her coaching career, she served as a college professor in Argentina and as an elementary teacher in San Diego, Calif.
She now resides in San Diego and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Bob Siemen
As a standout athlete, coach, and administrator, Bob Siemen devoted a lifetime to the University of Delaware and played a vital role in the success of Blue Hen athletics.
As a standout athlete, Siemen lettered in four different sports in one season, competing for the Blue Hen soccer, tennis, basketball, and track & field teams. As a senior, he served as captain of the soccer team that won the 1942 Mason-Dixon Conference titles and earned a second place finish at the Penn Relays in track & field during the spring of 1943.
After earning his degree from Delaware in 1943, he served in World War II as a paratrooper and then served 28 years as an Army reservist, advancing to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After active duty, he returned to UD as assistant athletic director under Bill Murray and was responsible for handling the business and ticketing side of athletics. He also served as varsity baseball head coach (1953-55) and men's tennis head coach (1951-52) and freshman basketball and track & field coach.
He left UD for a career at the DuPont Corp. from 1955-1982 but remained active as president of the UD Alumni Association, served as a Delaware Track & Field official, and served in the press box at UD home football games as a spotter next to public address announcer and UD Hall of Fame member Elbert Chance into his 80's.
He earned his degree in arts and science from Delaware in 1943 and went on to earn his master's degree in economics in 1955 and master's in business administration in 1964 from UD.
He passed away in 2009 at the age of 87. He and his wife, Florence (Delaware '61), who passed away in 2017, had two children, both UD graduates. They also had four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
The UD Athletics Fred Emmerson/Bob Siemen Basketball Scholarship is named in his honor.
Highlighting the Class of 2018 is multi-year All-American, Olympic gold medalist, and WNBA women's basketball superstar Elena Delle Donne; football All-American lineman Herb Beck; All-American and former Major League Baseball outfielder Cliff Brumbaugh; former women's basketball all-time leading scorer Debbie Eaves Curbeau; women's athletics coaching pioneer Susana Occhi; and former UD athlete, coach, and administrator Bob Siemen, who dedicated his entire adult life to Blue Hen athletics.
Founded in 1997, the UD Athletics Hall of Fame includes nearly 200 former standout student-athletes, coaches, and administrators.
The invitation-only induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Oct. 26 at the Bob Carpenter Center and the group will be introduced at halftime of the Delaware vs. Towson football game on Saturday, Oct. 27, at Delaware Stadium at 3:30 p.m.
The Class of 2018 includes six standouts who starred or coached in the sports of football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, volleyball, men's soccer, men's tennis, and men's track & field and made major contributions dating all the way back to the 1940's.
Elena Delle Donne – Women's Basketball & Volleyball
One of the most recognized and accomplished student-athletes in the history of Delaware Athletics and women's college basketball, Delle Donne has followed a record-breaking All-American tenure at UD with an impressive career as an Olympic gold medal winner and WNBA superstar.
A native of Wilmington, Del., Delle Donne began her UD career as a member of the volleyball team in 2008 and earned CAA All-Rookie honors before returning to the basketball court to begin an incredible career in 2009-13.
During her four seasons on the hardwood, she set nearly every school record, led the 2013 team to a 32-4 record and a first-ever trip to the NCAA Sweet 16, and paced the 2012 team to a 31-2 mark and a second round NCAA Tournament appearance.
She captured the Honda Award as national Player of the Year in 2013, was a three-time All-American, two-time consensus first team All-American, and three-time CAA Player of the Year.
Delle Donne finished career as No. 5 all-time leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,039 points, set Colonial Athletic Association career records for points, field goals, free throws, and blocked shots and established 45 Delaware game, season, and career records. She averaged 26.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game for career.
An outstanding student as a human services major, she was a two-time Capital One National Academic All-American of the Year and two-time CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Since graduating with honors from Delaware in 2013, Delle Donne has enjoyed national and international fame as an athlete, spokesperson, author, and role model and become one of the most recognized names and faces in women's basketball.
She helped the U.S. team win the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and has been a perennial All-Star in the WNBA with the Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics. She was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2013 and the league's Most Valuable Player in 2015.
She and her wife, Amanda Clifton, were married in 2017.
Herb Beck
Beck, a native of Drexel Hill, Pa., becomes only the second offensive lineman to earn induction into the UD Athletics Hall of Fame, joining former NFL standout Conway Hayman who was recognized in 1999.
During a stellar three-year career at offensive guard for Hall of Fame head coach Tubby Raymond in 1977-79, Beck led the Blue Hens to a combined record of 29-8-1 that included a 1979 NCAA Division II national championship, a national runner-up finish in 1978, two Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Team of the Year awards, and a Lambert Cup eastern crown.
He was a three-time All-American, earning first team honors as a senior in 1979, second team laurels in 1978, and honorable mention recognition in 1977. His 50 games played ranks among the most ever by a UD offensive lineman and he was named to the Delaware Football All-Time team in 1989. His outstanding blocking helped the Blue Hens lead the nation in total offensive yards per game in 1979 and rank No. 2 in 1978.
Beck earned his degree in criminal justice from Delaware in 1979, has worked in the food business for 38 years, and currently serves as Senior Vice-President for Sales for Devault Foods. He and his wife, Anne, reside in Mount Pleasant, S.C. They have three children and three grandchildren.
Cliff Brumbaugh
One of the all-time great sluggers in Delaware's rich baseball history, Brumbaugh was a standout for the Blue Hens and Hall of Fame head coach Bob Hannah from 1993 to 1995.
A native of New Castle, Del. and William Penn High School, Brumbaugh led teams that compiled an overall record of 117-48, won two North Atlantic Conference regular season titles in 1994 and 1995, and captured the NAC Tournament crown and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1995.
A three-year starter at third base, he earned American Baseball Coaches Association All-American honors in 1994 (third team) and 1995 (second team), was a two-time first team All-NAC selection, and was named the NAC Player of the Year in 1995 when he batted .442 and knocked in 56 runs for the league champions. He also batted over .400 as a sophomore in 1994.
He set a UD single season record for doubles in a season in 1995 with 32, tied a school record for home runs in a game (3 vs. Delaware State in 1995), and his career batting average of .393 ranked No. 4 all-time.
Brumbaugh was drafted in the 13thround of the 1995 MLB Draft by Texas and rose to the Major Leagues with the Rangers in 2001 and played with the Colorado Rockies later that season.
His minor league career included a 1995 New York-Penn League Most Valuable Player award and five All-Star game appearances. Following his MLB stint, he played professionally for seven years in Asia, was a four-time All-Star, and was home run shy of the Korean Triple Crown in 2004.
Brumbaugh resides in Edmond, Okla. with his wife, Tanya, and their three sons. Since retiring from baseball in 2010 he has served as a hitting instructor for Fuel Oklahoma Athletics training facility.
Debbie Eaves Curbeau
One of the all-time great forwards in the history of Delaware women's basketball, Eaves Curbeau enjoyed outstanding success during her stellar career with the Blue Hens in 1986-90 for Hall of Fame head coach Joyce Perry.
She played for teams that posted a combined record of 72-43 overall and 37-19 and won East Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles in 1989 and 1990. She led the team to a record of 23-6 as a junior and to a mark of 21-9 as a senior when she served as a team co-captain and led the team with 17.3 points per game.
After earning ECC Rookie of the Year honors in 1987, she went on to earn first team All-ECC laurels in both 1989.
A four-year starter, she was the first player in school history to start every game of her career (115) and graduated having set eight school records, including most career points (1,551), field goals (641), and blocked shots (177). She also ranked No. 2 all-ime at UD with 992 career rebounds and averaged 13.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for her career.
A native of Penn Yan, N.Y., Eaves Curbeau earned her degree in health and physical education from Delaware in 1990 and her master's degree in education from Elmira College in 1994. She has taught physical education and health at Penn Yan Middle School for 26 years and previously served has varsity girl's basketball and boy's golf head coach.
She and her husband, Robert Curbeau, reside in Penn Yan, N.Y. and have two children.
Susana Occhi
One of the true pioneers of women's athletics at the University of Delaware, Occhi served as the Blue Hens' first basketball and volleyball coaches during her career.
A native of Argentina, Occhi served as Delaware's first volleyball head coach in 1972 and led the squad to an 18-13 record and a spot in the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. She set the foundation for a program that has gone on to post seven conference titles and eight national tournament appearances. She served as head coach of the volleyball club teams for two seasons before the program earned varsity status.
While at Delaware, she also served as head coach of the first two UD women's basketball teams during the 1969-71 seasons. She was a graduate assistant within the women's physical education department and later served as assistant director of recreation and intramurals where she was responsible for organizing intramurals for women and co-ed. The UD Women's Recreation Association was created, resulting in the organization of "sports days" with other colleges and universities - the forerunner to the women's athletics program.
Following her stint at Delaware, she moved on to Princeton University where she served as women's volleyball head coach in 1974-84 and led the men's volleyball program in 1973-76, earning NCAA Coach of the Year honors. She later was an assistant coach with the Argentina National Team at the Pan American Games in 1983.
She earned her degree from the Instituto Nacional de Educacion Fisica in Sante Fe, Argentina in 1962 and her master's degree in education from Delaware in 1970. Following her coaching career, she served as a college professor in Argentina and as an elementary teacher in San Diego, Calif.
She now resides in San Diego and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Bob Siemen
As a standout athlete, coach, and administrator, Bob Siemen devoted a lifetime to the University of Delaware and played a vital role in the success of Blue Hen athletics.
As a standout athlete, Siemen lettered in four different sports in one season, competing for the Blue Hen soccer, tennis, basketball, and track & field teams. As a senior, he served as captain of the soccer team that won the 1942 Mason-Dixon Conference titles and earned a second place finish at the Penn Relays in track & field during the spring of 1943.
After earning his degree from Delaware in 1943, he served in World War II as a paratrooper and then served 28 years as an Army reservist, advancing to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After active duty, he returned to UD as assistant athletic director under Bill Murray and was responsible for handling the business and ticketing side of athletics. He also served as varsity baseball head coach (1953-55) and men's tennis head coach (1951-52) and freshman basketball and track & field coach.
He left UD for a career at the DuPont Corp. from 1955-1982 but remained active as president of the UD Alumni Association, served as a Delaware Track & Field official, and served in the press box at UD home football games as a spotter next to public address announcer and UD Hall of Fame member Elbert Chance into his 80's.
He earned his degree in arts and science from Delaware in 1943 and went on to earn his master's degree in economics in 1955 and master's in business administration in 1964 from UD.
He passed away in 2009 at the age of 87. He and his wife, Florence (Delaware '61), who passed away in 2017, had two children, both UD graduates. They also had four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
The UD Athletics Fred Emmerson/Bob Siemen Basketball Scholarship is named in his honor.
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